Sunday, June 30, 2013

63 Selected in 2013 NHL Draft

Players representing 29 schools taken in Sunday’s seven-round draft.

63 Selected in 2013 NHL Draft
New Hampshire’s Brett Pesce was the first player taken who played college hockey in 2012-13.

For the 12th consecutive year at least 60 current or future NCAA players were taken in the 2013 NHL Draft, held today at Prudential Center. In total 63 players with college hockey ties were selected Sunday, representing 29 of the 59 Division I programs.

Sortable List of College Picks | Quotes on Selected Draftees

All but three of the 30 NHL teams selected at least one college player, led by Buffalo and Pittsburgh with five each. Buffalo’s selections include a pair of Notre Dame commitments (Connor Hurley and Cal Petersen). Chicago, Florida and Minnesota each chose four college players.

North Dakota had six players selected, the most of any school, with Michigan (five), Boston College (four) and Minnesota (four) close behind. The 29 programs with players selected represented five conferences (Big Ten, ECAC, Hockey East, NCHC, WCHA).

New Hampshire defenseman Brett Pesce, a native of nearby Tarrytown, N.Y., was the first of six players taken who were college freshmen last season, going to Carolina in the third round (66th overall). The majority of the other collegians taken will be freshmen this fall, with some entering college in the fall of 2014.

Former college hockey players made up 30% of the NHL in 2012-13, including 12 members of the Stanley Cup and Presidents’ Trophy winning Chicago Blackhawks.