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Top Potential UFA NCAA Prospects

Johnny Danger said:
i'm just wondering why Lethemon hasn't been signed yet. College signings (undrafted) seem to have come to an end ... at least lots of other guys have been signed
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I don't have an Athletic account, but here was a late March article with him: For Michigan State's John Lethemon, the NHL's pause means...

Seemingly there's no rush to sign since there's no games to be played right now. We've seen a couple prospects agree in principle on deals since they could potentially burn a year if play were to resume. But perhaps he's happy enough right now to concentrate on finishing his degree. I vaguely recall reading something like he wanted to meet in person with some teams, so perhaps that didn't happen before the lockdown and online meetings aren't quite enough.
 
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Ryan Shea, D, Northeastern

Not signing with the Hawks. Will he draw the interest of an Adam Fox - or a few years ago Justin Schultz - or is this more of a case of organizational preference?
 
LW - Matt Mistele, Ryerson (USport)

I didn’t see a separate thread for Canada college hockey so included this here.
He was drafted by Los Angeles but never signed and then attended Boston’s development camp in 2016 before beginning his college career.

Last year (2018-19) he was the player of the year in the West Division and had another strong season this year, though his team was beat in the playoffs.

Curious to see if he gets a camp invite or at the very least an AHL or Europe deal.
 
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If I remember correctly, Brinson Pasichnuk had an arrangement with the Sharks where he could burn the first year if the NHL permitted. Scott Perunovich had a similar situation with St. Louis. But not sure if this only applies to players who were already on a team's reserve list.

So perhaps we'll see John Lethemon sign after the agreement is ratified?
 
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Cameron Wright at Bowling Green is off to a tremendous start to his Senior year. Coming off a 20 goal season last year, I’m sure NHL teams are waiting patiently to make an offer.
 
Thought Matt Kiersted was mentioned before, but maybe that was in a similar thread on the trade/signings board: How Matt Kiersted became UND's latest coveted undrafted NHL free agent and a top college hockey defenseman | Grand Forks Herald

NHL teams have started trying to lure Kiersted, who is now considered a free agent with the ability to sign wherever he chooses. Although he had multiple offers over the summer, Kiersted decided to return to school for his senior year.

That news came to UND’s delight.

Kiersted enters the season as arguably the best defenseman in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference and one of the best in the entire country.
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Western Michigan's Ethen Frank just scored his 5th in his 8th game, if he keeps this up there could be some NHL interest.

Penn States Alex Limoges is off to a good start as well.

There's Kopperud at ASU who is tied for the lead in goals in the NCAA. He's a 21 year old Freshman so no clue if he would want to turn pro in the off-season or not.

Of course Kawaguchi will once again have NHL interest, though I liked what i saw from Riese Gaber despite he's undersized.

on defense while Matt Kiersted could be one of the top blueliners, I like Denver's Justin Lee as a steady D.
 
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Watching UNO vs UMD, Matt Miller a 21 year old Freshman for UNO is off to a good start, might be someone to keep an eye on.
 
montreal said:
Watching UNO vs UMD, Matt Miller a 21 year old Freshman for UNO is off to a good start, might be someone to keep an eye on.
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Found this article about him from January 2019. Sounds like he was originally going to skate for UNO last year. Seems like an interesting prospect who maybe developed later and is just putting it all together. Definitely piques the curiosity.

Mavpuck - 2019 Recruit: Matt Miller (F) - Sioux City Musketeers

Mavpuck - 2019 Recruit: Matt Miller (F) - Sioux City Musketeers
 
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Have to think Dennis Cesana will get some interest. Undersized RHD with good wheels and skill. Pretty productive his first two years in the Big Ten on a not so good team. Was quite productive with Brooks as well...with and without Makar.
 
Cesana is doing fine. but for me, he would have to be more dominant to overcome his size. he is 5-9, what is quite small even in todays game.
 
Johnny Danger said:
Cesana is doing fine. but for me, he would have to be more dominant to overcome his size. he is 5-9, what is quite small even in todays game.
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There's another 5'9 defenseman from Michigan St doing pretty well for himself right now. :sarcasm:

These guys all have a key flaw or two. That's why most of this pool (Undrafted College FA) is lucky if they top out as AAAA players. If I have to pick a flaw though, I'd take size every time. Biases will get in the way for some (or most) teams, but I think he has the requisite skating + skill to be a solid pro. I'm not a huge college hockey nerd and there may be better free agents available, but I've watched a decent chunk of the Big Ten this year and he stood out. The skating is definitely plus imo as that stood out to me right away. Even if the skill is only average by NHL standards we're talking about a chance to carve out a Stecher-like career. He's also RH which helps. It's not easy to find RHD with skating and skill. There's some pedigree here too. Dominant Junior A player. Solid first two seasons in a major conference. Pre-season All-Big Ten over some bigger names. I think you could make worse 2-year ELC commitments. It'd be a shame if the Krygier twins get a legitimate chance before him, because they aren't nearly as good imo.

Also not sure he'll leave after this year, but I thought Declan Carlile from Merrimack was draftable in the most recent draft. He'd be another one I'd keep an eye on.
 
One guy that I'm always impressed with when I watch Notre Dame is Alex Steeves. Was originally supposed to be drafted in 2018 (I know we at McKeen's had him ranked in the fourth round). And has improved every year in college so far. As a junior, he's now the Fighting Irish's best player.
 
I could see the Habs as well as other teams being interested in Primeau's older brother, he's off to a great start to the season at UNO
 
wonder if a team will take a flyer on Odeen Tufto who is on fire to start the season, leading the NCAA in points with just under a 2 pp but he's listed at 5'7.
 
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