Chris Pelosi's adjustment hasn't been easy, but Bruins prospect is finding plenty to build on

Boston Globe

2 days ago

The New Jersey native's willingness to engage down low stood as one of the primary reasons why Boston scooped him up with the 92nd pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, but those efforts were far more arduous against players 3-5 years older than him in the college ranks.
'Physicality was my biggest thing,' Pelosi said Wednesday at Bruins' Development Camp. 'I was always the skinnier kid.'
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Days spent in the gym helped Pelosi add some more muscle to his 6-foot-2-inch frame, but it was an invitation to USA Hockey's camp ahead of the world juniors that presented Pelosi the springboard to end his year on a high note.
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Pelosi was one of the final cuts, missing out on the chance to help Team USA
Chris Pelosi, No. 28 in yellow, was amongst the final cuts for Team USA at the WJC due to his versatile, high-energy, hard-nosed style. Pelosi is one of those players that always finds his way around the puck, in the battles along the boards and in the dirty areas.
— Bruins Network (@BruinsNetwork)
'I think my confidence just skyrocketed . . . playing with all those guys, all those first-rounders and all those great players — you can learn a lot from them," Pelosi said. 'Coaches aren't the only resources you have to learn from. You have everyone else around you. And I think the atmosphere there really helped me a ton. Also all the older guys at Quinnipiac helped me get over that hump.'
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In Quinnipiac's final 23 games, Pelosi recorded 11 goals and 19 points, serving as a key cog up front.
Boston's prospect pipeline might be headlined by Hagens and
'He put on a solid 10 pounds last year,' Bruins amateur and college scout
Parker MacKay
said. 'Quinnipiac did a great job last year. I think he respects both ends of the ice, and you can see that out there. He's taking pucks to hard areas, and he also values his defending, and that's certainly the pieces of his game that we value.'
Chris Pelosi must drink Red Bull because he can fly.
— Dominic Tiano (@dominictiano)
Beyond the production he generated down the stretch, Pelosi felt as though his defensive game shored itself up under coach
Rand Pecknold's
tutelage.
It remains to be seen if Pelosi's offense will carry over to the pro ranks, but his 200-foot capabilities and physicality make him a valuable asset.
'First half of the season, I was struggling in the D zone, staying with my guy, my stick wasn't the best,' Pelosi said. 'Those are the little things that Rand preaches and the coaches preach at Quinnipiac. If you play hard in the D zone, you do your job in the D zone, you're going to be in the O-zone for the rest of the game.'
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Andre Gasseau (center) has upped his goal total from 10 to 12 to 15 in his first three seasons at Boston College.
Lane Turner/Globe Staff
BC pipeline remains strong
Andre Gasseau
, a Boston College forward, is quite familiar with what led the Bruins to make the decisions they did in the draft.
'When I saw Philly went with
[Porter] Martone
[at No. 6], I knew they were taking Hagens [at No. 7]. So it was exciting,' said Gasseau of his college teammate. 'And then they took
[Will] Moore
in the second round.
'It's incredible to be drafted by this franchise and represent the Boston Bruins. Hopefully all of us make the next step and play on the Bruins together.'
Don Sweeney
,
Adam McQuaid
, and the rest of the development staff won't have to make many long treks to gauge a significant portion of their prospect pool. Barring any shifts in commitments, the Eagles are expected to roll out a roster that will feature a whopping six Bruins draft picks: Hagens, Moore, Gasseau, Letourneau,
Oskar Jellvik
, and big-bodied defenseman
Kristian Kostadinski
.
'I wouldn't say it's design. It's kind of just the way it's unfolded,' McQuaid said. 'But they have a great program there. The coaching staff does a great job, and they've done a good job of getting guys NHL-ready.
'So it's not that we necessarily need guys to be in our backyard, but it doesn't hurt being able to have them close by and being able to just see them easily. Cuts down on travel a little bit.'
Even if most of the focus on the Eagles this season will revolve around first and second-round selections in Hagens, Moore, and Letourneau, Gasseau has offered plenty of promise for a seventh-round selection (2021).
A 6-4 power forward with strong skating ability, Gasseau has 88 points his first three seasons (112 games) with the Eagles, who expect him to help lead a squad set to be elevated by a motivated sophomore Hagens.
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'It's gonna be great. Everyone's gonna be pulling the rope,' Gasseau said.
Conor Ryan can be reached at