2015 NHL Draft: NEPSAC, high school players abound

Video: Footage of Andong Song, the Islanders' sixth-round pick, during his senior season at Lawrenceville.

Goalie Mike Robinson of Lawrence Academy (Groton, Mass.) was one of the first players with high school hockey ties selected this weekend in the 2015 NHL entry draft at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla.

Robinson, who completed his junior season at NEPSAC member Lawrence last winter, went in the third round (86th overall) to the San Jose Sharks on Saturday, when rounds two through seven were conducted. The first round was held Friday Night.

Erik Foley, who played as a sophomore in 2013-14 at Tabor Academy (Marion, Mass.), was also picked in the third round, by the Winnipeg Jets. Foley skated on the wing last season at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, of the United States Hockey League; he is committed to defending NCAA Division I champion Providence College.

Defenseman Will Borgen of Moorhead (Minn.) entered the NHL process with the first pick of fourth round (92nd overall), when he was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres.

The first player drafted from the East who played regularly in a public school state association in 2014-15 was defenseman Ryan Shea of Boston College High, a MIAA member. Shea was chosen by the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks with the final pick of the fourth round (121st overall). BC High reached the MIAA Super 8 tournament in 2014-15.

Luke Stevens of Noble & Greenough (Dedham, Mass.) followed Shea as the Carolina Panthers chose the 6-foot-4, 205-pound Yale-bound winger in the fifth round. Stevens is the son of former NHL forward Kevin Stevens, who at one point in his career played with Carolina general manager Ron Francis. Karch Bachman of Culver Academy (Ind.) also went in the fifth round, as did ex Thayer Academy center Adam Gaudette (Cedar Rapids, USHL, Vancouver).



In Friday night's first round, former Noble & Greenough (Dedham, Mass.) standout and Boston College commit Colin White of the United States National Development Team was selected 21st overall by the Ottawa Senators. Noah Hanifin, who began his career at St. Sebastian's (Needham, Mass.) and is already at Boston College, went No. 5 overall to Carolina; Hanafin was the first defenseman drafted.

Boston University's A.J. Greer, who helped lead Kimball Union (Meriden, N.H.) to a NEPSAC championship in 2014, was chosen early on Saturday in the second round, going to Colorado with the 39th overall pick.

Kimball Union then had one of its current players drafted in the sixth round, when the name of defenseman Jake Massie was called by Carolina. Massie is a UMass recruit.

Later in the sixth round, 6-foot-2, 210-pound forward David Cotton of Cushing Academy (Ashburnham, Mass.) also became a member of the Hurricanes organization. Cotton is from Allen, Texas, home of defending national high school football champion Allen High. Adam Parsells of Wausau (Wisc.) High was taken by San Jose in the sixth round (see Adam Parsells high school videos here.)

Kimball had a second current player drafted in the final round - the seventh - center Patrick Shea, who went to the host Florida Panthers. Cushing also had a second player taken following the selection of Cotton, goaltender Joel Daccord. Ottawa drafted Daccord and Minnesota look a local state favorite in defenseman Jack Sadek of Lakeville North (Minn.). The Boston Bruins dipped into the Minnesota state high school talent pool as well with the selection of Mahtomedi's Jack Becker.

The New York Islanders, meanwhile, made a different kind of draft history on Saturday with the selection of the first-ever Chinese-born player, defenseman Andong "Misha" Song, with the 172nd overall pick (6th round). Song played at Lawrenceville (N.J.) last season as a senior, and will attend Phillips Academy (Andover, Mass.) as a post-grad student in 2015-16.

Jordan Greenway, a member of the USNDT and former Shattuck-St. Mary's (Minn.) program player, went to the Minnesota Wild as the 50th overall pick. Greenway, a Boston University pledge, is originally from Canton, N.Y.



Looking ahead: Among the high school players expected to be scrutinized for the 2016 draft are LW Michael O'Leary of Salisbury (Conn.); LW Jamie Armstrong of Avon Old Farms (Conn.), and C Matt Filipe of Malden Catholic (Mass.).

Jim Stout is the CBS MaxPreps Media Manager for the Eastern U.S. He may be reached at jim.stout@cbsi.com or @MaxPrepsPR

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