Boston College Men’s Hockey Forward Dean Letourneau Looking to Improve This Season

The sophomore spoke to NHL.com about his freshman season and how he’s looking to grow his game this upcoming campaign.

Feb 28, 2025; Chestnut Hill, MA, USA; Boston College forward Dean Letourneau (20) warms up before a game against the University of New Hampshire Wildcats at Conte Forum. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Boston College men’s hockey forward Dean Letourneau’s first college season was not what many expected. 

In his first year with the Eagles, the 2024 first-round Boston Bruins draft pick tallied just three assists for three points and a +6 rating in 36 games. 

On top of that, he spent the first half of the season playing with a broken hand which he revealed during Bruins development camp in June. 

Letourneau spoke to NHL.com senior writer Amalie Benjamin about last season and how he is using what he learned as a way to improve going into the 2025-26 season. 

“I got to develop key areas of my game that some people might have thought were my weaknesses,” said Letourneau. “I think being able to utilize that going into next year, I’ll just be able to take off offensively having that background behind me. So then people will be able to start to see my true capabilities and what I’m able to prove out there on the ice.”

Boston College head coach Greg Brown shared that he saw good qualities in Letourneau last season, but those still need to be shown in games. 

“He showed, as the year went on, that he has some real abilities,” said Brown. “It just is going to take time. He did show signs of the power hockey player that he will become. There were some days -- and it was probably more for us to see in practice -- where he really was adjusting and learning to use his size and protect pucks and drive to the inside, when he gets body position on a defender. That’s when having that extra size really comes in handy.”

Although his freshman campaign was not what some hoped, the 19-year-old is looking forward to his next chapter in Chestnut Hill. 

“I’m super excited for next season,” said Letourneau. “I’m ready to show people how I normally play and I’m ready to hopefully put up some numbers this year and have a big step offensively.”

Boston College opens its season on Friday, Oct. 3 against Quinnipiac at Conte Forum.