7 NCAA Players To Watch In The 2020 NHL Draft

7 NCAA Players To Watch In The 2020 NHL Draft

Seven NCAA studs you need to know before the upcoming NHL draft.

Sep 24, 2020 by Jacob Messing
7 NCAA Players To Watch In The 2020 NHL Draft

The NCAA has proven to be an expanding developmental league for the NHL, and several promising freshman seasons have led to a handful of players looking forward to hearing their name called in the 2020 NHL Draft.

With the uncertainty of the sports world due to the ongoing pandemic, these players are hoping that once their school deems it safe to return to the ice, they’ll be doing so as NHL prospects skating their way through the farm system with the hopes of professional hockey on the other side.

Several other highly ranked draftees will be freshmen in the 2020-21 NCAA season, including, but not limited to, Jake Sanderson, Brendan Brisson, and Ty Smilanic.

1. Dylan Holloway

Wisconsin | So.

POS | 35 GP, 8 G, 9 A, 17 pts.

Holloway entered Wisconsin after finishing second in scoring in the AJHL in 2018-19, showing promise for a pro future. He finished last season with nine points (5 G, 4 A) over his final 10 games with the Badgers as he gained confidence and flattened the learning curve that often comes with the jump to the NCAA.

With confidence, coupled with an NHL-sized 6-foot-1, 203-pound frame, Holloway is primed for a breakout season in his sophomore year with the Badgers as he fills the role left open by Alex Turcotte’s departure (once the Big Ten postponement ends).

Holloway is ranked in the top 20 among major draft ranking profiles.

2. Yan Kuznetsov

UConn | So.

D | 34 GP, 2 G, 9 A, 11 pts.

A sizable Russian, Kuznetsov turned heads as a freshman with the Huskies with and is a solid bet to be the team’s No. 1 in 2019-20. He’ll earn responsibility in every scenario and be tasked with scoring and defending against top opponents.



It’s a big task for an 18-year-old, but he spent the bulk of last season as a 17-year-old and didn’t look out of place. His defensive acumen, coupled with offensive potential, could see him be a top 10 defenseman in the draft.

Kuznetsov is ranked by all major draft ranking profiles, averaged as a third-round pick.

3. Zach Uens

Merrimack | So.

D | 34 GP, 4 G, 14 A, 18 pts.

Uens played top pair minutes as a freshman with a Merrimack team that struggled largely due to the massive freshman class of 15 players, which includes three goalies.

A little bit of experience and some physical maturation should help the team build on its 9-22-3 season. Uens will play a big part in that build as a solid two-way defender ready to take the next step.

While other defensemen will certainly go off the board first, Uens is a strong bet to hear his name called on the second day of the draft and return to the NCAA with confidence, a future organization, and some notes from his drafting team to bring into 2020-21.

Uens is ranked in three major draft ranking profiles, ranging from No. 82 to No. 182.

4. Parker Ford

Providence | So.

C | 31 GP, 9 G, 13 A, 22 pts.

Undersized at 5-foot-9 and already 20 years old, there are a few considerations that some scouts may not like when it comes to Ford. But a 22-point freshman season and an already-good defensive game are enough to warrant some consideration among the 217 players in his draft class.

While the number of smaller players has seemed to be growing during a shift to speed-based games in the NHL, Ford will need to have a strong sophomore season with the Friars to earn a chance to join the minority of diminutive forwards in the NHL. 

Ford is ranked by three major draft ranking profiles, ranging from No. 96 to No. 210. 

5. Jeremie Bucheler

Northeastern | So.

D | GP, G, A, 5 pts.

Bucheler finished fifth in defensive scoring during the 2018-19 BCHL season with 45 points (8 G, 37 A) in 54 games. But a change in responsibility with the Huskies saw his point totals drop as a freshman in the NCAA.

While he’s pegged as a draft consideration by just one ranking profile (a seventh-round pick), teams looking at his mix of size at 6-foot-4 and previous offensive inclination know there is real upside should they give him a chance as a late pick.

Bucheler is ranked No. 191 by Future Considerations.

6. Michael Gildon

Ohio State | So.

LW | 8 GP, 1 G, 2 A, 3 pts.

Gildon didn’t have much opportunity to develop with the Buckeyes as a freshman, playing just eight games with the team last season. But he is just 19 years old and has some size at 6-foot-2 that he isn’t afraid to use to play the wall and drive the net. It earned him an invite to the US World Junior Showcase among some big prospect names.



With three of the team’s top four scorers on their way out, Gildon will get the chance to earn a bigger role in 2020-21 and gain some confidence to earn some interest as a free agent as he’ll likely find himself passed over in the draft. 

Gildon is unranked in all major draft ranking profiles.

7. Ryan Siedem

Harvard | So.

D | 31 GP, 3 G, 5 A, 8 pts.

Siedem was a depth defenseman behind fellow draftees Reilly Walsh, Jack Rathbone, and Henry Thrun as on the Crimson in 2019-20. With Walsh and Rathbone signing NHL deals over the summer, Siedem is now in for a bigger role and more development time in 2020-21.

While the draft is set to take place before he shows what he did with such an opportunity, there is a chance a team takes a flier on the 19-year-old for his decent size at 6-foot-2 and upcoming increased role with a good Crimson program.

Siedem is unranked in all major draft ranking profiles.


Have a question or a comment for Jacob Messing? You can find him on Twitter @Jacob_Messing.