THE NHL’S GROWING NCAA INFLUENCE

The impact of former NCAA players and executives in the NHL continues to grow; the 2023 NHL Draft is just the latest step in a developing trend. Consider:

• A total of 334 NCAA alumni played in the NHL in 2022-23, including:
• 2022 Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar (UMass)
• Fellow 2022 NHL First-Team All-Star Johnny Gaudreau (Boston College)
• 2022 NHL Second-Team All-Star Charlie McAvoy (Boston University)
• 2022 NHL All-Rookie Team selections Trevor Zegras (Boston University) and Jeremy Swayman (Maine)
• 2023 Calder Trophy finalists Matty Beniers (Michigan) and Owen Power (Michigan)
• 2023 Jack Adams Award finalists Dave Hakstol (North Dakota) and Jim Montgomery (Maine)
• Five of the first 10 selections in the 2021 NHL Draft were college players, the most ever
• More than half (17-of-32) of the NHL’s general managers played NCAA hockey
• Just over 40 percent (13-of-32) of the NHL’s head coaches played NCAA hockey

• Thirty-six different schools are represented in the final NHL Central Scouting rankings
• Multiple NCAA players could be selected inside the top five
• As many as six NCAA players and recruits could go in the top 10 for the second time in three years
• Six of the top 10 goaltenders in the NHL Central Scouting rankings are NCAA recruits

NCAA / NHL Draft Guide (.pdf)

All-Time First-Round Draft Picks

NHL DRAFT BY THE NUMBERS

192 – NCAA players drafted in the first round since 1964 (St. Lawrence’s Alex Campbell was the first)

191 – NCAA players selected by the Montreal Canadiens in NHL Amateur/Entry Drafts, the most of any franchise

125 – NCAA players taken in the 1987 Entry Draft, the most in any one draft

115 – NCAA players and recruits in 2023 NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings

93.5 – Percentage of Americans taken in the first round of the last five drafts (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022) that played NCAA hockey

70 – NCAA players and recruits selected in the 2019 NHL Draft, most in 12 years

36 – Schools represented (of the 64 in Division I) in the Central Scouting rankings

32 – First-round picks to play for Michigan, the most of any school

First-Round Picks by School
32 – Michigan
25 – Minnesota
22 – Boston College
21 – Boston University
20 – North Dakota

28 – Schools that have produced a first-round pick all-time

27 – Consecutive years with a draft pick for Boston College and Michigan (starting in 1996), tied for the longest such streak for any school in history (Minnesota had picks in 27 straight drafts, 1974-2000)

17 – The most NCAA selections in any one round of a draft (fourth round in 2018, sixth round in 2015, ninth round in 2004)

15 – Number of draft picks who played for Harvard in 2022-23, most of any school in the country

12 – First rounders who played NCAA hockey in 2022-23

11 – College players taken in the first round in 2016 and 2007, the most first-rounders in any draft

11 – First round picks from Michigan in the last five NHL Drafts

9 – The most picks from one school in one draft (Minnesota, 2007)

9 – NCAA picks among the first 10 selections of the 2021 NHL Draft, most ever

6 – The most first-round picks to play for one NCAA team (North Dakota, 2005-06; Joe Finley, Brian Lee, T.J. Oshie, Drew Stafford, Jonathan Toews, Travis Zajac)

5 – The most top-10 picks in one draft to play NCAA hockey (2021: Owen Power, Matty Beniers, Luke Hughes, Kent Johnson, Tyler Boucher)

1 – Joe Murphy (1986), Rick DiPietro (2000), Erik Johnson (2006) and Owen Power (2021) are the four NCAA players to be selected first overall in the NHL Draft

Click here to view the entire 2023 NCAA/NHL Draft Guide (.pdf)