While most good college hockey players have already been drafted prior to arriving on campus, there are always a couple of talented youngsters, late bloomers, and under-the-radar prospects who NHL scouts watch every season.
UMass center Josh Lopina was drafted as a double-overager in 2021 while three league freshmen were plucked off the board during the 2020 NHL draft. As the draft has trended older, more and more college players have been selected as overage players.
With the 2021-22 college hockey season underway, NHL scouts are scouring the circuit for talented players to draft next June. Northeastern freshman Jack Hughes, a late '03 in his first year of draft eligibility, is the only sure thing to be selected. There are several other players skating in Hockey East with an attribute that makes them a possibility to be a late-round pick.
Below is a look at five Hockey East freshmen eligible for the 2022 NHL draft:
