Latest news with #USHL
Boston Globe
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Fleet captain Hilary Knight, Bruins prospect Will Zellers among honorees by USA Hockey
Knight also represented the US during the 2024-25 Rivalry Series, recording three goals in four games to lead all skaters in the series. Advertisement While competing with the Fleet, the forward led the PWHL in points with 29, and was second in goals with 15. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Zellers, whose RECORD-SETTER! 📣 Will Zellers ( — USHL (@USHL) He is the first member of the Green Bay Gamblers to win USHL forward of the year. The Maple Grove, Minn., native also led the league in game-winning goals (7) and was sixth in power play goals (10), helping lead the Gamblers to a spot in the 2024-25 USHL Playoffs. The forward was selected by the Avalanche in third round of the 2024 NHL Draft with the 76th overall pick after posting 57 goals and 111 points in 54 games with powerhouse Shattuck St. Mary's. Advertisement Colorado shipped him to the Bruins, along with Casey Mittelstadt and a second-round pick in exchange for Coyle and a 2026 fifth-round pick at this year's trade deadline. Zellers will be a freshman at North Dakota next fall. Follow Andrew Mahoney
New York Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Why James Hagens dropped down NHL draft boards, and the Islanders' unique predicament at No. 1
James Hagens entered the 2025 draft cycle coming off an MVP performance at the 2024 U18 World Championships and a dominant season in the USHL. He was projected by many — including myself and several NHL scouts I spoke to — as the No. 1 prospect for this class. He had a very good draft season. Hagens posted a point per game as a freshman at Boston College, playing major minutes on one of the top teams in college hockey. He centered the top line for Team USA at the World Juniors, where they won gold. He has a rich history of prolific scoring and being one of the very best players in his age group. He is among the very best skaters and puck handlers in this draft. Advertisement We've been spoiled recently with the years Macklin Celebrini and Adam Fantilli had in college in their draft seasons. Hagens didn't do what they did, but his season compares to what Matty Beniers and Kent Johnson did at Michigan when they were top-five picks in 2021. Hagens has outplayed several top draft prospects he's being compared to — or has apparently been surpassed by — at various events. He was way better than Porter Martone at this year's World Juniors and arguably just as good or better than him at the U18 Worlds last spring. At that tournament, where Hagens was a top player, Caleb Desnoyers was a fourth-line forward for Canada. Hagens also outplayed Michael Misa at their U17 Challenge two years ago. So why isn't he considered in the conversation for the best player in the draft anymore? There are a few variables. While he played very well this season, evaluators have minor questions about how Hagens' game would translate to the NHL. At BC, he had stretches this season where he was hard to notice at even strength and had too many games where he was invisible. He struggled to consistently get to the inside against bigger college defenders. He also struggled to score goals this season. At barely 5-foot-11 and without a physical edge, his profile becomes harder to project as a top-line NHL center who you can win with. His compete level is decent and looked good at the World Juniors, but I wouldn't call it a standout trait. If Hagens turns into the most offensively productive player from this class, I wouldn't be shocked, and frankly, I would call him the most purely talented offensive player in the class. But winning in the NHL is about more than scoring. Several players — such as Misa and potentially Anton Frondell, Desnoyers or Martone — may go ahead of Hagens simply because the profile they project as (bigger, two-way players, most as centers) is more valuable to NHL teams than a dynamic, scoring small player who may or may not be an NHL center. Advertisement The scouts who are bullish on Hagens, though, would argue that if he were playing junior hockey instead of college, he would have lapped some of those other players. Which brings us to the New York Islanders, who now face a fascinating decision. As soon as they won the draft lottery, buzz around Hagens started up among a vocal part of the fan base. Hagens is from Long Island. He grew up an Islanders fan. For a franchise that lost their last No. 1 pick when John Tavares signed with Toronto as a free agent, the idea of drafting one of their own carries real emotional weight, especially given his profile as a projected No. 1 pick at some point. That, however, is not the state of the draft currently. Right now, there's one player most teams believe is fitting of the No. 1 pick: Matthew Schaefer. A minority leans toward Misa, but that is the extent of it. Frankly, from the scouts I've talked to, there are as many who feel Hagens isn't a top-five player in the draft than who feel there's a meaningful challenger to Schaefer at No. 1. 'Schaefer is the only truly special player in this draft,' said one NHL scout, with an executive we talked to stating, 'Other than maybe Misa, Schaefer is in a tier of his own.' Schaefer is a 6-foot-2 defenseman with tremendous skating ability who makes a lot of plays, competes hard and has the ability to control games from the back end. He projects as a star 25-minute-per-game NHL defenseman who helps you win playoff games. He dominated almost every game he suited up in this season, even if his playing time was limited due to injury. His offensive upside isn't elite, but the total package is. Even if he wasn't clearly ahead of Hagens a year ago at this time, Schaefer is nearly a full year younger than Hagens, and as he continued to develop this season, the separation became clear. Advertisement If the Islanders had the No. 2 pick, the Hagens conversation would make sense. He's not my No. 2 ranked player, or that of almost any NHL scout I've talked to, but it's perfectly within the realm of possibilities that Hagens ends up the pure best player in the class, surpassing Schaefer, and even more reasonable that he could end up the best forward in the draft. This isn't a Connor Bedard or Macklin Celebrini draft where the difference from 1 to 5 is gigantic. But Hagens becoming the best player in the draft is not the likely outcome, and taking Hagens over Schaefer would be the move of an organization that is unserious about winning the Stanley Cup and putting a priority on other variables. 'They'd be going way off the board in the eyes of most teams if they took Hagens,' said one NHL scout. The Tavares situation looms in the background, but it's not the same. It's understandable the organization feels overshadowed at times by the Rangers, but the Islanders aren't the team they were in 2018. They have stable ownership. They have a permanent home in UBS Arena and have had reasonable playoff success in recent years. The idea that Hagens would stay just because he's local isn't enough to make up for passing on the better player. Hagens is a fantastic NHL prospect with the potential to be an impact offensive player. He has the tools to be a consistent 60-80 point forward in the league or better. My NHL comparison for him is William Nylander. He's a legitimate top-five talent and would be a perfectly reasonable pick at No. 2 or 3. But as tends to be the case in many drafts, there is typically a distinction between the No. 1 prospect and the next best player. The gap isn't as wide this year, but in the mind of most evaluators, and I tend to agree, the pick is clear-cut. As difficult as it may be, the Islanders have only one correct decision to make, and that is drafting Schaefer.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Vancouver Canucks 2025 NHL Draft Target: Aidan Park
The Vancouver Canucks enter the 2025 NHL Entry Draft with a pick in each round. Leading up to the draft day, we at The Hockey News will be profiling a different prospect who the Canucks could take with each of their picks. Today's prospect is Green Bay Gamblers center Aidan Park, who Vancouver could select 117th overall. Latest From THN's Vancouver Canucks Site: What The Abbotsford Canucks Need To Do To Win Game 5 Against The Colorado Eagles Vancouver Canucks At The 2025 IIHF World Championship: May 24 Lucas Forsell Confirms He Will Not Be Signing With The Vancouver Canucks Park had a very successful 2024-25 campaign in the USHL. He recorded 66 points in 55 games and was named to the USHL's Second All-Star Team. After his season was complete, he jumped to the WHL, where he played three playoff games for the Calgary Hitmen. What makes Park an intriguing prospect is his endless motor. It doesn't matter if it's the second shift of the first period or the last shift of the third; he appears to never run out of energy and continually plays an intense game regardless of score. Listed at 6'1", 188 lbs, Park is always looking for a way to engage with the play, whether that is on the forecheck or battling in front of the net. In both the transition game and the offensive zone, Park loves to have the puck on his stick. He often leads the transition by carrying the puck into the offensive zone before driving it down low and towards the net. Once Park gets below the goal line, he either uses his playmaking ability to hit teammates in scoring positions or attempts to jam the puck into the net, usually causing some chaos around the opposition's goaltender. The next stage of Park's development will be rounding out his offensive game while becoming stronger in the defensive zone. When playing defence, he needs to become a little more patient while working on his overall positioning. Overall, his defensive play should improve with time as he gets more experience against stronger competition. In the end, Park projects as a bottom-six forward who can bring energy to the lineup at the pro level. He also improved a lot during the season, jumping from 151st at the midterm mark to 90th on NHL Central Scouting's Final Rankings. Ultimaltey, if he is available for selection, the Canucks should consider drafting him in the fourth round. Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Elliot Gulley Commits To UMass Lowell
Green Bay Gamblers forward Elliot Gulley has committed to UMass Lowell, it was announced on Sunday. A native of Champaign, Ill., Gulley appeared in 37 regular season games for the Gamblers in the USHL this past season, where he tallied eight goals and 10 assists. Gulley also played in 27 regular season games for the Wisconsin Windigo in the NAHL in 2024-25, where he scored nine goals and recorded 32 assists. A 2005-born skater, Gulley will make the jump to the NCAA and join the River Hawks for the 2025-26 season. Make sure you bookmark The Hockey News' NCAA Page for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Phantoms trade 1st round pick for young Florida star
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – The Youngstown Phantoms have given up their first-round pick in the 2025 USHL Phase I Draft for young Florida star Logan Anderson. Watch above for an extended interview with the new member of the Phantoms. 'Really an honor and I'm really fortunate enough to be with such a great organization,' said Anderson. 'I've been working with them for a while and showing interest in them.' The Fort Myers native played 56 games last season for the Florida Alliance South 15-Only team. He recorded 48 goals and 43 assists for 91 points last season. Those totals led his team in all three categories. 'It's going to be awesome to be playing with all these really good players that are bigger, faster, stronger to really help me develop my game,' said Anderson. Each USHL team is allotted two tenders per season and have to trade in its first or second round draft pick in the USHL Phase I Draft for the upcoming year. Anderson will be the 14th tender signing in the Phantom's history. The Florida native joins a long list of former Phantoms who had this tender used on them, then made it to the NHL. 'The goal is really to make the NHL,' said Anderson. 'It's just always been a dream of mine since I was a little kid.' The most prominent former Phantom is Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor, who was drafted in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft. Other former Youngstown players who had the tender used on them and were drafted to the NHL were Curtis Hall (Boston Bruins, 2018) and Trevor Kuntar (Boston Bruins, 2020). Even more have had stints in the NHL, minor leagues, and international leagues. Last season, the 16-year-old joined a Youngstown team that advanced to the USHL Eastern Conference Semifinals with the No. 1 seed. 'My game is a really physical, strong player. I love the physicality of the game,' said Anderson. 'Coming into this league with bigger and better players, I won't be getting very many hitting penalties as much as I did.' The Phantoms ended the 2024 regular season with a record of 42-18-0-2 for 86 points, best in the Eastern Conference. 'They have a great legacy every year, they're really good,' said Anderson. 'They've won the Clark Cup, so I think I want to come in here, have a really good season, and let's win it all again.' Anderson said he will be fully moved into the Valley and start training with the Phantoms as early as June. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
