There are always points of contention when NHL Central Scouting releases any of its lists, but especially its preliminary watch list. They aim to cast a wide net, giving NHL scouts a chance to see the maximum number of players possible throughout the season.
Sure, players can be added throughout the season. But it's easier to nix names than it is to keep adding. That's what the midterm and final rankings are for.
On Monday, NHL Central Scouting put out its preliminary watch list. In all, 10 New England natives made the list, while various other prep players and future New England college hockey commits got on, too.
As a friendly reminder, NHL Central Scouting ranks every player with an ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’ or ‘W’ rating. Here’s what those letters mean:
- A rating: First-round candidate
- B rating: Second- or third-round candidate
- C rating: Fourth- or fifth-round candidate
- W rating: Sixth- or seventh-round candidate
Everyone has thoughts and opinions on this first list. Here are mine.
Let's dive in.
1. How did last year's preliminary list pan out?
Five New Englanders were picked in this past June's NHL Draft. Carter Amico (Westbrook, Maine) was the highest-rated local, given a 'B' rating, and he was picked midway through the second round. Teddy Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.) and Everett Baldwin (East Providence, R.I.) were both given 'C' ratings and picked in the third and fifth rounds, respectively. Richard Gallant (Concord, Mass.) was the lone local given a 'W' rating who was eventually drafted, as he was selected in the seventh round.
As for the fifth draft pick? Caeden Herrington (Manchester, Vt.) wasn't ranked in NHL Central Scouting's preliminary list last year. He went in the fourth round to the Los Angeles Kings.
Phillips Andover's Grayden Robertson-Palmer was also the only non-New England native in prep to get taken, going in the seventh round to the Detroit Red Wings.
2. No David Bosco?
This one surprised me. Bosco, from Winchester, Mass., has consistently been a standout at USA Hockey Select Camps. He had 36 points in 31 games as a freshman at Belmont Hill and then 47 in 32 as a sophomore there last winter. He's just about 6 feet and 170 pounds, but his offensive skills and shot are both worth, at the very least, NHL scouts taking a look at.
He's also been a force so far in the USHL, which is a huge box NHL scouts want to see players check. In nine games with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, Bosco has five goals and 11 points. He's tied for the team lead in points with former Rivers forward and Merrimack commit Justin Graf (Lincoln, Mass.).
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Bosco is most certainly better than a large number of players on the preliminary list. If his USHL production keeps up, I wouldn't be stunned if he's on the midterm rankings.
3. Jacoby Weiner gets a big boost
Casey Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.) getting a 'B' rating isn't a surprise. He was one of the top players on the U17 U.S. National Team Development Program squad last year, but has only three points in 11 games with the U18s so far this season. At 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, Mutryn will go somewhere in the first two rounds come June.
Weiner was the only other New Englander to get a 'B', which is and isn't a surprise.
Take one look at Weiner and you'll figure out why that isn't a surprise. He's 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds, mobile and athletic. The size alone gives him phenomenal upside. And, as has been the case with goalies, NHL scouts like them bigger.
The Riverside, Conn., native, however, struggled last season, posting a 3.77 goals-against average and an .892 save percentage at Kent. In three games with the QMJHL's Moncton Wildcats this season, he has a 4.32 GAA and an .838 save percentage.
It's a big year for the Harvard commit.
4. Myles Brosnan leads the way for prep defensemen
Size didn't seem to be as big a factor when placing prep defensemen. Dexter Southfield defenseman Myles Brosnan (Winchester, Mass.), at 6-foot-1 and 194 pounds, got a 'C' rating, while Thayer defenseman Brian McFadden (Holbrook, Mass.) and Groton defender Kaiden Donia (Townsend, Mass.), both 6-foot-5, were given 'W's.
There is no doubt that Brosnan is the better and most impactful of the three right now. He had 36 points in 28 games last season as a sophomore on a wagon of a Dexter team. He doesn't have any holes in his game. It also helps that he was effective playing for the Sioux City Musketeers at the USHL Fall Classic.
But NHL scouts love defensemen with size, and it's impossible to overlook two right-shot defensemen at 6-foot-5 playing in the same region. If one (or both) of McFadden and Donia explode with points and impact this winter, don't be shocked to see them picked before the sixth or seventh round.
5. Will Manchuso leads the way for prep forwards
Of the prep forwards listed, Manchuso was the highest with a 'C' rating, which makes sense. The St. Mark's product has dominated with the Neponset Valley River Rats' 18U team, putting up 38 points in 24 games this fall.
The Dartmouth commit had a strong first year in prep with 37 points in 30 games last season, and was even better at USA Hockey's Select 17 Camp this summer, posting nine points in six games.
He's a fantastic skater who seems to just be scratching the surface of the player he can be.
6. Which player could move the most?
Rian Chudzinski got listed as a 'C' candidate, which puts him in the fourth or fifth round. I could see him elevating into a second or third rounder by the end of the season.
He's missed some time already this season with the QMJHL's Moncton Wildcats, but still has five goals in six games. At 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, his speed, skill and physicality make him a dominant player that an NHL team could project anywhere in a lineup. He has real top-six upside. But if that doesn't pan out, he's still a valuable piece in a bottom-six role. That matters to NHL teams.
A really strong winter for Moncton should lead to Chudzinski going higher than he's placed on this preliminary watch list.
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7. Which 'W' in prep could be picked?
Among the locals, I could see any of McFadden, Donia and Nolan Duskocy (Ellington, Conn.) doing enough to get selected. If you forced me to pick one, it would be McFadden.
Of the rest of the 'W's in prep, don't sleep on Deerfield goalie Elliot Lennon. He's 6-foot-6 and 201 pounds. He was phenomenal as a junior last year, leading Deerfield to the No. 1 spot in the Elite 8 Tournament with a 2.03 GAA and a .926 save percentage. If that happened again, I could see a team taking him in Rounds 5-7 like the Detroit Red Wings did with Taft's Rudy Guimond in 2023.
Another interesting one is South Kent's Andrew Mohesky. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound winger already played two games with the NTDP's U18 team this fall and is a power forward in every sense of the word. NHL scouts are always looking to find the next great power forward.
