Monday, January 22, 2018

Freshmen Lead Midterm Rankings

More than 100 NCAA players and recruits highlighted in NHL Central Scouting rankings.

Freshmen Lead Midterm Rankings
Brady Tkachuk has 18 points through 24 games as a freshman at Boston University.

Boston University’s Brady Tkachuk (St. Louis, Mo./U.S. NTDP) and Michigan’s Quinn Hughes (Orlando, Fla./U.S. NTDP) headline 110 current and future NCAA players featured in NHL Central Scouting’s midterm rankings for the 2018 NHL Draft.

The Terrier and Wolverine freshmen are ranked third and fourth, respectively, among North American skaters. They are two of 13 NCAA representatives among the top 32 North American skaters.

NCAA Players/Recruits in 2018 Midterm Rankings

More than half of all Division I teams – 31 of 60 – have a player or recruit included in the rankings. That includes representatives of five conferences plus independent Arizona State.

Denver and Wisconsin lead all schools with eight representatives each in the rankings. Boston College, Boston University, Minnesota North Dakota and Northeastern are tied for third with five representatives each.

A few more notes on the 110 NCAA players/recruits on the list:

  • Tkachuk and Hughes are two of 11 currently playing college hockey
  • 93 are forwards or defensemen; 17 are goaltenders
  • 17 are not currently committed to a school but playing in an NCAA-eligible junior league
  • The 110 players/recruits listed mark a 13% increase from last year’s midterm rankings (97) and a 25% increase from two seasons ago (88)

Forty-seven of the NCAA recruits featured in the NHL Central Scouting rankings are currently playing in the USHL, including 18 players with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. Twenty players are playing in one of 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.