BU, BC, Michigan Lead NCAA Teams in NHL Draft

Three colleges from Massachusetts and Michigan gave the NCAA a strong showing in the NHL Draft, starting when the Buffalo Sabres selected Boston University’s National Player of the Year Jack Eichel with the second pick.

Which hockey teams produced the most talent for the NHL draft? See Breitbart Sports’ top 25 below, which includes 13 Canadian junior teams, seven US junior teams, two Swedish junior teams, the US-under 18 national team, and finally, two American colleges in one city: Boston University and Boston College. While Canadian Junior League Players dominate the draft, BU enjoyed the 10th best draft of any team.

The Breitbart Sports scoring system for the draft rewards each team with 250 points for the top pick, 249 for Eichel at second, etc. BU also received 212 points for Eichel’s LW Anthony-John Greer going 39th in the draft to give the Terriers 461 points for 10th place.

Eichel, a center, was the first freshman in 12 years to even make the final list as the top player, as his blinding speed, and ice sense that was compared in Boston to Larry Bird on a basketball court, and surprising strength helped him lead the nation with 61 points. Buffalo claimed him after Edmonton claimed Connor McDavid.

Crosstown Boston College was the next highest-rated college with the 22nd best draft of any team, starting with defenseman Noah Hanifin going 5th to Carolina. The University of Michigan (50th), Michigan Tech (93rd), Wisconsin (109th), Western Michigan (110th), and Harvard (113th) were the other colleges represented.

Providence College stunned Boston University for the National Title.

The NHL would love to grab just a little of the market the NBA won over when Yao Ming starred for the Houston Rockets. The New York Islanders generated international interest after selecting Beijing-born Andong Song. However, as a 6th rounder he is a long way from stepping on the NHL ice, much less from being a star.

The true winner of the day is the USA U-18 team, whose ability to put the youngsters up against D1 college teams has not only built the overall US program but landed 11 players in the draft for 1131 points, almost twice the production of the second best team, the Saint John Sea Dogs out of Quebec.