With the USA Hockey National Team Development Program U17 roster being finalized today and the Five Nations Tournament on the horizon, it’s a good time to look at the top uncommitted 2002-born prospects in the United States.
As college hockey recruiting trends earlier – despite recent legislation to curb the communication between coaches and young prospects – a majority of elite ’02s are already off the board.
The ’02 birth year certainly isn’t one of the better ones in terms of high-end prospects, but there are uncommitted players out there who could make a positive impact on a college program.
One of the top ’02 forwards in the country – Hingham, Mass., native Matt Beniers – is certainly towards the top of any list of uncommitted prospects. The former Milton Academy center will play for the NTDP U17 team this upcoming season. He’s being courted by Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, Northeastern and Providence. The first three are favorited to land him.
To get a better sense of the landscape, here are the top eight uncommitted '02s across the U.S. Five New Englanders are then included as a separate, more focused look at the region's top uncommitted '02s.
