80 Current or Former USHL Players Appear on NHL Central Scouting Players to Watch List

Dan Hickling

General | 10/25/2023 4:32:01 PM

NHL Central Scouting (NHLCS) announced Tuesday the service’s annual Preliminary Players to Watch List, which included 80 players who have played in the USHL to date.
 
A trio of current USHL players are A-rated by the scouting service, which predicts them as a 2024 NHL Draft First Round candidate, with forwards Sacha Boisvert (Muskegon), Trevor Connelly (Tri-City) and Cole Eiserman (NTDP) listed.
 
Former USHL forwards Macklin Celebrini (Chicago Steel, 2022-23, Boston University) and Zeev Buium (NTDP, 2021-23, Denver) and defenseman Artyom Levshunov (Green Bay 2022-23, Michigan State) are also listed as being A-rated.
 
The players on the preliminary list with A ratings are considered potential first-round picks. Players with B ratings are considered possible second- or third-round choices, players with C ratings are potential fourth- or fifth-round picks, and those with W ratings indicate a "watch" player for potential sixth- or seventh-round consideration, and first-time draft eligible "work in progress" players with a limited scouting history and games played.
 
In addition to the six players with A-ratings, among the 80 with USHL ties, 10 are B-Rated, 27 are C-Rated and 37 received a W-rating. 

The USHL is coming off the 2023 NHL Draft which saw 51 players with USHL ties selected over the course of seven rounds. The USHL has now had 50-or-more NHL Draft picks in each of the last six Drafts and dating back to 1981 has had 1,041 players selected.
 

By the Numbers
 
80        USHL ties on the Preliminary List
65        Current USHL players on the Preliminary List
60        USHL ties committed to an NCAA Division I school
6          Players with USHL ties with A rating
10        Players with USHL ties with B rating
27        Players with USHL ties with C rating
37        Players with USHL ties with W rating
44        Forwards with USHL ties listed
27        Defensemen with USHL ties listed
9          Goaltenders with USHL ties listed

 
Full Listing of USHL Ties Appearing on NHL CS Players to Watch List
 
Current USHL Players listed as CS Players to Watch
RK Last Name First Name Pos Team College Commitment
C GROENEWOLD ELLIOTT D CEDAR RAPIDS QUI (2024)
C RESENDES LANDAN RW CEDAR RAPIDS BC (2024)
W TOURNAS NIKO RW CEDAR RAPIDS UNH (2025)
W CARDILLI ANTHONY C CHICAGO STC (2025)
C CLOUTIER LOUKA G CHICAGO NEO (2025)
W GRIMES PRICE D CHICAGO UNH (2026)
B HAGE MICHAEL C CHICAGO MIC (2024)
W HAGENS MICHAEL D CHICAGO BC (2024)
C BERNSTEIN THATCHER G DUBUQUE HAR (2025)
W REEDER JAMES RW DUBUQUE DEN (2024)
W FISHER JAKE C FARGO DEN (2024)
W SWANSON MAC C FARGO NDK (2024)
W POITRAS BENJAMIN C GREEN BAY NE (2024)
C HENRICKS TANNER D LINCOLN STC (2025)
C KLEBER ADAM D LINCOLN UMD (2024)
W BURNEVIK AUSTIN RW MADISON STC (2024)
W FELICIO WILLIAM D MADISON DEN (2024)
W ANDERSON HUNTER LW MUSKEGON DEN (2024)
W BERRY BAUER D MUSKEGON
A BOISVERT SACHA C MUSKEGON NDK (2024)
W CONNOR JOSEPH LW MUSKEGON NE (2024)
W GALANEK JOHN C MUSKEGON MAS (2025)
B GRIDIN MATVEI RW MUSKEGON
C KEEFE OWEN D MUSKEGON BU (2024)
C VEILLEUX XAVIER D MUSKEGON HAR (2024)
W DELLASALLA ANDREW C OMAHA HAR (2025)
C OLSSON ERIC G OMAHA
W YEGOROV MIKHAIL G OMAHA
W JACOBS EASTON C SIOUX CITY LOW (2024)
C BURROWS HAGEN RW SIOUX CITY DEN (2024)
W URBAN SAMUEL G SIOUX CITY ASU (2024)
W BARABANOV EGOR C SIOUX FALLS PENN (2024)
C HEIL CALEB G SIOUX FALLS NDK (2024)
W BALES ALEXANDER D TRI-CITY PRO (2024)
W BLAIS-SAVOIE PHILIPPE D TRI-CITY COL (2024)
A CONNELLY TREVOR LW TRI-CITY PRO (2024)
W KORPI CAMERON G TRI-CITY WMU (2024)
W ROED NOLAN C TRI-CITY STC (2024)
C BUTELLA EERO RW WATERLOO NE (2025)
C FROST MATTHEW C WATERLOO BC (2024)
W MCINNIS KEITH D WATERLOO NDK (2024)
W MUSTARD JOHN C WATERLOO PRO (2025)
C MCLAUGHLIN FINN D YOUNGSTOWN DEN (2024)
C OSBURN LUKE D YOUNGSTOWN WIS (2026)
W PITNER TORY D YOUNGSTOWN DEN (2025)
W VORONIN KUZMA LW YOUNGSTOWN
C BAKER AUSTIN LW NTDP MSU (2024)
B BEDNARIK KAMIL C NTDP BU (2024)
A EISERMAN COLE LW NTDP BU (2024)
B EMERY ERIC D NTDP NDK (2024)
B EPPERSON KRISTIAN LW NTDP MIC (2024)
B HUMPHREYS CHRISTIAN C NTDP MIC (2024)
B HUTSON COLE D NTDP BU (2024)
W KEMPF NICHOLAS G NTDP NDU (2024)
W LAPOINTE NOAH D NTDP ASU (2024)
C LAURILA SAM D NTDP NDU (2024)
C MCMORROW BRENDAN LW NTDP DEN (2024)
W PARDUE CHARLES C NTDP NDU (2024)
C PARSONS JOHN G NTDP PRO (2024)
B PLANTE MAX LW NTDP UMD (2024)
B SKAHAN WILL D NTDP WIS (2024)
W STIGA TEDDY C NTDP BC (2024)
C VAN VLIET LUCAS C NTDP MSU (2024)
W WHIPPLE JOHN D NTDP MIN (2024)
C ZIEMER BRODIE RW NTDP MIN (2024)
USHL Players in NCAA
Rk Last Name First Name Pos Current Team USHL
A LEVSHUNOV ARTYOM D MICHIGAN STATE Green Bay
A CELEBRINI MACKLIN C BOSTON UNIV Chicago
W SEBASTIAN ELI C NORTHEASTERN Green Bay
C ADAMS TANNER RW PROVIDENCE Tri-City
A BUIUM ZEEV D DENVER NTDP
High School/Prep
Rk Last Name First Name Pos Current Team USHL Experience
C LUNSKI ALEX C MINNETONKA Omaha
C MOORE JAVON LW MINNETONKA Sioux Falls
C STOUT JOHN D MINNETONKA Waterloo
B ZELLERS WILLIAM LW SHATTUCK Green Bay
C PILGRIM CARSON C WARROAD NTDP
Players with other junior teams
Rk Last Name First Name Pos Current Team USHL Experience
W LONGACRE COLE D SALMON ARM Sioux City
W MURPHY PATRICK RW VICTORIA Omaha
C PITKA TOBIAS RW VICTORIA Green Bay
W DUBEY BRANDT D MN WILDERNESS Tri-City
W BARTELL BOBBY C SPRINGFIELD NTDP
 
Be sure to visit ushl.com for more information on the USHL.