2023 Cedar Rapids NHL Draft Preview
The United States Hockey League takes a team-by-team look ahead of the 2023 NHL Draft.
The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders have had at least one player selected in nine of the last 10 NHL Drafts. Dating back to its inaugural season in the USHL in 1999-00, Cedar Rapids has had 35 players selected in the NHL Draft. The RoughRiders' highest selection of all-time was defenseman
Ivan Provorov who the Philadelphia Flyers selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2015 Draft.
Top Prospects for 2023
Zaccharya Wisdom, Forward
Central Scouting Rank: #104
College Commitment: Colorado College
Wisdom totalled 28 goals and 20 assists for 48 points in 59 games with Cedar Rapids in 2022-23. The Toronto, Ont., native racked up a career-high four goals in a 6-1 home win over the the National Team Development Program on Dec. 16 of this season and two seasons with the RoughRiders accrued 38-33--71 with six game-winning goals and five power play markers in 112 games.
Eric Pohlkamp, Defenseman
Central Scouting Rank: #118
College Commitment: Bemidji State
This year’s USHL Defenseman of the Year, Pohlkamp registered 16 goals and 35 assists for 51 points in 59 games in 2022-23. His point total tied for the league-lead for defensemen, his 16 goals ranked second and his 35 assists tied for third. The Brainerd, Minn., native led all USHL defensemen with nine power play goals, 18 power play assists and 27 power play points. A First Team All-USHL selection, he also had more shots on goal than any other defenseman in the league with 179.
The RoughRiders did not have a player chosen in the 2022 draft, but in the 2021, defenseman
Alex Gagne was selected 192nd by Tampa Bay while defenseman
Ben Meehan was selected 140th by Los Angeles in 2020..
The USHL has had 50-or-more players selected in each of the last five NHL Drafts, with a league-best 57 chosen in 2022 and 2018. In all the USHL has seen 990 of its players selected in total, with at least one player taken in each draft but one dating back to 1981.