Each week, this column will highlight news for NHL prospects and 2019 draft-eligible players, with a close eye on U.S. men's college hockey, and share some thoughts from recent prospect viewings as we look ahead to June's 2019 NHL draft.
This weekend marked the beginning of the end of the college hockey season. As a result, especially talented drafted players on these rosters are due to be approached by their respective NHL clubs and extended contracts.
UConn goaltender Adam Huska, a seventh-round pick by the New York Rangers in 2014, kicked off the departures when he signed with the club following the conclusion of the Huskies' season. He didn't have far to go, as the Rangers' AHL affiliate shares a building with UConn men's hockey in downtown Hartford.
But Sunday marked a much higher-profile exit. Michigan standout Quinn Hughes saw his sophomore season prematurely end at the hands of Minnesota in the Big Ten conference playoffs, leading to an entry-level deal with the Vancouver Canucks, who selected him seventh overall last summer. Hughes did sustain an apparent injury while blocking a shot in Game 1 of the Big Ten playoffs but played Game 2, albeit clearly not at 100 percent. It will be interesting to see just how ready he'll be to play games for the Canucks, but he is expected in Vancouver on Tuesday.
Hughes has a few teammates who should be mulling offers, too. Josh Norris missed the last half of the season with an injury but was playing extremely well before being hurt at the junior world championship. He could sign with the Ottawa Senators, who acquired him from the San Jose Sharks as part of the Erik Karlsson deal. Meanwhile, Michigan junior forward Will Lockwood could join Hughes in signing with the Canucks as a third-round pick of that organization.
Others to keep an eye on over the coming weeks with at least the potential to sign before their NCAA eligibility maxes out include Northeastern's Tyler Madden (Canucks) and Jeremy Davies (New Jersey Devils), Minnesota's Rem Pitlick (Nashville Predators), Bowling Green's Brandon Kruse (Vegas Golden Knights), Providence's Jack Dugan (Golden Knights) and Brandon Duhaime (Minnesota Wild), Boston University's Joel Farabee (Philadelphia Flyers), Jake Oettinger (Dallas Stars) and Dante Fabbro (Predators), Denver's Ian Mitchell (Chicago Blackhawks), Wisconsin's Wyatt Kalynuk (Flyers), Harvard's Adam Fox (Carolina Hurricanes) and St. Cloud State's Ryan Poehling (Montreal Canadiens). Additionally, Colorado Avalanche fans will be waiting eagerly to see when ESPN's No. 1 affiliated prospect Cale Makar is available to sign.
The NCAA men's Frozen Four actually doesn't begin until after the Stanley Cup playoffs commence. But any player who is on a team's reserve list, which includes players drafted by said team, will be eligible to play in the playoffs if his NHL club deems him ready enough to contribute. Charlie McAvoy is a good recent example of a player who managed that jump pretty easily.
NCAA rankings | Prospect notes | Game to watch
Scouting notebook
I headed out to Dubuque, Iowa, on Friday night for a matchup of United States Hockey League powers in the Dubuque Fighting Saints and Muskegon Lumberjacks. This is a particularly good season to track the USHL with a solid crop of mid- to upper-tier draft prospects. Here's a quick look at some of the talent on the ice in Iowa.
Egor Afanasyev, LW, Muskegon (2019 eligible)
In the two live viewings I've had of him this season, Afanasyev has not necessarily dominated, but he plays the game at a high level. I think the power winger is still a second-round-caliber prospect at this point, but I would not be stunned if a team went a little earlier on him due to his size (6-foot-4, 201 pounds) and the offensive tools and athleticism he possesses. The 18-year-old Russian was previously committed to Michigan State to play college hockey but recently decided to decommit and reopen his options. His CHL rights are owned by the Windsor Spitfires, but the team that drafts him could potentially send him to the minors right away next season.
Matias Maccelli, LW, Dubuque (2019 eligible)
The shifty Finnish forward has some quickness and can make plays in the offensive zone. He scored the game winner in overtime and made a few nice plays over the course of the game on Friday. Maccelli is not the biggest guy, and I thought he spent too much time around the edges, but there's skill there. He is a likely midround pick.
