In the System: Zellers, Hagens Lift USA to Quarters at WJC

BostonBruins.com – Take a look through what some of the Bruins prospects have been up to over the last week.

World Junior Championships

Will Zellers is off to an impeccable start at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championships in Minnesota. The forward ranks tied for first in the tournament with five goals and is tied for fifth in points with seven, leading the United States in both categories.

Zellers scored two goals and added an assist in the USA’s 6-3 victory over Germany to open the tournament on December 26, before netting the game-winning goal in their 2-1 win over Switzerland on December 27. He also scored the game-winning goal and added an assist in the USA’s 6-5 win over Slovakia on December 29.

Zellers found the back of the net in the United States’ 6-3 loss to Sweden on Wednesday.

The Maple Grove, Minnesota, native was originally selected by Colorado in the third round (76th overall) of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft and was acquired via trade along with Casey Mittelstadt and a second round pick in the 2025 draft (Liam Pettersson) for Charlie Coyle and a fifth round pick in 2026.

James Hagens totals two goals and three assists through four games for the United States at the World Junior Championships. The forward recorded assists in the 6-3 win over Germany on December 26 and the 2-1 victory over Switzerland on December 27, before scoring two goals in the USA’s 6-5 win over Slovakia on December 29 and earning the Player of the Game nod.

The Hauppauge, New York, native was originally selected by Boston in the first round (7th overall) of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.

Team USA went 3-0-0-1 (nine points) in the preliminary round, finishing second in Group A behind Sweden (4-0-0-0, 12 points), and will face-off against Finland in the tournament quarterfinals on Friday at 6 p.m. ET on NHL Network.

NCAA

Dean Letourneau extended his goal scoring streak to four games in No. 13 ranked Boston College’s 5-3 loss to Western Michigan last Sunday in the team's first game out of the holiday break. The forward’s tally was assisted by fellow Bruins draft pick Will Moore.

Letourneau made it five straight games with a goal the following night in the second game of the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off in Milwaukee - a 4-3 win over Lake Superior State. His marker in the opening frame was his team-leading 11th goal of the season, as he has scored six goals in the last five games. Letourneau’s 19 points this season are also tied for the team lead. The Braeside, Ontario, native was originally selected by Boston in the first round (25th overall) of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.

Moore added a power-play tally later in the first period to give hte Eagles a 2-0 lead. The 2025 second-round pick has three goals and five assists for eight points in his freshman campiagn.

Spengler Cup

Bruins forwards prospects Chris Pelosi and Ryan Walsh represented the first ever U.S. Collegiate Selects team at the 97th Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland. The Selects posted a 2-2 record with wins over Sparta Praha and host HC Davos in the tournament, earning a bye into the semifinal round and eventually reaching the finals before falling to Davos in the championship.

Providence

The Providence Bruins (21-6-1-0) have earned nine out of a possible twelve points in their last six games, holding the second best points percentage in the American Hockey League (.768). The P-Bruins posted a season-high seven goals in a 7-1 victory over the Springfield Thunderbirds last Saturday at the MassMutual Center.

Matthew Poitras scored two power play goals and added an assist in the 7-1 victory over the Thunderbirds last Saturday. This was his third game of the season with three points or more. The forward is second on the team with four power play goals this season. The Whitby, Ontario, native totals six goals and 12 assists through 28 games played this season.

Georgii Merkulov posted a goal and an assist in the 7-1 victory at Springfield. The forward ranks second all-time in Providence Bruins scoring with 204 career points, trailing Andy Hilbert (2001-2005) who totaled 210. Merkulov is tied for the team lead with 12 goals on the season. The Ryazan, Russia, native has recorded 25 points through 26 games this season.

Captain Patrick Brown posted a goal and an assist in each of the P-Bruins’ games at Springfield on Wednesday and last Saturday. The Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, native ranks tied for fourth in the AHL with 32 points and is tied for the team lead with 12 goals. He posted a career-best 46 points in 56 games last season for Providence.

More stats and information about the Bruins' prospects can be found below: