Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Draft Rankings Highlight NCAA Players

29 schools have a current player or recruit on NHL Central Scouting’s list for 2016 NHL Draft.

Draft Rankings Highlight NCAA Players
BU freshman Charlie McAvoy is the top-rated current NCAA player in the rankings at No. 9.

Nearly 90 current and future NCAA players are highlighted in NHL Central Scouting’s mid-term rankings for the 2016 NHL Draft, released Tuesday.

Twenty-nine schools – nearly half of all of Division I – have a player or recruit in the rankings, led by Boston University which boasts each of the top three NCAA players. Clayton Keller (No. 8), Charlie McAvoy (No. 9) and Kieffer Bellows (No. 12) headline a group of up to five current or future Terriers who could be selected in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft.

Sortable: NCAA Players in Midterm Rankings | NHL.com Full Rankings

McAvoy is one of 10 current NCAA players in the rankings and is joined by Luke Kunin (Wisconsin, No. 16) and Tage Thompson (Connecticut, No. 24) among the top 30 North American skaters.

A few more notes on the 88 players in the rankings:

  • 77 are forwards or defensemen; 11 are goaltenders
  • 37% of ranked North American skaters are current or future NCAA players; 48.6% of ranked North American goalies are
  • 14 of the players are uncommitted but playing in an NCAA-eligible junior or high school league
  • Boston College, Boston University and Michigan lead all schools with six representatives each
  • Eight of the top 24 players in the North American skaters list are current or future NCAA players

This year’s NHL Draft will take place June 24-25 at First Niagara Center in Buffalo.