NHL teams look far and wide when it comes to finding the next best thing in hockey. Scouts and management are looking at all different levels and leagues for players they can get their hands on to shape into the next hockey superstar. A lot of big names have come from leagues like the CHL, such as Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Leon Draisaitl, and so on. However there is one league in particular that is often overlooked.
The USHL has produced hundreds of NHL players as a league and is bound to turn out hundreds more. The 16-team junior league has produced top notch talent such as Jack Hughes, Jeremy Swayman, Adam Fox, Kyle Connor, and many more. While the league as a collective has done a great job, we wanted to know specifically which program has created the most NHL level talent over the last 20 years.
I collected data from the 2004 draft class up until the 2024 draft class, a clear 20-year, 21 draft class period, to give us a solid idea of which team has had the most success in getting their players drafted. Here are some of the results:
A total of 531 players have been drafted straight from the USHL to the NHL in this time frame, with 74 of these picks being first round selections. The wealth of picks has been pretty spread out over the years for 15 of the 16 teams in the league, with the exception of the Madison Capitols who have only been in the league since 2014.
With the amount of picks ranging from six (Capitols) to 33 (Chicago Steel), the league is highly competitive. However there is a certain program that plays their games in the league whose numbers are far and above the rest.
The USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP) has had 183 players picked in the NHL draft from 2004-2024; 48 of these being first round picks.
Another consideration to keep in mind the program when it comes to the numbers is the fact that the NTDP feeds players to NCAA programs and other teams around the world. This number could be bigger if you count all the players who have attended the program but have been drafted out of other teams.
An example of this would be Auston Matthews, who played three seasons with the NTDP before playing his draft eligible season in Switzerland and being drafted from there.
Regardless, this number stands out among the others of the USHL. How does the NTDP produce players like Jack Hughes, Cole Caufield, Dylan Larkin, Adam Fox, Trevor Zegras, and so many more year after year?
Pete Krupsky has been a broadcaster, researcher, and historian for the NTDP going on 10 years now. He has seen the ins and outs of how the NTDP creates NHL level talent at an alarming rate and it is obvious he is proud to be a member of the organization.
Krupsky explained the process that players must go through in order to earn a spot with the program and how to maintain it. It starts with an invitation-only tryout with about 45 to 50 of the top players in their age group. Eventually, they cut it down to the top 23 to complete the team. “They have to earn their spots on the roster,” Krupsky said.
Players who were once the best in their hometown are now a part of the process and a part of a new team, he explained. Krupsky also emphasized all the different aspects the program offers that players must work through to train and improve such as on-ice practice, physical training, and off-ice education. “The off-ice training is second to none,” Krupsky said.
He also explained why the NTDP came to be. USA Hockey felt as though they were falling behind in international play and wanted to restore their power on the ice. Through their rigorous training and competitive play, they are quickly ramping up their skill and it is showing. “Most players embrace the grind,” Krupsky said. “You see constant improvement.”
The U17 and U18 teams matchup against high quality talent each year. Whether it be teams from the NCAA or USHL, they are constantly being tested. Even the on-ice practices bring out the best in the players according to Krupsky. “Sometimes our practice sessions are just as boisterous as the games.”
Krupsky is adamant that although not all players that come through the program and even get drafted are stars, they have all made it this far and they all have value by the time they complete the program. “They are well-rounded players both on and off the ice.”
The NTDP certainly has a leg up on the rest of its USHL competition in terms of draft picks, which is something to keep an eye on for the coming years. As Krupsky said, “It all starts here.”
All data was collected from: https://records.nhl.com/draft/draft-picks?year=2024
by Jackson Scherger
Jackson Scherger is a journalism student at MacEwan University in Edmonton. Originally from Macklin, Sask., Jackson looks to continue to gain experience in sports journalism as he pursues a career in this field.