Nate Knoepke, 4 Gopher commits make NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list

NHL Central Scouting released its first look at players eligible for next June's NHL Draft. Five players with University of Minnesota ties made the cut.

All five are among 18 Minnesota natives to be named to the full list, which can be seen here.

Gopher freshman defenseman Nate Knoepke, in his second year of draft eligibility, was given a "C" grade by Central Scouting. Two Minnesota forward commits - Blake McLaughlin and Jaxon Nelson - were given "B" grades. Two others - Jack Jensen and Colin Schmidt - received "C" grades.

An "A" player is seen by NHL Central as a potential first round pick. "B" players would go in the second or third round while "C" players go later.

NHL Central Scouting exists as a hypothetical 32nd team and how that team would have its board if the 2018 NHL Draft was held today. Other teams likely have different players ranked higher or lower.

Additionally, things can and will change by the time June comes around, something Knoepke would know all too well. The Farmington, MN native went undrafted in his first year of eligibility despite being 79th among North American skaters in Central Scouting's final rankings this past April. Sammy Walker, meanwhile, fell off the rankings yet was drafted by an NHL team. Other players, such as Rem Pitlick (not named to the watch list and eventually drafted in the third round) end up working their way on to future lists.

No Minnesotans were named "A" players. Of the players with "A" rankings, five have college ties, including current Michigan freshman defenseman Quinn Hughes and Boston University freshman forward Brady Tkachuk.

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BLOG: All-American Prospects Game Thursday for four Minnesota commits

While I mentioned this last month when the players were announced, it makes sense with the game date quickly approaching tomorrow (September 21, 2017) to bring this up again.

The sixth annual All-American Prospects Game in Buffalo features
four Minnesota verbal commits among the 42 American 2018 NHL Draft-eligible players participating. Forwards Jack Jensen (Eden Prairie, MN), Blake McLaughlin (Grand Rapids MN), Jaxon Nelson (Magnolia, MN/Sioux Falls - USHL) and Colin Schmidt (Maple Griove, MN/Wayzata HS) will get a chance to showcase their skills in front of NHL scouts and try to follow in 2016 AAPG MVP Casey Mittelstadt's footsteps.

The two teams are coached by Hall of Famers Chris Chelios and Brian Leetch. Jensen is with Chelios while the other three are on Team Leetch.

Unfortuantely, the game is not televised by NHL Network like it has in past years and can only be seen on MyHockeyTV.com http://www.allamericanprospectsgame.com/.

Puck drop is at 6 pm CT.

Four Gopher Commits Named To Next Month's All-American Prospects Game

For a third consecutive year, the All-American Prospects Game features at least four players committed to the University of Minnesota.

Jack Jensen (Eden Prairie, MN), Blake McLaughlin (Grand Rapids MN), Jaxon Nelson (Magnolia, MN/Sioux Falls - USHL) and Colin Schmidt (Maple Griove, MN/Wayzata HS) are among the 42 named last week to next month's game in Buffalo. All four are forwards.

Jensen and McLaughlin earlier this month were members of Team USA's Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup team, finishing fifth.

The All-American Prospects Game serves as a showcase for the top Americans eligible to be drafted by NHL teams the following June. It is an opportunity for scouts to watch players normally spread across several leagues all in one place. This year's sixth annual event features players born late in 1999 and 2000.