Each winter, NHL scouts scour prep school hockey rinks across New England in hopes of finding talent for the upcoming draft.
This year is no exception. It is a down year for American prospects across the board, and that includes the prep school circuit. Nonetheless, players such as St. Mark’s defenseman Ian Moore (Concord, Mass.), Gunnery right wing Alex Jefferies (Lunenburg, Mass.), Salisbury center Lucas Mercuri and Lawrence Academy right wing Riley Duran (Woburn, Mass.) have received plenty of attention from NHL scouts.
While this year’s crop still deserves attention and viewings, it’s an interesting time to look at who might be the prep players on NHL scouts’ radars ahead of the 2021 NHL Draft. Last week, New England Hockey Journal profiled the top 68 American players who will be first year eligible prospects for the 2021 NHL Draft. Now, we take a more in depth look at the skill sets, strengths, and weaknesses of prep hockey’s 2021 draft class. Every player on this list is a good prep school hockey player with strengths and weaknesses.
