Tuesday, November 1, 2011

College Features 202 NHL Draft Picks

College Features 202 NHL Draft Picks

A total of 202 selections from recent NHL Entry Drafts are playing college hockey this season, including prospects from each of the 30 NHL clubs.

Note: Click here for a complete, sortable list of NHL Draft Picks in College Hockey

Minnesota (17 drafted players), North Dakota (15) and Boston University (12) have the most NHL selections on their roster. Thirty-nine of the 58 Division I programs have at least one NHL draft pick on their roster.

Five NHL teams have at least 10 prospects playing college hockey, led by the Florida Panthers. The 12 Panthers prospects in college include three Denver Pioneers – Sam Brittain, John Lee and Drew Shore – as well as first-round selection Nick Bjugstad (Minnesota) and second-rounders Connor Brickley (Vermont), Rocco Grimaldi (North Dakota) and Shore. According to The Hockey News Yearbook, three of the Panthers’ top eight prospects are currently playing college hockey.

Several other college players could be drafted in the 2012 NHL Draft, while many more are likely to be signed as undrafted free agents. Of the 294 former college players who appeared in the NHL last season, 75 were never drafted (25.5%).