2017 USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game Roster Unveiled – Buffalo’s KeyBank Center to Host 42 U.S. Players Eligible For 2018 NHL Draft

USA Hockey has announced the 42 players who will compete in the sixth annual CCM/USAHockey All-American Prospects Game set for Sept. 21 at KeyBank Center, home of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres and site of the 2018 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship.

“This event allows some of the best U.S. players eligible for next year’s NHL Draft the chance to showcase their talent on a national stage,” said Jim Johannson, USA Hockey’s assistant executive director of hockey operations. “With input from NHL Central Scouting, this game will feature future stars of the NHL, as over 120 alumni of the event have already been selected, including Buffalo’s recent first-round selections in Jack Eichel and Casey Mittelstadt. Fans may also get a chance to see some players who could very well be back here in Buffalo representing the U.S. in the World Juniors this December.”

Each year the CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game assembles the top U.S. players who are eligible for the upcoming NHL Draft. Following last year’s game, 24 players that participated in the contest went on to be chosen in the 2017 NHL Draft, including Casey Mittelstadt, the most valuable player in last year’s CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game who was the first American chosen when the Buffalo Sabres selected him eighth overall.

Among the 42 skaters are 17 players who have represented the United States internationally. Last April, defenseman Quinn Hughes (Orlando, Fla.) and forwards Joel Farabee (Cicero, N.Y.), Brady Tkachuk (St. Louis, Mo.), and Oliver Wahlstrom (Quincy, Mass.) helped the U.S. Men’s National Under-18 Team capture the gold medal at the 2017 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 Men’s World Championship in Poprad and Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia.

In addition, 13 players skated on the U.S. Under-18 Men’s Select Team at the 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup in Breclav, Czech Republic, and Bratislava, Slovakia, last August, including goaltender Ben Kraws (Cranbury, N.J.); defensemen Slava Demin (Cypress, Calif.), Christian Krygier (Novi, Mich.), Cole Krygier (Novi, Mich.) and Adam Samuelsson (Carlsbad, Calif.); and forwards Jack Drury (Winnetka, Ill.), Gavin Hain (Grand Rapids, Minn.), Curtis Hall (Chagrin Falls, Ohio), Jack Jensen (Eden Prairie, Minn.) Philippe Lapointe (Burr Ridge, Ill.), Blake McLaughlin (Grand Rapids, Minn.), Jack Randl (Carpentersville, Ill.) and Ryan Savage (Troy, Mich.).