USA Hockey has impressive showing at the 2019 NHL Draft
For those of you who might have been hibernating lately, it was a big weekend for USA hockey at the NHL Entry Draft.
A total of 59 American players were selected over the course of 7 rounds (or 217 draft picks) or accounted for 27% of where the players were from.
Per USA Hockey’s Article:
The 2019 NHL Draft opened yesterday (June 21) with a record-breaking first round for American hockey. For the first time in NHL Draft history, seven of the first 15 selections were American while eight American selections came directly from USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, doubling the NHL Draft record of players to be taken from a single team in a single NHL Draft.
The draft started off fast with Jack Hughes being taken by the New Jersey Devils 1st overall, making him the 8th American player taken first overall in an NHL Entry Draft. I actually had the privilege of seeing Jack play his first game with the US NTDP U-18 Squad two years ago while up in Plymouth coaching a youth hockey team and he was at that time already a step-a-head of everyone.
There were 18 States represented as seen below:
- Minnesota (14)
- New York (12)
- Massachusetts (5)
- Illinois (4)
- Califorina (3)
- Michigan (3)
- New Jersey (3)
- Connecticut (2)
- Florida (2)
- Virginia (2)
- Wisconsin (2)
- Alaska (1)
- Arizona (1)
- Colorado (1)
- Missouri (1)
- North Dakota (1)
- Pennsylvania (1)
- Rhode Island (1)
Below is also a list of where all the players came from during this last draft:
NHL Draft numbers (Full-time team 2018-19 season):
— Andy Johnson (@AndyJohnsonSCM) June 23, 2019
WHL: 28
USHL: 25
OHL: 25
QMJHL: 18
NTDP: 17
BCHL: 8
NAHL: 2
AJHL: 2
OJHL: 1
Overall was a very impressive year for USA Junior hockey as 44 players came out of US-based Junior Hockey leagues.
We will continue to see just how effective the USA Hockey ADM Model actually is in the next few future NHL drafts as the hope is to see those numbers of US-born and raised players rise!
