Top 10 NHL prospects standing out in the NCAA

Credit: Steven Ellis/The Nation Network

The NCAA is one of the best development leagues in the world, and the 2024 NHL Draft helped show that.

The top two picks – San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini and Chicago’s Artyom Levshunov – were standouts for Boston University and Michigan State, respectively. We don’t see many college players getting taken on an annual basis because you either have to be an older prospect or have fast-tracked through high school. But for those that do, the experience of playing against older, tougher competition can have a serious impact.

Today, we’re looking at 10 NHL-drafted prospects standing out in a big way this year. From high production to a big boost in overall performance, these young men might not be too far from playing in the NHL – with some likely turning pro later this spring:

Sam Rinzel, D (Chicago Blackhawks)

Rinzel is legit, Hawks fans. The 6-foot-4 defender has obvious size, but he’s producing at just under a point per game, as well. He’s almost at double-digit goals for the first time while playing all situations for Minnesota. He’s a minute-muncher, playing more than 22 minutes a night in most games (his season high was 30:29 in mid-December). Defensively, he’s smart, and he’s much better with the puck than scouts gave him credit for ahead of the 2022 NHL Draft. Rinzel should have little issue developing into a serviceable NHL defenseman in the near future.

Trey Augustine, G (Detroit Red Wings)

Fresh off becoming the most successful American goaltender in World Junior Championship history, Augustine has continued his trek to becoming the top goaltender in the NCAA this year. He registered a seven-game winning streak from mid-October until the end of November to help push MSU near the top of the standings. He hasn’t lost consecutive games at any point this year, and while having a good team helps, he routinely is forced to make 30-plus saves against quality opponents. Augustine is ready to take the AHL by storm next year and isn’t far away from challenging for NHL duty, either.

Jack Devine, RW (Florida Panthers)

Only one NCAAer has more points than Devine’s 89 over the past two years, and that’s Gabe Perreault. Devine was a huge reason for Denver’s national title last year, scoring a career-high 27 goals and 56 points. He only has five goals this year, but Devine has been Denver’s best set-up man in all situations, with a league-leading 28 assists. In fact, if you took the goals out of the equation, he’d be the 15th-highest-scoring player in the NCAA this year. The Panthers have one of the worst pipelines in the NHL, but Devine – a seventh-round pick in 2022 – looks like a legitimate prospect.

Aiden Fink, RW (Nashville Predators)

Fink might not play on a powerhouse college team, but Fink makes Penn State must-watch entertainment every single weekend. He has more than 60 points over the past two years since graduating from the famed Brooks Bandits Jr. A hockey program, and he’s firmly in the national scoring race this year. Nominated for the Hobey Baker award for the second year running, the Predators prospect has eight games with at least two points, including a hat-trick earlier this month against Canisius. The Preds selected the 5-foot-10 forward in the seventh round in 2023, and while he’s a little undersized and his skating is still underwhelming, his work with the puck is tremendous.

Jacob Fowler, G (Montreal Canadiens)

Guess who leads the NCAA with six shutouts? This guy. Are there times when Fowler’s workload isn’t much to write home about? Absolutely. Are his numbers fantastic when he’s busier? For sure. He hasn’t lost a game in which he has made 26 saves, and he doesn’t let his team down at 5-on-5 often. Fowler has the best record of any NHL-drafted goaltender at 17-3-1, which is nuts. He also boasts a .934 save percentage for good measure. Habs fans have seen it before where a college goaltender goes on to put up some wicked numbers – Cayden Primeau, anyone? So there’s still a reason to be cautiously optimistic, but his numbers between the USHL and NCAA over the past three years have been truly superb.

Quinn Finley, LW (New York Islanders)

Finley was one of the USHL’s best players in 2022-23, but his high-end production was muted a bit as a rookie with the University of Wisconsin last year. Now, he’s firmly in the national scoring race while playing at a near 30-goal pace. Finley had one of the best one-shot releases from the 2022 NHL Draft and it has only gotten better as his hockey sense has improved. Now, he’s getting himself into better scoring lanes, but he’s also recognizing when taking a shot isn’t the best course of action and when it’s better to use his teammates. Finley’s skating is still a downside, though.

Gabe Perreault, LW (New York Rangers)

Gee, surprised? Rangers fans love Perreault, and for good reason. The Boston College winger leads all NCAA players with 91 points over the past two seasons, despite playing around 10 fewer games than many others at the top of the list. Perreault has put up three multi-point efforts since returning home from winning gold at the World Juniors earlier this month, which is absolutely wild. He might not be big at 5-foot-11, but he’s difficult to contain and generates offense better than just about anyone. Perreault should challenge for a spot on the Rangers next year – but first, he’s chasing after a national title with the Eagles.

Jimmy Snuggerud, RW (St. Louis Blues)

Many expected Snuggerud to turn pro after the season, but he instead decided to go back for his junior season at Minnesota. He’s the leading scorer while being one of the NCAA’s top shot generators, which shouldn’t be surprising given his 41 goals over the past two seasons. Snuggerud has a good 6-foot-2 frame, and he’s not afraid to hit anyone in sight. He’s on pace to break past 50 as Minnesota’s captain, and it’s only a matter of time until he’s challenging for a top-six spot with the Blues.

Isaac Howard, LW (Tampa Bay Lightning)

After an underwhelming freshman season at the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 2022-23, Howard made the move to Michigan State University for the following year – and it has looked like a genius decision. Playing under former USA Hockey National Team Development Program coach Adam Nightingale, Howard had a point per game through 36 games last year as he helped get himself firmly back on track (he won gold with USA at the World Juniors for good measure). This year, though, has been a true breakthrough season for Howard, who needed just 24 games to tie his output from last year while leading the entire NCAA in scoring. The sharpshooter looks as confident as ever with the puck, and he’s physically stronger, too. Look for Howard to potentially turn pro at the end of the season.

Ryan Leonard, RW (Washington Capitals)

If you didn’t know Leonard before the World Juniors, you do now. Between trying to hit every single person in sight, he also earned tournament MVP honors after scoring five goals and 10 points in seven games. He rarely wasn’t involved heavily in the play when he was on the ice – and that extends to his work with Boston College, too. He has 50 goals over his past two college seasons, including 19 in 23 games this year. The 2023 first-rounder snagged his first hat trick of the season this past Friday against Boston University and has a trio of other two-goal nights, as well. Leonard is Boston’s primary shot generator – when he’s thriving, so is BC. Leonard has a legit chance of being a top-six threat with the Capitals come playoff time – maybe even alongside Alex Ovechkin on the top line.

Other notables: Zeev Buium, D (Minnesota Wild), Connor Kurth, C (Tampa Bay Lightning), Aydar Suniev, LW (Calgary Flames), Cole O’Hara, RW (Nashville Predators), Cameron Lund, C (San Jose Sharks), Michael Hage, C (Montreal Canadiens), Cole Eiserman, LW (New York Islanders), Austin Burnevik, RW (Anaheim Ducks)