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USHL Players Featured Prominently on NHL Central Scouting Preliminary List
79 Players With USHL Ties on Preliminary List
NHL Central Scouting earlier this week announced their Preliminary Players to Watch List ahead of the 2022 NHL Draft. The annual list identifies players using the following criteria:
- A Rating - indicates a 1st round candidate
- B Rating - indicates a 2nd/3rd round candidate
- C Rating - indicates a 4th/5th/6th round candidate
The USHL had 79 players, past and present, listed on the NHL Central Scouting Preliminary List. In each of the last four NHL Drafts, the USHL has had 50-or-more of its players selected, including the first and second overall picks at the 2021 NHL Draft. During the 2021 Draft, the USHL surpassed the 900 picks mark all-time.
"We're thrilled to see our players recognized for their talent in the Preliminary List from NHL Central Scouting," said USHL President & Commissioner Bill Robertson. "We know the league's talent level continues to grow year after year and we're excited to see what this season, and ultimately the 2022 NHL Draft, has in store for our Clubs."
On this season's Preliminary List, the USHL had seven players listed as A Rated, including five players on this season's USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP) Under-18 roster: Ryan Chesley (Defenseman), Logan Cooley (Forward), Cutter Gauthier (Forward), Isaac Howard (Forward), and Frank Nazar (Forward). The other two A Rated skaters are league alumni Jack Hughes (USA Hockey NTDP, 2019-21) and Matt Savoie (Dubuque Fighting Saints, 2020-21).
USHL Preliminary List - By The Numbers:
79 - Players with USHL Ties Listed
69 - Players Currently on USHL Rosters
65 - Players Committed to NCAA Division I Rosters
57 - C Rated Players
47 - Forwards Listed
33 - USA Hockey NTDP Players Listed
25 - Defensemen Listed
20 - Percent of Total NHLCS Preliminary Lists with a Tie to the USHL
16 - USHL Teams Represented on Preliminary List
15 - B Rated Players
10 - League Alumni Listed
9 - Chicago Steel Players Listed
7 - A Rated Players
7 - Goaltenders Listed
7 - Muskegon Lumberjacks & Waterloo Black Hawks Players Listed
5 - Green Bay Gamblers & Sioux City Musketeers Players Listed
4 - Lincoln Stars, Omaha Lancers, Sioux Falls Stampede & Tri-City Storm Players Listed
3 - Cedar Rapids RoughRiders & Madison Capitols Players Listed
2 - Youngstown Phantoms Players Listed
1 - Des Moines Buccaneers, Dubuque Fighting Saints and Fargo Force Players Listed
| Name | Position | USHL Team (Years) | Current Team (League) | College Commitment | NHLCS Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chesley, Ryan | Defenseman | USA Hockey NTDP (2020-22) | University of Minnesota | A | |
| Cooley, Logan | Forward | USA Hockey NTDP (2020-22) | University of Notre Dame | A | |
| Gauthier, Cutter | Forward | USA Hockey NTDP (2020-22) | Boston College | A | |
| Howard, Isaac | Forward | USA Hockey NTDP (2020-22) | University of Minnesota Duluth | A | |
| Hughes, Jack | Forward | USA Hockey NTDP (2019-21) | Northeastern University (NCAA) | Northeastern University | A |
| Nazar, Frank | Forward | USA Hockey NTDP (2020-22) | University of Michigan | A | |
| Savoie, Matthew | Forward | Dubuque Fighting Saints | Winnipeg Ice (WHL) | A | |
| Ali, Brennan | Forward | USA Hockey NTDP (2020-21) | Avon Old Farms (USHS) | University of Notre Dame | B |
| Anderson, Kent | Defenseman | Green Bay (2021-22) | Denver University | B | |
| Casey, Seamus | Defenseman | USA Hockey NTDP (2020-22) | University of Michigan | B | |
| Dorrington, Jackson | Defenseman | Des Moines (2021-22) | Northeastern University | B | |
| Finley, Quinn | Forward | Madison (2021-22), Chicago (2020-21) | B | ||
| Greene, Ryan | Forward | Green Bay (2019-22) | Boston University | B | |
| Healey, Ryan | Defenseman | Sioux Falls (2020-22), USA Hockey NTDP (2020-21) | Harvard University | B | |
| Hutson, Lane | Defenseman | USA Hockey NTDP (2020-22) | Boston University | B | |
| Kaplan, Devin | Forward | USA Hockey NTDP (2020-22) | Boston University | B | |
| Lucius, Cruz | Forward | USA Hockey NTDP (2020-22) | University of Minnesota | B | |
| Lund, Cameron | Forward | Green Bay (2020-22) | Northeastern University | B | |
| McGroarty, Rutger | Forward | USA Hockey NTDP (2020-22) | University of Michigan | B | |
| Moldenhauer, Nicholas | Forward | Chicago (2020-22) | B | ||
| Plante, Zam | Forward | Chicago (2021-22) | University of Minnesota Duluth | B | |
| Snuggerud, Jimmy | Forward | USA Hockey NTDP (2020-22) | University of Minnesota | B | |
| Argentina, Matthew | Forward | Waterloo (2019-21) | Boston College (NCAA) | Boston College | C |
| Ausmus, Trey | Defenseman | Madison (2021-22), USA Hockey NTDP (2020-21) | University of North Dakota | C | |
