David Cotton of Cushing Academy ranks No. 75 overall in the NHL's midseason rating of 2015 draft-eligible players.
Photo by David Arnold
A variety of players from New England Prep School Athletic Council schools stood out prominently when the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau released its midterm ranking of 2015 draft candidates from North America.
Leading the way among current NEPSAC performers was
Cushing Academy center and Boston College commit
David Cotton, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound junior from Allen, Tex., who was ranked No. 75 overall by Central Scouting. Right behind Cotton at No. 81 was
Kimball Union's Jake Massie, a 6-2, 170-pound defenseman from St. Lazare, Quebec.
Also gaining a spot in the Top 100 for the 2015 draft was
Westminster winger
Taggart Corriveau (No. 86), from Newington, Conn.
Westminster also placed another of its 2014-15 players in the NHL ratings with centerman
Johnny McDermott of Darien, Conn., checking in at 109. Defenseman
Liam Darcy of
Berwick Academy; defenseman
McKay Flanagan of the
Gunnery; left wing
Luke Stevens of
Noble & Greenough, and winger
William Somers of
Hotchkiss also made the cut.
McKay Flanagan, Gunnery
Photo by Jim Stout
By far the highest-rated 2015 draft-eligible player with NEPSAC ties is Boston College freshman Noah Hanifin, the former
St. Sebastian's standout. Hanifin is expected to be the first defenseman drafted in the opening round; he carries a No. 3 overall midterm ranking.
Colin White of the U.S. U-18 National Development Program (
Noble & Greenough) and
A.J. Greer of Boston University (Kimball Union) are two other players ranked by NHL Central Scouting who performed previously for NEPSAC teams.
The only MIAA-member school placing a ranked player was Boston College High. Defenseman
Ryan Shea was rated 172 overall.
Among the NEPSAC goalies prominently ranked from North America are
Mike Robinson of Lawrence Academy;
Trevin Kozlowski of the Gunnery;
Joel Daccord of Cushing; and
Conor O'Brien of Northfield Mount Hermon.
The 2015 NHL draft will be held June 26-27 at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla., home of the Florida Panthers.
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Jim Stout is the CBS MaxPreps Media Manager for the Eastern
U.S. He may be reached at jim.stout@cbsi.com or @MaxPrepsPR
