Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Three Selected in First Round

North Dakota’s Sanderson leads NCAA representation at NHL Draft.

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Three NCAA players – a sophomore and two freshmen – were selected in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft, conducted Tuesday night.

All-Time NCAA First-Round Draft Picks

North Dakota freshman Jake Sanderson (Whitefish, Mont./U.S. NTDP) was the first college player selected at fifth overall by Ottawa. It marked the fourth straight year that an NCAA player was taken in the top five, and the second time in three years that the Senators selected a Fighting Hawks defenseman with a first-round pick.

Wisconsin sophomore Dylan Holloway (Bragg Creek, Alta./Okotoks-AJHL) went 14th overall to the Edmonton Oilers. The second-youngest player in Division I last season, Holloway finished the season strong, posting nine points in the final 10 games.

2020 NCAA / NHL Draft Guide (.pdf)

With Sanderson (who played for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program but was raised in Calgary) and Holloway, five Albertans playing NCAA hockey have been first-round picks in the last five years. Both players attended College Hockey Inc. Summits held in the Calgary suburb of Okotoks, Alta.

Michigan freshman Brendan Brisson wrapped up the first-round college selections at No. 29 to Vegas. Brisson, who played for the USHL’s Chicago Steel last year, gives Michigan a pick in 25 consecutive drafts, the longest active streak among NCAA teams (likely to be tied by Boston College on Wednesday).

A total of 176 NCAA players have been selected in the first round in the history of the NHL Draft.

Rounds two through seven of the 2020 NHL Draft will be held Wednesday beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET. Television coverage will be provided by the NHL Network in the U.S. and Sportsnet in Canada.

NCAA Selections in the First Round
No.	Name	NHL Team	NCAA Team	2019-20 Team
5	Jake Sanderson	OTT	North Dakota	U.S. NTDP
14	Dylan Holloway	EDM	Wisconsin	Wisconsin
29	Brendan Brisson	VGK	Michigan	Chicago (USHL)