USA Hockey NTDP teammates Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.) and Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.) cracked the top five on Friday when the 2023 NHL Central Scouting Midterm Rankings were released.
The two forwards, both committed to Boston College, were ranked third and fourth, respectively, among North American skaters. They were only behind Regina Pats center Connor Bedard, the star Canadian who has long been hailed as the top player in this draft class, and former Kimball Union center Adam Fantilli, who is currently skating for the University of Michigan.
The top ranked player among those skating in the New England region this season was UConn freshman right wing Matthew Wood. The youngest player in college hockey was ranked eighth among North American skaters. The Huskies had five recruits earning recognition by NHL Central Scouting. Boston University and UMass also had five commits make the list. Leading the way among New England colleges was Boston College with seven, including three inside the top 15.
I’ve had plenty of gripes with NHL Central Scouting over the years. The organization ranks far too many players and ends up including players who have no business being on any draft ranking. The other major disagreement I have with them is the undervaluing level of competition. For instance, ranking Avon Old Farms right wing Joseph Odyniec (Ridgefield, Conn.) three spots ahead of NTDP U18 right wing Salvatore Guzzo is questionable.
That is not meant as a knock against Odyniec, but Guzzo has long been among the best '05 forwards in the country. If he were still in prep school, his numbers would be much higher than playing a bottom six role with the NTDP.
If there was one player from the region who clearly got snubbed in the rankings, it was Cushing right wing Ethan Gardula (Princeton, Mass.). The '05 is a smart forward with some intriguing tools. He came in ranked 208th, below a number of players he is clearly better than.
Hockey professionals across the continent chuckle with each release of NHL Central Scouting list. The scouts with the organization aren’t solely to blame for the shortcomings. The concept of ranking far more players than will actually be drafted is ill conceived.
Here is the full list of players either from New England or with New England connections on NHL Central Scouting Midterm Rankings.
North American Skaters
2. Adam Fantilli, C, Michigan (Kimball Union alum)
3. Will Smith, C, Lexington, Mass./NTDP U18 (Boston College)
4. Ryan Leonard, RW, Amherst, Mass./NTDP U18 (Boston College)
8. Matthew Wood, RW, UConn
15. Gabriel Perrault, RW, NTDP U18 (Boston College)
19. Bradley Nadeau, LW, Penticton (Maine)
35. Aydar Suniev, LW, Penticton (UMass)
39. Gavin McCarthy, D, Muskegon (Boston University)
57. Aram Minnetian, D, NTDP U18 (Boston College) (Mid Fairfield product)
58. Drew Fortescue, D, NTDP U18 (Boston College) (Mid Fairfield product)
69. Brandon Svoboda, C, Youngstown (Boston University)
71. Joe Connor, LW, Amherst, N.H./Avon Old Farms (Northeastern)
73. Tanner Adams, RW, Tri-City (Providence)
78. Hudson Malinoski, C, Brooks (Providence)
93. Alex Weiermair, C, NTDP U18 (Denver) (Seacoast Performance Academy product)
99. Matt Copponi, C, Mansfield, Mass./Merrimack
100. Chris Pelosi, C, Sioux Falls (Quinnipiac) (Mount Saint Charles alum)
106. Francesco Dell’Elce, D, St. Andrew’s (UMass)
107. Larry Keenan, D, Culver (UMass)
109. Sean Keohane, D, Milton, Mass./Dexter Southfield (Harvard)
112. Ben Poitras, C, Sioux City (Northeastern) (Salisbury alum)
119. Nicholas Vantassell, RW, Green Bay (UMass)
121. Will Vote, RW, Arlington, Mass./NTDP U18 (Boston College)
132. Jack Harvey, C, Chicago (Boston University)
134. Connor MacPherson, RW, Leamington (New Hampshire)
141. Chase Pirtle, RW, Mount Saint Charles (Cornell)
142. Aiden Celebrini, D, Brooks (Boston University)
145. Kevin Fitzgerald, D, Sioux City (UConn)
166. Lucas St. Louis, D, Riverside, Conn./Dubuque (Harvard)
168. Kaden Shahan, RW, Sioux City (UConn)
184. Ryan Fine, C, NTDP U18 (Harvard)
185. Joseph Odyniec, RW, Ridgefield, Conn./Avon Old Farms (UConn)
188. Salvatore Guzzo, RW, NTDP U18 (Harvard)
196. Ryan Hopkins, D, Penticton (Maine)
199. Charles Alexis Legault, D, Quinnipiac
206. Nathan Tobey, D, NTDP U18 (Quinnipiac)
208. Ethan Gardula, RW, Princeton, Mass./Cushing (UConn)
209. Blake Montgomery, LW, Mount Saint Charles U18
211. Ryan Conmy, RW, Sioux City (New Hampshire)
212. Dan Harkimo, RW, South Kent U18
213. Seth Constance, D, Tri-City (Northeastern) (Mount Saint Charles product)
218. Giacomo Martino, C, St. Michael's (Northeastern)
222. Ty Daneault, RW, Drumheller (Merrimack)
223. Ryan MacPherson, C, Leamington (New Hampshire)
224. Sam Court, D, Brooks (Avon Old Farms alum)
North American Goaltenders
2. Michael Hrabal, Omaha (UMass)
7. Jacob Fowler, Youngstown (Boston College) (South Kent product)
10. Max Lundgren, Des Moines (Merrimack)
13. Stephen Peck, Avon Old Farms
16. Rudy Guimond, Taft (Yale)
18. Daniel Heroux, Kimball Union (Vermont)
21. Thomas Kiesewetter, Plymouth, Mass./Corpus Christi (Princeton)
22. Patriks Berzins, Danbury
24. Michael Chambre, NTDP U18 (Boston University)
30. Jack Spicer, Waterloo (Mount Saint Charles alum)
32. Arthur Smith, Farmington, Conn./Lone Star (Princeton)
* Bold indicates New England natives
