Nearly 60% of Division I programs have a player or recruit featured in NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings for the 2018 NHL Draft, released Monday.

A total of 107 current or future NCAA players are included in the rankings, representing 35 schools. That list of players marks an 18% increase from last year’s final ranking (91).

NCAA Players in NHL Central Scouting Rankings

Two freshmen – Boston University’s Brady Tkachuk (St. Louis, Mo./U.S. NTDP) and Michigan’s Quinn Hughes (Orlando, Fla./U.S. NTDP) – lead the way at No. 2 and 6, respectively, in the rankings of North American skaters. Ten of the top 27 North American skaters are NCAA players or recruits.

Wisconsin leads all schools with seven commits in the rankings, followed closely by Boston University, Denver and Northeastern with six each. Boston College, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Providence and Yale all have five representatives ranked.

All six NCAA conferences and independent Arizona State are represented in the final rankings.

A few more notes on the 107 players/recruits featured:

• Tkachuk and Hughes lead a group of 10 current college players featured
• 91 are skaters, while 16 are goaltenders
• Eight are not currently committed to a school but play in an NCAA-eligible junior league
• 48 players are currently in the USHL, including 17 from USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, while 22 are playing in the leagues that make up the CJHL

The 2018 NHL Draft will be held in Dallas, June 22-23. Last season 60 NCAA players or recruits were selected in the NHL Draft.