Over the past few seasons, the NHL draft has trended older. More and more prospects are being selected in their second and third year of eligibility than ever before.
One such example locally is Aidan McDonough, a late ’99 who was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the seventh round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. The Milton, Mass., native was drafted after putting up 25 goals and 24 assists in 56 games in the USHL with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.
McDonough’s performance as a freshman this past season at Northeastern vindicated his selection. The former Thayer star scored 11 goals and added 16 helpers as a newcomer for the Huskies.
In his first year of eligibility, McDonough was a good player, but he did it in prep school and was somewhat in the shadow of linemate Jay O’Brien, who wound up being a first-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers.
The knock on McDonough was always his skating, particularly his first two steps. By producing in the USHL, he was able to quiet some of his critics. It’s a lesson that many New England prospects could learn from, currently and in the future.
There is no need to rush to the next level. McDonough took his time to develop at each level and success followed him. Now, he’s in prime position to continue his maturation process at Northeastern before signing an NHL entry-level contract with the Canucks in a few seasons.
Getting back to the 2020 draft, players born between Sept. 16, 2001, and Sept. 15, 2002, are in their first season of eligibility. Players born between Jan. 1, 2000, and Sept. 15, 2001, are in their second or third season of eligibility.
While first year eligible players such as Sam Colangelo, Ian Moore, Brett Berard, Riley Duran and Alex Jefferies deservedly received much of the attention from NHL scouts in the region, there are some second and third year eligible players who also need to be discussed.
Below is a look at the second and third year eligible players from New England or players who skated for a team in the region this past season who merit draft consideration.
A common trait in these five players is they are playing at a high level for amateur hockey. All six players have proven that they can compete against good older players. This is not meant as a dig against prep school hockey, but each year, NHL Central Scouting inevitably ranks players from that circuit who could never produce in the USHL or in college hockey.
While first year eligible players might have more time to develop, a few who were under consideration, per NHL Central Scouting, could never be a leading scorer on a Hockey East team or produce like a few of the defensemen on my list below.
2020 NHL draft: Second and third year eligible players
Carl Berglund
UMass Lowell, 1/16/00, C, left shot, 6-2/187
Berglund had a team-high 12 goals for the River Hawks while adding 11 assists. The Hammaro, Sweden, native also led the team in plus/minus at plus-12 while centering the top line. Berglund is a proven winner as he was on the Clark Cup Championship team in Sioux Falls in 2018-19. Berglund has the size, skating and hockey sense to slide up and down the lineup. While he’s almost certainly a bottom-six center in pro hockey, he still could chip in offensively from time to time.
Zach Uens
Merrimack, 5/13/01, D, left shot, 6-1/178
As a freshman with the Warriors, Uens had four goals and 18 assists in 34 games, with 14 of his 18 points coming in Hockey East play. The Belleville, Ont., native is a slick skater who can break pucks out his own zone. He had the occasional turnover and has some work to do without the puck on his stick, but he’s a player who will get drafted based on his mobility and ability to transport pucks up ice.
Ben Meehan
Cedar Rapids, 4/20/01, D, left shot, 6-0.25/178
NCAA commit: UMass Lowell
I’ve long been a fan of Meehan, who was a three-year standout at Dexter Southfield. I’ve liked his stick and how he plays with some jam. I didn’t expect him to have the success offensively that he did in the first 25 USHL games this season with the RoughRiders. He had eight goals and 10 assists before a season-ending injury. Assuming his injury is healing, the Walpole, Mass., native needs to be picked in the 2020 NHL draft. He has just average size and doesn’t have a true elite skill-set, but he can do everything well. I believe he’s a competitive kid who will work hard at UMass Lowell to solidify a key component to his game and be worthy of an entry-level contract following his time with the River Hawks.
Matt Kessel
UMass, 6/23/00, D, right shot, 6-2.5/193
Kessel had seven goals and four assists in 34 games for the Minutemen during his freshman campaign in 2019-20. He’s not an elite skater, but it’s above average for a player of his size. He can shoot it hard from the point, but his bread and butter moving forward will be as a bottom-pairing, shutdown defender. He has the size and toughness to fit that role.
Gunnarwolfe Fontaine
Chicago, 9/16/00, LW, left shot, 5-8.5/174
NCAA commit: Northeastern
I’m not advocating that Fontaine gets picked, but it’s criminal that he continues to be rated below players who can’t even put up similar numbers in lower levels. Fontaine had 26 goals and 31 assists for 57 points in 45 games this season with the Steel. That followed up a terrific second-half push in 2018-19 that elevated his production to 43 points in 60 games as a rookie in the USHL. The East Greenwich, R.I., native is undersized, and a good chunk of his offense is created on the rush. However, his compete for loose pucks and getting to the greasy areas are both notable traits. I think a team will take a flyer on him late in the draft, but I’d expect him to keep producing in college, as he looks to prove the doubters wrong.
Declan Carlile
Merrimack, 5/18/00, D, left shot, 6-0.25/179
Carlile actually outproduced Uens, potting four goals and dishing out 18 helpers. The Hartland, Mich., native is a year older and his skating isn’t as good as his teammate. Still, he’s a good-sized offensive defenseman with a stick and vision to make plays at the college level. It’s probably a reach for him to be selected, but he’s worth keeping tabs on as a potential late-round flyer or a free-agent pickup in a few years.
