Last year was an odd one in terms of players competing at New England prep schools or fall split-season hockey teams getting picked for the NHL Draft.
Rudy Guimond of the Yale Jr. Bulldogs and Taft was picked by the Detroit Red Wings in the sixth round. A few picks later, Sean Keohane (Milton, Mass.), who played his fall hockey with the Cape Cod Whalers and prep with Dexter Southfield, was taken.
And that was it.
That's all to say that I'm not predicting these next 10 players are sure-fire picks to get drafted. It's a definite that all 10 won't given how far the NHL Draft talent pool reaches.
However, these 10 prospects are playing U18 fall split-season (or full season) hockey in the region and have cases to pitch for the draft. NHL scouts have already been monitoring these players throughout the fall.
This list excludes players not playing fall hockey in the region. So those like Cole Eiserman (Newburyport, Mass.), Teddy Stiga (Sudbury, Mass.), Landan Resendes (Marlboro, Mass.) and Owen Keefe (Saugus, Mass.) aren't on this list.
Let's dive in.
