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43 USHL Players Named to NHL Central Scouting Midterm List
Seven players crack top-50 in Midterm Rankings, in addition to six alumni.
NHL Central Scouting released their “Midterm Rankings” of players eligible for the 2016 NHL Draft, and among the North American list are 43 players that have competed in the USHL season. In addition, 12 USHL alumni were named. Of the 43 current players listed, 38 are committed to play college hockey.
The Midterm Rankings include players from all leagues and levels across North America and are a numerical ranking based on NHL Central Scouting evaluations.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING LIST
Team USA forwards Clayton Keller (8) and Kieffer Bellows (12) are the top-ranked USHL players playing this season. Bellows was named 2015 USHL Rookie of the Year in addition to winning the Clark Cup Championship with the Sioux Falls Stampede. Riley Tufte (17) played 12 games with the Fargo Force earlier this season, and is expected to return to Fargo at the conclusion of his season with Blaine High School. Chad Krys (30), Trent Frederic (39), Mitchell Mattson (49) and Andrew Peeke (50) rounded out the top-50.
Team USA goaltender Joseph Woll (8) was the highest ranked goaltender in the USHL. Currently playing in the NAHL after brief USHL stints are Tyler Johnson (16) and Peter Thome (19). Lincoln’s Peyton Jones (22) and Omaha’s Zackarias Skog (24) round out the USHL listed goaltenders.
16 players listed on the Midterm Rankings were featured in the USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game that took place in Omaha, NE. Team West MVP Wade Allison (192) scored a team-high two points in the game.
Youngstown’s Yushiro Hirano (151) became the first Japanese-born player to skate in the USHL earlier this season. The Tomakomai, Japan native has scored 30 points in 32 games, including 15 goals for the Phantoms.
2016 follows a record-setting 2015 NHL Draft that saw 37 players from the 2014-15 season selected by NHL teams. The 2016 NHL Draft will be held June 24-25 in Buffalo, NY at the First Niagara Center, home of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres.
PLAYERS WITH USHL EXPERIENCE
| RANK | LAST | FIRST | USHL TEAM | POSITION | COMMITMENT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Keller | Clayton | Team USA | C | Boston University |
| 12 | Bellows | Kieffer | Team USA | LW | Boston University |
| 17 | Tufte | Riley | Fargo Force | LW | University of Minnesota Duluth |
| 30 | Krys | Chad | Team USA | D | Boston University |
| 39 | Frederic | Trent | Team USA | C | University of Wisconsin |
| 49 | Mattson | Mitchell | Bloomington Thunder | C | University of North Dakota |
| 50 | Peeke | Andrew | Green Bay Gamblers | D | University of Notre Dame |
| 51 | Lindgren | Ryan | Team USA | D | University of Minnesota |
| 52 | Anderson | Joseph | Team USA | RW | University of Minnesota Duluth |
| 54 | Luce | Griffin | Team USA | D | University of Michigan |
| 59 | Morrison | Cameron | Youngstown Phantoms | LW | University of Notre Dame |
| 64 | Filipe | Matt | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | LW | Northeastern University |
| 66 | Zimmer | Max | Chicago Steel | LW | University of Wisconsin |
| 67 | Fox | Adam | Team USA | D | Harvard University |
| 69 | Lockwood | William | Team USA | RW | University of Michigan |
| 85 | Graham | Michael | Fargo Force | C | University of Notre Dame |
| 86 | Suthers | Keenan | Team USA | LW | Western Michigan University |
| 89 | Eliot | Mitch | Muskegon Lumberjacks | D | Michigan State University |
| 92 | McPhee | Graham | Team USA | LW | Boston College |
| 100 | Pastujov | Nick | Team USA | LW | University of Michigan |
| 101 | Laczynski | Tanner | Chicago Steel | C | Ohio State University |
| 110 | Campoli | Michael | Team USA | D | Boston College |
| 116 | Ryczek | Jake | Sioux City Musketeers | D | Providence College |
| 118 | McInnis | Luke | Youngstown Phantoms | D | Boston College |
| 127 | Printz | Greg | Chicago Steel | LW | Providence College |
| 128 | Greenway | James | Team USA | D | |
| 129 | Dodero | CJ | Sioux City Musketeers | LW | University of Denver |
| 130 | Knierim | William | Dubuque Fighting Saints | RW | Miami University |
| 135 | Sanchez | James | Team USA | LW | University of Michigan |
| 141 | Pitlick | Rem | Muskegon Lumberjacks | C | University of Minnesota |
| 151 | Hirano | Yushiroh | Youngstown Phantoms | RW | |
| 163 | Walker | Zach | Team USA | RW | Boston College |
| 168 | Jette | Tyler | Bloomington Thunder | D | |
| 172 | Hampton | Robert | Chicago Steel | C | Northeastern University |
| 175 | Rossini | Sam | Waterloo Black Hawks | D | University of Minnesota |
| 184 | Gosiewski | Matt | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | C | Harvard University |
| 192 | Allison | Wade | Tri-City Storm | RW | Western Michigan University |
| LV | Duehr | Walker | Tri-City Storm | RW | |
| G - 8 | Woll | Joseph | Team USA | G | Boston College |
| G - 16 | Johnson | Tyler | Chicago Steel | G | University of Maine |
| G - 19 | Thome | Peter | Omaha Lancers | G | University of North Dakota |
| G - 22 | Jones | Peyton | Lincoln Stars | G | Penn State University |
| G - 24 | Skog | Zackarias | Omaha Lancers | G |
USHL ALUMNI LISTED
| RANK | LAST | FIRST | USHL TEAM | POSITION | CURRENT TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1* | Matthews | Auston | Team USA | C | Zurich |
| 1 | Tkachuk | Matthew | Team USA | LW | London |
| 9 | McAvoy | Charles | Team USA | D | Boston University |
| 11 | Jones | Max | Team USA | LW | London |
| 16 | Kunin | Luke | Team USA | C | University of Wisconsin |
| 24 | Thompson | Tage | Team USA | C | University of Connecticut |
| 78 | Gerlach | Max | Fargo Force | C | Medicine Hat |
| 105 | Masonius | Joseph | Team USA | D | University of Connecticut |
| 108 | Fitzgerald | Casey | Team USA | D | Boston College |
| 117 | Dineen | Cam | Tri-City Storm | D | North Bay |
| 149 | Gambrell | Dylan | Dubuque Fighting Saints | F | University of Denver |
| 170 | Spaxman | Ethan | Waterloo Black Hawks | D | Merrimack College |
*Internationally ranked (currently not playing in North America)
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the USHL celebrates its 14th season as the nation's only Tier I junior hockey league in 2015-16. A record 37 players were chosen in the 2015 NHL Draft and more than 375 players on team rosters last season committed to NCAA Division I schools, further establishing the USHL as the world’s foremost producer of junior hockey talent.
Tag(s): Player News
