Caeden Herrington was making a quesadilla.
Day 2 of the 2025 NHL Draft was 2½ hours old, the progression of picks now somewhere in the late fourth round. Cory, his father, was downstairs, and he figured his mother, Meg, was in another room. Herrington was in the kitchen. None, notably, were in front of the TV.
This was the Herrington’s draft party. No friends, no extended family, not even Herrington’s older siblings. The TV was on, wherever it was, but not until the mid-third round.
They had done the whole shebang the year prior, when Herrington was draft eligible for the first time out of Holderness with a two-month USHL cameo under his belt, only for the call to never come.
“People always say, don’t sit through the whole thing,” Herrington said. “Because you don’t know.”
And so, he stuffed cheese between a tortilla. Then, on the counter in front of him, Herrington’s phone started buzzing. “Congrats,” read a text from his agent, Jordan Neumann. When Herrington picked up the phone, he found he was receiving a call from Andy Johnson, an area scout for the Los Angeles Kings based in Nebraska. Johnson was Herrington’s main point of contact with the Kings during the 2024-25 season, when Herrington starred for the USHL’s Lincoln Stars.
Los Angeles was selecting the right-shot defenseman from Manchester, Vt., with the 120th pick in the draft.
COACHING NEWS: Longtime Yale coach Keith Allain retires ahead of new season
Herrington has no idea what Johnson told him.
“You black out when it happens,” he said. Even during a purposely low-key draft day experience, the wait felt like it was 100 hours long. And this was the second go-around.
Despite recording 49 points (seven goals, 42 assists) in 29 games for one of the better New England prep teams as a senior, Herrington was swimming upstream at the 2024 NHL Draft. Prep players just don’t really get picked anymore — only one was taken that year, and two the year before that (and two in 2025).
Still, teams were interested in 2024. Holderness coach Alan Thompson said a few organizations really liked him, specifically the Detroit Red Wings. Ultimately, Thompson said teams had concerns about Herrington’s lack of a leadership role in two seasons at Holderness and, most pressingly, that he hadn’t proved he could produce in juniors. Herrington joined the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers for two months following his senior prep season but recorded only four points in a depth role. He didn’t have time to truly get his feet under him.
“Those two months were a huge learning curve for me,” Herrington said. “It was super tough.”
“Unfortunately,” Thompson said, “in today’s game, all scouts want to see success at the junior level before they take a chance on a kid.”
'WHATEVER IT TAKES': Inside the ups and downs of Carter Amico's relentless work ethic
Herrington had the chance to play the entire USHL season in 2023-24 but stayed in Plymouth, N.H., at a school that he said gave him the best two years of his life. His best friends were at Holderness, he believed in the program, and he said he wanted to play for something “bigger than me, which is playing for a school.”
“I didn’t even really give USHL teams a chance,” he said.
Perhaps he would have been drafted in 2024 had he played the entire year in the USHL. But with his January 2006 birthday, Herrington would be eligible for at least three drafts. Hustling to get drafted right away wasn’t necessary, especially when he could still develop under Thompson and assistant Joe Gaudet. Also, his dad loved Holderness’ humble semi-outdoor rink, with the snow falling outside and the free hot chocolate inside.
“There’s nothing better than playing for your high school,” said Cory, who coached at Burr and Burton Academy in Manchester for 11 years.
“Unless you’re a phenom, you’re going to play juniors at some point,” he added. “So why rush that?”
The Kings love drafting players in their second year of eligibility. Four of their nine selections in 2025 were overagers, and scouting director Mark Yannetti (Boxford, Mass.) reckoned after the draft the organization had done it 25 to 30 times in his 18 years in the position.
“Analytically, plus-ones have a higher success rate in the later rounds,” Yannetti said.
READ MORE: Will the “IMG Academy of the North” change prep hockey?
Herrington has an extra year of development at Holderness under his belt, on top of the year in the USHL he would have gotten regardless, before he plays against older players with the University of Vermont in 2025-26. Plus, critically, he got the offseason in between Holderness and the USHL, during which he relentlessly worked on his shot — firing hundreds upon hundreds of pucks at his local rink in Vermont or in a setup at his house.
“If you want to come fix my garage door,” Cory said, “let me know.”
The result was an offensive explosion in Lincoln in 2024-25.
Green Bay traded him after he didn’t score in 24 games at the end of 2023-24, only for Herrington to lead all USHL defenseman in goals (16), while adding 18 assists, over 54 regular-season games the next season. Seven goals and 11 assists came on the power play; he led the man-advantage at Holderness, too, despite finishing with only 12 career prep goals.
“We were surprised he didn’t score more,” Thompson said.
Still, even without the goal scoring, Herrington is an enticing offensive defenseman. Thompson raved about his ability to see the ice, create passing lanes and deceive opponents. Holderness teammate James Lawhorne noted his skating and “silky hands,” especially at his size (6-foot-2, 205 pounds). Lawhorne said he’s seen only two “Michigan” goals in his hockey career; both were scored by Herrington.
“I’ve never had a better quarterback of the power play than him,” Thompson said.
RECRUITING: Tracking all the commits since Aug. 1
This is what the Kings saw. Analysts, Thompson and Herrington himself all agree the defensive side of his game needs to improve, but if that part can get to a serviceable level, Herrington’s offense could propel him to the NHL. And betting on the continued development of a player who already turned a wide-eyed first two months in the USHL into an entire season of production was a gamble the Kings were willing to make.
“The difference in his play from last year to this year was significant, and he made that jump in an almost non-comparable league to high school,” Yannetti said. “If he can do that again for another year? It’s pretty promising.”
