Thursday, June 18, 2015

Class of 2015

The 2015 NHL Draft could be an historic one from a college hockey perspective, led by three elite players.

Class of 2015
Left to right: Eichel, Hanifin and Werenski were each named to their all-conference teams as freshmen.

A version of this story initially appeared in the Jan. 5, 2015, edition of The Hockey News as part of a four-page special section produced by College Hockey Inc.

Jack Eichel, Noah Hanifin and Zach Werenski all played at USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program in 2013-14 and will be reunited on stage in June as first-round picks in the 2015 NHL Draft.

In between their paths diverged, to Boston University, Boston College and Michigan, respectively. And their presence on campus put an incredible spotlight on college hockey.

Central Scouting Rankings | NCAA Commitments

As NCAA hockey’s impact on the NHL has grown – becoming the fastest growing development path to the NHL – elite players like Jonathan Toews, Johnny Gaudreau and Joe Pavelski have all spent time on campus. But rarely have so many future stars all spent the same year – all in their NHL draft year – playing NCAA hockey. In fact, no draft has ever seen three current NCAA players taken in the top 10, as could happen later this month in South Florida.

Eichel is a seemingly unanimous choice to go second to the Buffalo Sabres. Most draft experts peg Hanifin to be taken between third and sixth overall. Werenski, a gifted offensive defenseman, is around 10th in most mock drafts. The Hockey News and McKeen’s Hockey, among others, peg him as a potential San Jose pick at No. 9. NHL Central Scouting has all three among the top nine North American skaters in the 2015 NHL Draft, with Eichel (2) and Hanifin (3) among the top three.

Having those three elite talents on campus this year led to an increased focus on the NCAA game from NHL scouts and national audiences.

“It’s been a long time since there’s been this type of hype to a college hockey game,” NHL Central Scouting’s David Gregory told NHL.com prior to Eichel and Hanifin’s nationally televised meeting in early November. “This will be fun.”

Playing U.S. college hockey – where most players are between 18 and 23 years old – allowed Eichel and the others the opportunity to test their abilities against bigger, stronger players, like they will need to whenever they move on to the NHL level.

“One of the reasons I wanted to play college hockey was playing against older, stronger guys on a nightly basis,” said Eichel. “I think it’s really going to help me in the long run, making sure I’m competing for every loose puck, moving my feet and avoiding hits when I can. I’ve got to work hard at the faceoff dot and away from the puck.”

Nothing comes easily for 17- and 18-year-olds against that tougher competition, though Eichel, Hanifin and Werenski all earned raves in 2014-15. Each was an all-conference selection, with Eichel winning the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college hockey.

Scouts, who saw plenty of each player at the NTDP a year before, flocked by the dozens to their NCAA games.

“One of the biggest things watching players at 17 or 18 is that you are trying to project what they will be like as an NHL player,” said Craig Button, former Calgary Flames general manager and current prospect analyst for TSN. “You don’t get to see them play at that level – no sport does. But for Eichel, Hanifin and Werenski, you get to measure these players against bigger and stronger players who are closer to the NHL game. In my view there’s nothing but positives in that regard.”

The NCAA has a track record of successfully developing elite talents like these players as well. Of all first-round NHL draft picks between 2000-07, only 60% went on to successful NHL careers (at least 300 GP). NCAA players in that study had a 67% success rate, better than any other development path.

As Eichel, Hanifin and Werenski work to make that jump to the NHL, they are benefitting from world-class coaching, elite facilities and intense practice and games. Plus they are making progress toward their university degrees and enjoying the times of their lives.

“I love it here – every day’s been something special,” Eichel said. “It’s definitely a dream come true. There’s a lot of tradition here and it’s a great group of guys. The campus life, going to school here and getting to meet a lot of new people has been a lot of fun.”