The 2020 NHL Draft is going be a down year for New England prospects, no matter how you slice it.
Further proof of that sad reality came out Monday morning with the release of the NHL Central Scouting 2019-20 Preliminary Players to Watch List.
Not one player from New England was given an A rating. Only one New England native, Sam Colangelo, was given a B rating. Not even the biggest proponent of the region’s youth hockey model can look at these results and not see doom and gloom.
Thirteen locals were given a C Rating, but several of those players have little to no chance of hearing their names selected at the 2020 NHL Draft. Things like this tend to be cyclical. After all, the 2019 draft was much more favorable to the region.
However, looking at the bigger picture, 2020 could be one of the worst years for local players in a long, long time. As someone fortunate enough to be able to watch games from across the country, the region is falling behind, and it's in large part due to the developmental model in New England.
There are still good players from New England, but watch 16-U and 15 Pure hockey from the HPHL or watch the Upper Midwest High School Elite League in Minnesota. There won't be any doubt that those regions are doing a far better job. Heck, Florida is poised to have more representatives on the 2020-21 USA Hockey NTDP U-17 team than New England.
Harvard led the way among the region’s colleges when it came to players on the NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Players to Watch List. The Crimson had one current player and six recruits make the NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Players to Watch List.
Northeastern was the next most well represented local college on the NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Players to Watch List. The Huskies had one current player and five recruits present on the list.
Northeastern’s success on the recruiting trail continues to ramp up as the Huskies win more and more on the ice. Jim Madigan’s team has won back-to-back Beanpot championships, two of the last four Hockey East championships, and has made the NCAA Tournament in three the last four seasons.
Boston University and Providence had four recruits on the list. Only one Hockey East school, Maine, was without a player or recruit on the NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Players to Watch List.
Another interesting takeaway is the prevalence of players recruited by and coached by Devin Rask and Matt Plante. The two coaches at Mount Saint Charles in Woonsocket, R.I., have a bevy of current and former players on the NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Players to Watch List.
In addition to current player Michael Citara, the duo have helped produce Jack Williams (Muskegon Lumberjacks), Charlie Desroches (Saint John Sea Dogs), Joshua Lawrence (Saint John Sea Dogs), Senna Peeters (Halifax Mooseheads), and Dawson Stairs (Saint John Sea Dogs). All five outside of Citara played for Selects Academy at South Kent before Rask and Plante moved onto Mount Saint Charles.
The other local school well represented on the NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Players to Watch List is Lawrence Academy. In addition to Colangelo, a former Spartan, two current players, Riley Duran and David Sacco made the cut. Credit there goes to former assistant coach Mike Busconi, currently with the Islanders Hockey Club, and former assistant coach Tom O'Connor, now a scout with the Buffalo Sabres. Both did an excellent job of getting top players to the Groton, Mass., prep school.
Lastly, I'd like to see the league better invest in NHL Central Scouting in order for it to truly be a worthy product. There are plenty of players from across the country and the world who have no business being on any draft watch list. It's a continuing trend with NHL Central Scouting watch lists and rankings. This isn't necessarily a knock on the staff of NHL Central Scouting, but the organization often relies on part-time workers. Hire full time staff and give them the resources and power necessary to make the lists and rankings a must-read for NHL team staffs and fans of the game.
NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Players to Watch List
New England Natives
A Rating
——
B Rating
- Sam Colangelo, RW, Stoneham, Mass./Chicago Steel (Northeastern)
C Rating
- Brett Berard, LW, East Greenwich, R.I./U.S. NTDP U-18 (Providence)
- Nick Capone, RW, East Haven, Conn./Tri-City Storm (Connecticut)
- Drew Commeso, G, Norwell, Mass./U.S. NTDP U-18 (Boston University)
- Riley Duran, C, Woburn, Mass./Lawrence Academy (Providence)
- Sean Farrell, LW, Southborough, Mass./Chicago Steel (Harvard)
- Alex Jefferies, RW, Lunenburg, Mass./The Gunnery (Merrimack)
- Timothy Lovell, LD, Hingham, Mass./Boston Advantage 18-U (Ohio State)
- Ryan McGuire, C, New Canaan, Conn./Belmont Hill (Colgate)
- Ben Meehan, LD, Walpole, Mass./Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (UMass Lowell)
- Ian Moore, RD, Concord, Mass./St. Mark’s (Princeton)
- David Sacco, C, Middleton, Mass./Lawrence Academy (New Hampshire)
- Phillip Tresca, C, Newton, Mass./Rivers School (Yale)
- Ronan Walsh, LW, Andover, N.H./Proctor Academy (Vermont)
- Jack Williams, RW, Biddeford, Maine/Muskegon Lumberjacks (Northeastern)
Players with ties to New England
A Rating
——
B Rating
- Yan Kuznetsov, LD, Connecticut
- Dylan Peterson, C, U.S. NTDP U-18 (Boston University)
- Eamon Powell, RD, U.S. NTDP U-18 (Boston College)
- Carsen Richels, LW, Blaine HS (New Hampshire)
- Luke Tuch, LW, U.S. NTDP U-18 (Boston University)
C Rating
- Colby Ambrosio, C, Tri-City Storm (Boston College)
- Kyle Aucoin, LD, Tri-City Storm (Harvard)
- Chase Bradley, LW, Omaha Lancers (Northeastern)
- Jeremie Bucheler, RD, Northeastern
- Matt Choupani, C, Des Moines Buccaneers (Northeastern)
- Michael Citara, RW, Mount Saint Charles 18-U (Providence)
- Stanley Cooley, C, Spruce Grove Saints (Northeastern)
- Noah Ellis, RD, Des Moines Buccaneers (Massachusetts)
- Christian Jimenez, LD, Sioux City Musketeers (Harvard)
- Trevor Kuntar, C, Youngstown Phantoms (Harvard)
- Alex Laferriere, RW, Des Moines Buccaneers (Harvard)
- Mason Langenbrunner, RD, Eden Prairie HS (Harvard)
- Lucas Mercuri, C, Salisbury (Vermont)
- Colin Purcell, G, Youngstown Phantoms (Massachusetts)
- Artem Shlaine, C, Shattuck St. Mary’s Prep (Boston University)
- Ryan Siedem, RD, Harvard
- Danny Weight, C, Penticton Vees (Boston College)
- Chase Yoder, C, U.S. NTDP U-18 (Providence)