| Baker, Owen | Forward | Waterloo (2020-22) | Michigan State University | C | |
| Berard, Brady | Forward | USA Hockey NTDP (2020-22) | Providence College | C | |
| Borgesi, Vincent | Defenseman | Tri-City (2020-22) | Northeastern University | C | |
| Brown, Caden | Forward | USA Hockey NTDP (2019-21) | University of Wisconsin (NCAA) | University of Wisconsin | C |
| Brown, Garrett | Defenseman | Sioux City (2020-22) | Denver University | C | |
| Bump, Alex | Forward | Omaha (2021-22) | C | ||
| Callow, Michael | Forward | USA Hockey NTDP (2020-21) | St. Sebastian's (USHS) | Harvard University | C |
| Cardona, Adam | Defenseman | Waterloo (2021-22) | C | ||
| Cerbone, Andon | Forward | Chicago (2020-22) | University of Michigan | C | |
| Devine, Jack | Forward | USA Hockey NTDP (2019-21) | Denver University (NCAA) | Denver University | C |
| Dubinsky, Aiden | Defenseman | Tri-City (2021-22), Omaha (2020-21) | University of Michigan | C | |
| Duke, Tyler | Defenseman | USA Hockey NTDP (2020-22) | University of Notre Dame | C | |
| Dunbar, Tyler | Defenseman | Muskegon (2019-22) | University of North Dakota | C | |
| Elias, Rastislav | Goaltender | Green Bay (2021-22) | C | ||
| Emerson, Michael | Forward | Chicago (2020-22) | University of Massachusetts | C | |
| Fleming, Maddox | Forward | USA Hockey NTDP (2020-22) | University of Notre Dame | C | |
| Gardner, Daimon | Forward | Omaha (2020-22) | Clarkson University | C | |
| Geary, Patrick | Defenseman | Waterloo (2021-22) | C | ||
| Gillespie, Ryan | Forward | Omaha (2021-22) | Clarkson University | C | |
| Gucciardi, David | Defenseman | Waterloo (2020-21), Youngstown (2020-21), Sioux City (2019-20), Muskegon (2019-20) | Michigan State University (NCAA) | Michigan State University | C |
| Guevin, Jacob | Defenseman | Muskegon (2019-22) | University of Nebraska-Omaha | C | |
| Gustafsson, Lukas | Defenseman | Chicago (2020-22) | Boston College | C | |
| Harris, Sam | Forward | Sioux Falls (2021-22) | Denver University | C | |
| Harvey, Jack | Forward | Chicago (2019-22), USA Hockey NTDP (2020-21) | Boston University | C | |
| Haskins, Tyler | Forward | Madison (2019-20, 2021-22), Sioux Falls (2020-21) | University of Michigan | C | |
| Hejduk, Marek | Forward | USA Hockey NTDP (2020-22) | Harvard University | C | |
| Homer, Gibson | Goaltender | Chicago (2021-22), USA Hockey NTDP (2019-21) | Miami University | C | |
| Ingram, Adam | Forward | Youngstown (2021-22) | St. Cloud State University | C | |
| James, Dylan | Forward | Sioux City (2021-22) | University of North Dakota | C | |
| Klavdiev, Egor | Forward | Cedar Rapids (2019-20) | Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL) | C | |
| Knuble, Cole | Forward | Fargo (2021-22), USA Hockey NTDP (2020-21) | C | ||
| Kocsis, Christian | Forward | Lincoln (2020-22) | Providence College | C | |
| Korpi, Cameron | Goaltender | Muskegon (2021-22), USA Hockey NTDP (2020-21) | Western Michigan University | C | |
| LaStarza, Michael | Forward | Waterloo (2020-22) | Boston University | C | |
| Leddy, Charlie | Defenseman | USA Hockey NTDP (2020-22) | Boston College | C | |
| Livanavage, Jake | Defenseman | Chicago (2020-22), USA Hockey NTDP (2020-21) | University of North Dakota | C | |
| Mastrodomenico, Michael | Defenseman | Lincoln (2020-22) | University of Notre Dame | C | |
| Mbereko, Kaidan | Goaltender | Lincoln (2021-22), USA Hockey NTDP (2019-21) | Colorado College | C | |
| McEwen, Shaun | Defenseman | Tri-City (2021-22) | University of Massachusetts | C | |
| Mehlenbacher, Owen | Forward | Muskegon (2020-22) | University of Wisconsin | C | |
| Muszelik, Tyler | Goaltender | USA Hockey NTDP (2020-22) | University of New Hampshire | C | |
| O'Connell, Gavin | Forward | Waterloo (2021-22) | C | ||
| Pierre, Nicholas | Forward | Sioux City (2020-22) | University of Wisconsin | C | |
| Pohlkamp, Eric | Defenseman | Cedar Rapids (2021-22) | C | ||
| Powell, Seamus | Defenseman | USA Hockey NTDP (2020-22) | Boston College | C | |
| Silverstein, Dylan | Goaltender | USA Hockey NTDP (2020-22) | C | ||
| Slavin, Jeremiah | Defenseman | Muskegon (2021-22) | Colorado College | C | |
| Spicer, Cole | Forward | USA Hockey NTDP (2020-22) | University of North Dakota | C | |
| Straky, Ethan | Defenseman | Green Bay (2021-22), USA Hockey NTDP (2019-21) | Colorado College | C | |
| Strand, Hunter | Forward | Tri-City (2020-21), USA Hockey NTDP (2018-20) | University of Notre Dame (NCAA) | University of Notre Dame | C |
| Welsh, Connor | Forward | Sioux City (2020-22) | Boston College | C | |
| Whitcomb, Ethan | Forward | Muskegon (2021-22) | University of Nebraska-Omaha | C | |
| Whitehead, Cameron | Goaltender | Lincoln (2021-22) | Northeastern University | C | |
| Wisdom, Zaccharya | Forward | Cedar Rapids (2021-22) | C | ||
| Zlnka, Adam | Forward | Sioux Falls (2021-22) | F |