Daniil Gushchin, F, Muskegon (2020 eligible)
Muskegon has been a haven for young Russian players looking to jump to North America before they're eligible to play in the Canadian juniors; Andrei Svechnikov played there the season before he joined the Barrie Colts. Gushchin is on the smaller side but has been given a substantial role with the Lumberjacks, playing on their second scoring line, first power-play unit and second penalty kill. His production is by no means exceptional for his age (17), but it is a strong showing for a highly skilled player in a tough league to score in. He's a name to know for next year.
NCAA check-in
It's conference tournament time across college hockey, with the NCHC and Hockey East being the last two conferences to wrap up regular seasons. There are still 44 teams playing hockey this week, and auto-bids remain on the line with roughly six spots truly locked up in the national tournament.
Boston College is playing this weekend against Providence to save what has been one of the worst seasons in legendary head coach Jerry York's tenure at the school. Then, there's a pair of Big Ten single-elimination semifinals, with Minnesota traveling to play Notre Dame and Penn State headed to top-seeded Ohio State. In the NCHC, two perennial powers will square off in a best-of-three series, as Denver hosts North Dakota. The latter desperately needs some wins to bolster its NCAA résumé. Bowling Green faces a tough WCHA playoff series with Northern Michigan, and the Falcons' NCAA tournament hopes -- even for an at-large bid -- are very much alive heading into that one.
My men's college hockey top 10
1. St. Cloud State
2. UMass
3. Minnesota State
4. Minnesota Duluth
5. Providence
6. Quinnipiac
7. Ohio State
8. Western Michigan
9. Clarkson
10. Northeastern
Quick hitters
Shane Wright, a talented 15-year-old center, has been granted exceptional status by the Ontario Hockey Federation, allowing him to enter the OHL next season, a year earlier than his birth year would normally allow. He is the fifth player to be granted the status, joining John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, Connor McDavid and Sean Day to earn the distinction. Wright has 150 points in 72 games for the Don Mills Flyers, perhaps the best amateur team in North America this season. He is expected to be the first overall pick, which will belong to either the Flint Firebirds or Kingston Frontenacs. Wright will be NHL draft-eligible in 2022.
Matthew Savoie, the top 15-year-old in Western Canada, reportedly also applied for exceptional status in the WHL. The league has not yet confirmed whether or not it will take Savoie a season early, but it has never had a player receive the exceptional tag. Savoie is still expected to go first overall in the WHL's bantam draft, but he might not be able to play more than a handful of games in the WHL next season.
Saginaw Spirit forward and 2020 draft-eligible Cole Perfetti notched his 35th goal this weekend, making him just the 10th 16-year-old in OHL history to reach that milestone. The most recent player to do it was Taylor Hall, who scored 45 goals in 2007-08.
Anaheim Ducks prospect Max Comtois has played less than half a season with Drummondville in the QMJHL amid a start in the NHL, missing time for the world juniors and an injury. But over the past month, he has been on fire, with a stunning 17 goals and 25 points in his past 10 games. Comtois has 41 points in 22 games in the Q this year.
Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Emil Bemstrom now has 23 goals in the Swedish Hockey League this season. That is tied for the third-highest season total in SHL history for a U20 player. One more, and he'll be tied with Elias Pettersson for second all time behind Kent Nilsson, who scored 28 in 1975-76. Djurgardens has two games left in the regular season.
Bryce Brodzinski of Blaine High School was named the Minnesota Mr. Hockey Award winner for 2018-19. The prestigious award has been won by current NHL players Casey Mittelstadt (2017), Nick Bjugstad (2010) and Nick Leddy (2009), among others. Brodzinski had 76 points in 23 games for Blaine this season and is headed to the University of Minnesota. He could be the third of four Brodzinski brothers to be drafted in the NHL, as Jonny and Michael are prospects for the Los Angeles Kings and Sharks, respectively. Bryce is in his second year of eligibility and was the 117th-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting.
Prospect game of the week
Yale at Clarkson
Saturday, 7 p.m. ET
ESPN+
The ECAC playoffs often has a lot of entertainment value, which is why I picked out Saturday's contest. The big prospect draw for this game is top college free agent Nico Sturm. One scout I spoke with said the line to talk to Sturm after Clarkson's season is over will be long. Sturm is a big German two-way forward with 41 points as a junior. Yale should provide Clarkson a good challenge, making for an entertaining postseason contest.