Minnesota high school hockey well represented in the upcoming NHL Draft
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Dreams will come true for some Minnesotans when they hear their name called in the NHL Draft next week in Nashville.
The league released its rankings of draft-eligible prospects. Every Minnesotan in the top 100 is below.
Right now, Minnesota boasts more players in the NHL than any other state.
The draft should represent the state of hockey well again this year.
Per the NHL's pre-draft rankings, four Minnesota-born players are in the top 50, and seven are in the top 100.
Top 50
Oliver Moore is ranked the highest at eighth. Moore is a center from Mounds View. He did not play high school hockey. Instead, he spent the last two years with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. He will play for the University of Minnesota this upcoming winter.
He had 74 points in 60 games last year.
There is a solid chance that Moore will get picked in the top 10. If that comes to fruition, he will become the 10th-ever Minnesotan picked in the top 10.
Danny Nelson is ranked 22nd. He is a center from Maple Grove. Nelson played on the same team as Moore for the USNTDP. Nelson had 46 points in 61 games last season. The year prior, he played for Maple Grove High School.
Charlie Stramel is ranked 30th. He is from St. Paul and played at the University of Wisconsin last year. He had 12 points in 33 games played for the Badgers. Stramel played in the Rosemount youth hockey association.
William Whitelaw - ranked 42nd - is the last Minnesota-born player inside the top 50. Whitelaw played his 2021 - 2022 season at prep school Shattuck St. Mary's, where Sydney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, and Zach Parise once did. Last year, he played for Youngstown in the United States Hockey League. There's a chance Whitelaw sneaks into the first round.
Top 100
53: Tanner Ludtke is a center from Lakeville. He played for Lakeville South in high school and spent time in the USHL.
55: Jayson Shaugabay is a right wing from Warroad. He played high school hockey with Warroad and led his team to the Class A state championship game this season. Shaugabay won the Mr. Hockey award this year. Notably, he broke NHL star T.J. Oshie's program record for total points.
67: Beckett Hendrickson is a center from Minnetonka. He played with the USNTDP.
87: Jake Fisher is a center from Woodbury and played high school with Cretin-Derham Hall. He had 63 points in 29 games this season and was a Mr. Hockey finalist.
92: Austin Burnevik is from Ham Lake. He played two seasons for Totino Grace High School before joining the USNTDP.
97: Luke Mittelstadt is from Eden Prairie. Mittlestadt is a Defenseman and played for the University of Minnesota this past season. His older brother, Casey, was picked eighth in the 2017 draft.
The NHL Draft will air on ESPN and NHL Network on June 28 and 29.
