2014 NHL Draft Preliminary List

No sooner do we finish up coverage of the 2013 draft than we begin discussing the 2014 draft. With that, NHL Central Scouting has released their 2014 Preliminary Draft List. There are plenty of college eligible players on the list, but only a handful have yet to commit to a college.

F - Alex Rodriguez - Shattuck
F - Alexander Falconer - Shattuck St. Mary's
F - Kevin Labanc - USNTDP
F - Michael Turner - Cushing
F - Steven Spinner - Eden Prairie
F - Tyler Sheehy - Burnsville HS
D - Jack Dougherty - St. Thomas Academy HS
D - Jeffrey King - Sarnia-GOJHL
D - John-Claude Brassard - Nobles Prep
G - Blake Weyrick - USNTDP
G - Chase Perry - Andover HS

USA Roster for Ivan Hlinka Tournament

The roster has been named for the team representing the USA at the Ivan Hlinka Tournament beginning August 5th in Breclav, Czech Republic. There are six college eligible players on the team who have not committed to a D1 team as of this posting. These are all top 1996 born players who are sure to be receiving a lot of attention now and in the near future.

G - Blake Weyrick - USNTDP
D - Jack Dougherty - St. Thomas Academy HS
D - Jared Rosburg - Ohio Bluejackets AAA U18
D - Nick Wolff - Eagan HS
F - Dylan Malmquist - Edina HS
F - Chase Phelps - Shattuck Prep

2013 NHL Draft College Prospects

Its not unusual for every NHL drafted, college eligible player to have a commitment in hand.  However, a day after the 2013 draft, there is one player who knows where he'll be playing in the NHL before he even knows where he'll be playing in college.

F - Avery Peterson - Grand Rapids HS

Avery skated 8 games with Sioux City of the USHL last season, but he played most of the season as a junior at Grand Rapids.  He could play his senior season for the Thunderhawks if he chooses.  Either way, he will be a highly sought after recruit for the 2013-2014 season.

EDIT: Even though he wasn't selected in the 2013 draft, it turns out there is one more drafted player who isn't currently committed. Defenseman Cliff Watson played for Sioux City of the USHL the past two seasons after being drafted in 2012, but he recently decommitted from Ohio State after the departure of head coach Mark Osiecki. We have no information regarding Cliff's plans for the 2013-2014 season, but he should be more than ready to step onto a D1 roster and contribute immediately.