
When June's NHL Draft finished, only one player who played New England fall hockey was taken and it was Ben Merrill, who suited up for the Cape Cod Whalers.
There were certainly others in the mix, most notably Caeden Herrington (Manchester, Vt.; Islanders Hockey Club) and Gio DiGiulian (South Burlington, Vt.; Yale Jr. Bulldogs), but it was just Merrill who heard his name called.
It was a bleak year for NHL Draft prospects in New England fall hockey last season. That's how it's looking this year, too.
The 10 players listed below aren't sure-fire picks in next year's NHL Draft— far from it, actually. I did a similar story on fall hockey prospects this time last year and only Merrill was picked from the list.
These are players who NHL scouts will (and should) be watching through the fall and into the prep season. I'm not including players who are in junior leagues. So Carter Amico (Portland, Maine), who was our preliminary No. 1 draft prospect from the region for 2025, or Teddy Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.), our No. 2, weren't included in this.
So, let's dive in. Who of this crew will rise above the rest and be picked next June?