NHL scouts have visited college rinks every weekend since the start of the NCAA season to look for undrafted players who can add depth to their prospect pool.
Signing college free agents is an important part of doing business for NHL teams in the salary cap era. They are inexpensive and can be acquired without trading a draft pick or other asset.
It's not unusual at this point of the season for general managers to accompany their scouts to games and narrow their list of targets. Nashville Predators GM Barry Trotz and Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney were at Meehan Auditorium in Providence to watch Quinnipiac play Brown on Feb. 23 to watch Quinnipiac forward Collin Graf and center Jacob Quillan. Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland visited Quinnipiac the weekend prior.
Undrafted players will be free to sign with NHL teams when college teams finish their seasons in March. Here are 10 free agents in the running to receive contract offers (in alphabetical order):
Cooper Black, Dartmouth
The 22-year-old sophomore goalie is 9-7-8 with a 2.65 goals-against average, .909 save percentage and two shutouts, one season after going 5-23-1 with a 3.07 GAA, .899 save percentage and three shutouts.
Black attended 2023 development camp with the Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers.
Karsen Dorwort, Michigan State
The 21-year-old sophomore center on Michigan State's top line has 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) in 32 games. He attended development camp with the Detroit Red Wings in 2023.
Riese Gaber, North Dakota
The 24-year-old has received a lot of attention from scouts in recent seasons. He was a standout at Bruins development camp in 2022 and attended Florida Panthers camp in 2023 but opted to return to school each year.
Now a senior, the skilled, competitive forward has 30 points (16 goals, 14 assists) in 32 games.
Collin Graf, Quinnipiac
In the eyes of many scouts, Graf is the best available college free agent and a strong candidate for the Hobey Baker Award given to the best men's player in the NCAA. The 21-year-old forward has 43 points (19 goals, 24 assists) in 27 games while averaging 1.59 points per game, fourth in the NCAA.
Graf missed four games with an injury earlier this seasonfor a 5-1 win against Brown on Nov. 10.
"He's a great defensive hockey player," Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold said. "We were just struggling when we didn't have him. As he goes, we go."
Graf attended Predators development camp after leading the 2023 national champions with 59 points (21 goals, 38 assists) in 41 games, third behind Adam Fantilli of Michigan (65) and Logan Cooley of Minnesota (60).
Justin Hryckowian, Northeastern
The 23-year-old junior is the center on Northeastern's top line and plays big minutes in all situations. The team captain set up Gunnarwolfe Fontaine's overtime goal to defeat Boston University 4-3 on Feb. 12 and win the 2024 Beanpot championship.
Hryckowian has 32 points (nine goals, 23 assists) in 27 games. He's a team-high plus-21 and has won 62.6 percent of his face-offs.
T.J. Hughes, Michigan
The 22-year-old sophomore forward has produced at just over a point-per-game pace since arriving at Michigan. Hughes has 39 points (15 goals, 24 assists) in 32 games this season after getting 36 points (13 goals, 23 assists) in 39 games as a freshman. He attended development camp with the Washington Capitals in 2023.
Luke Krys, Providence
The 23-year-old was captain at Brown last season before transferring to Providence as a graduate student. He is a sturdy all-around defenseman and leader who attended development camp with the New York Rangers in 2023.
Luke's father, Mark Krys, was chosen by the Boston Bruins in the eighth round (No. 165) of the 1988 NHL Draft. His brother, Chad Krys, was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round (No. 45) of the 2016.
Joey Larson, Michigan State
Larson transferred to Michigan State after playing at Northern Michigan as a freshman. The 22-year-old forward has 30 points (15 goals, 15 assists) in 32 games. He attended development camp with the Predators in 2023 and the Vegas Golden Knights in 2022.
Jacob Quillan, Quinnipiac
The 22-year-old junior forward has 38 points (13 goals, 25 assists) in 32 games. Quillan was named most outstanding player of the 2023 Frozen Four after his goal 10 seconds defeated Minnesota 3-2 in the championship game.
Pecknold sees Quillan as potential shutdown center in the mold of Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal.
"He'll be a great penalty killer, 200-foot player," Pecknold said. "A big thing for him is he brings it every game. Very detailed, does a lot of things well."
Quillan attended Bruins development camp but didn't skate because he was recovering after surgery.
Dylan Wendt, Western Michigan
The 23-year-old forward is having a breakout season as a junior with 37 points (21 goals, 16 assists) in 30 games. Six players in the NCAA have scored more goals, and two-thirds of Wendt's goals have come on the road.
