NHL Central Scouting released its final rankings on Thursday. It was actually a relatively good showing for New England.
In total, 11 locals made the list, an uptick from last year's seven. There were also a whole bunch of players with connections to the region that made the rankings.
So, what does it all mean?
For starters, NHL Central Scouting rankings are NHL Central Scouting's rankings (duh) — not every other team's. All 32 teams have very different rankings from the first through the seventh rounds. Even if a player is labeled a first-round pick among North American skaters, there are still a slew of international skaters tabbed the same thing.
Let's dive into some takeaways.
1. Casey Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.) has turned in a solid U18 season with the U.S. National Team Development Program with 14 goals and 37 points in 55 games. His production is right around where it was last season with the U17 squad. But that's not why he's a first-round candidate. He's a 6-foot-3, 201-pound two-way, high-compete forward who can play center and the wing. He can play in all situations. He's a fantastic leader. Those are the reasons why Mutryn could be a first-round pick. Realistically, I see him as a second-round pick unless a team has multiple firsts and wants to snag him at the end of the first night.
2. After a 52-point season with Dexter Southfield last season, Rian Chudzinski (Needham, Mass.) jumped to the QMJHL's Moncton Wildcats. The move paid off, as Chudzinski scored 21 goals and posted 38 points in 54 games. Going into the season, Chudzinski was a fourth- or fifth-round candidate by NHL Central Scouting, and jumped all the way to being a second-round candidate (No. 63) come the final rankings. Chudzinski can play anywhere in a lineup and is easy to envision playing in the NHL someday. I see him going somewhere in the third round.
3. My eyebrows raised when I was scrolling through the final rankings. Dexter Southfield's Myles Brosnan (Winchester, Mass.), St. Mark's Will Manchuso (Concord, Mass.), Winchendon's Charlie Puglisi and Thayer's Brian McFadden (Holbrook, Mass.) were all within 14 picks of each other in the fourth round. It seems like Central Scouting grouped all the top prep draft prospects. Ranked in that order, Brosnan (51 points), Manchuso (59) and Puglisi (76) all had massive prep seasons, while McFadden, at 6-foot-5, continued to prove to be a unique prospect.
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4. A prep player hasn't been picked before the start of Round 5 since 2022. I think this is the year that ends. The two most likely are Brosnan and McFadden. Brosnan is the better defender right now, a phenomenal skater and has high-end puck-moving and offensive instincts. McFadden's puck play at his size makes him an intriguing swing, which is often what the draft is for. I see both of them going somewhere in the fourth round.
5. Niko Tournas (Redding, Conn.) — what a story. In his first year of draft eligibility, he had five points in 41 games for the USHL's Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. He licked his wounds and went to the NAHL's Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks, where he reset and put up 39 goals and 74 points in 56 games. He went to Moncton in the QMJHL this season and lit it up with 43 goals and 74 points in 64 games. A heck of a rebound — especially in his final year of draft eligibility.
6. Justin Graf wasn't on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary rankings. Then he finished the season tied for third in scoring for the USHL's Cedar Rapids RoughRiders with 55 points. As a shifty, skilled left wing, Graf would be a steal somewhere in the fifth or sixth round. NHL scouts also look at everything, so the fact that his older brother, Collin, has been a hit in the NHL should help Justin get picked.
7. There are quite a few big, right-shot defensemen from New England in this draft. Cooper Cleaves (Riverside, Conn.) is the safest bet. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound defender is in his third and final year of eligibility and was a stalwart for an impressive Dartmouth squad this winter. I see him drafted somewhere between Round 5 and 7.
8. Central Scouting rated Groton defenseman Kaiden Donia (Townsend, Mass.) rather low (sixth round, No. 192). Normally, that would likely mean he won't get picked. But Donia is 6-foot-5, a good skater at his size and has been highly thought of by USA Hockey over the last few years. I wouldn't be shocked at all if a team takes a flier on the big righty somewhere in the sixth or seventh round.
9. David Bosco (Winchester, Mass.) was a big omission from the final rankings. In his first year of junior, he had a nice season with 19 goals and 34 points for Cedar Rapids. He's a highly-skilled, highly-offensive forward who can play center or the wing. And at 6 feet, size shouldn't be an issue. If I were an NHL scout, I'd advocate for him in the later rounds because of that high offensive upside.
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10. Another omission was Dexter Southfield forward Owen McHale (Charlestown, Mass.), who just tendered with Cedar Rapids for next season. The 6-foot left winger is a pest with the ability to create offense. That blend of toughness and goal-scoring should make him intriguing to NHL teams who are always looking for players like McHale.
11. While ranked No. 20 among the goalies, Jacoby Weiner's (Riverside, Conn.) size — 6-foot-4 and 227 pounds — makes him an interesting prospect. He got better as the year went on for Moncton, posting a 2.85 goals-against average and a .890 save percentage in 17 games.
12. Could Hotchkiss goalie Neilan Johnson or Deerfield goalie Elliot Lennon be picked? Maybe. Lennon has the size advantage at 6-foot-3 and 181 pounds, but Johnson was lights-out with a 1.79 GAA and a .940 save percentage. For these two, ranked Nos. 21 and 22, respectively, it will come down to one area scout pounding the table for one of them in the later rounds. Rudy Guimond, who was the last goalie taken out of prep, was ranked No. 17 in 2023. Anything can happen with goalies.
13. In terms of prep alums, how about former Cushing star Tommy Bleyl at No. 17? The Michigan State commit exploded for 13 goals and 81 points in 63 games for Moncton, along with 11 points in eight playoff games. His skating and offensive abilities are elite, so I wouldn't be shocked at all if he's picked late in the first round. Realistically, I think he's a second-round pick.
14. Another prep alum who ranked high was Liam Lefebvre, a former Trinity-Pawling standout. The 6-foot-3, 203-pound center had 59 points in 59 games between the QMJHL's Rimouski Océanic and Chicoutimi Saguenéens. Central Scouting tabbed him at No. 38, so I'd expect him to be taken somewhere in the second round. He's committed to Vermont.
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15. As of April 17, I think most of the New Englanders ranked get picked. There's no debate about Mutryn and Chudzinski. I would label Tournas, Brosnan and McFadden as locks. Manchuso and Graf are two forwards who should be taken somewhere in the final three rounds. And Cleaves is a reliable, big right-shot defenseman who has proved himself as a freshman in college. I also wouldn't be stunned if a team took Donia. So that's nine, which would be the highest total since 2022. That's a pretty good year.
