ST. PAUL, Minn. – There will be no shortage of firepower on the Xcel Energy Center ice Thursday night. Between the four teams competing in the Frozen Four, there are 25 NHL Draft picks, including 10 on Michigan alone.
However, a lot of eyes will be on players who went undrafted or have yet to be drafted. Each team has a player yet to be claimed by an NHL organization who will undoubtedly garner significant attention.
In the first game between Ohio State and Minnesota Duluth, scouts will be closely monitoring the play of Buckeyes junior center Mason Jobst and Bulldogs freshman defenseman Scott Perunovich.
Perunovich, UMD’s leading scorer with 11 goals and 25 assists, grew up just about three hours north of here in Hibbing, Minn. Standing at 5-foot-10, Perunovich makes the most of his physical tools on the ice with a keen sense of where his teammates are on the ice. He makes a good first pass and has the feet to sidestep oncoming forecheckers. He walks the blue line well to find shooting lanes and he can also step into the play and activate as a fourth forward. His one weakness is his propensity to turn pucks over and he isn’t the best defender. Nonetheless, bolstered by his showing at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship, Perunovich is garnering significant draft buzz is in his third year of eligibility. A first two round pick is seemingly more likely than not as June’s draft approaches.
“I think my confidence has gone up. That's definitely a big part of it,” said Perunovich.
Jobst is one of the most heralded undrafted free agents in college hockey this season. The Speedway, Ind., native is also undersized, at 5-foot-8, but he makes up for it with an intense compete level each and every shift. He’s not afraid to go into the dirty areas to recover pucks and to delve into the scoring areas.
“I think I’ve had a chip on my shoulder my whole life. I’ve been undersized my whole life. There are a lot of guys coming out of college who have been undersized who are kind of paving the way for my size-type player,” Jobst explained.
Jobst is a great skater who can get to loose pucks and separate from defenders. He also has that uncanny knack for being in the right place at the right time and knowing where to go with the puck before he even gets it. He’ll be a key player whether it’s even strength, power play or penalty kill. Seven of Jobst’s 21 goals have come in the last seven games.
“You've got to be able to play a 200-foot game. You can't be a perimeter player when you're my size. And you have to produce to make it,” said Jobst.
Jobst, a 24 year-old, is the Buckeyes’ captain and has been a leader on and off the ice. OSU ended a nine-year NCAA Tournament drought last season and this year’s trip to the Frozen Four is the first since the program’s only other such soiree in 1998.
The nightcap features college hockey’s top pro prospect in Michigan freshman Quinn Hughes, a late ’99 who is in his first year of eligibility for the NHL Draft. Hughes comes from a good hockey family. His mom, Ellen, played at UNH and his father, Jim, played at Providence. One look at Quinn and it’s easy to see why he’ll be off the board in the first five picks. His skating is absolutely incredible. It looks like he’s dancing on the ice with his blades effortlessly gliding all over the ice. His puck skills are second to none. He can carry the puck up ice or send great passes to open teammates. He has five goals and 24 assists on the season, but his play in his own zone has gotten increasingly better down the stretch. He can defend with his feet and he has an active stick.
“I think at the beginning of the year he was trying to do a little too much, but now he's doing just enough to showcase his tremendous skill and help the team out at the same time,” said Hughes’ defensive partner Joe Cecconi, a Dallas Stars prospect.
The Wolverines’ opponent in the second semifinal is Notre Dame, the top remaining seed in the tournament. The Fighting Irish have an intriguing pro prospect on their blue line. Senior Jordan Gross hasn’t missed a game in his college career – appearing in 157 games in an Irish uniform. He’s amassed 36 goals and 83 points over that time. There’s no doubting his offensive potential in a college game. He has a terrific shot from the blue line and his hockey sense allows him to move pucks north and transition quickly from defense to offense. The overwhelming concern is whether or not he can defend. He was beat badly on a Michigan Tech goal in the East Regional and has been on the wrong end of many such plays over the course of four years. The other issue in terms of pro potential is for as good as he is at the collegiate level, he’s not really fast enough or dynamic enough to make the transition to the NHL. He’ll likely be a great AHL player, but not much more.
Both semifinals Thursday can be seen nationally on ESPN2. Puck drop between Ohio State and Minnesota Duluth is scheduled for 6:00 ET while Michigan and Notre Dame are expected to get underway at 9:30 ET.
