On Campus: Frozen Four filled with NHL prospects

Forty-one players selected in the NHL Draft are sprinkled across the rosters of the four schools -- University of Denver, University of Michigan, Minnesota State University and University of Minnesota -- that will compete in the 2022 NCAA Frozen Four at TD Garden in Boston this week.

There were 23 drafted players in the 2021 Frozen Four.
Twenty-five of the 32 NHL teams will have at least one pick playing. The Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning lead with four players each.
Each of the three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award -- Bobby Brink (Denver), Dryden McKay (Minnesota State) and Ben Meyers (Minnesota) -- will participate. The award will be handed out Friday.
McKay and Meyers are two of several undrafted free agents who will use the tournament as a final audition for NHL scouts. An undrafted college player can sign with any NHL team once his NCAA season is finished.
The action starts Thursday with two No. 1 seeds, Michigan and Denver, at 5 p.m. ET, followed by No.1 seed Minnesota State and No. 2 seed Minnesota at 8:30 p.m. ET. The winners will face off for the national championship at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Here's a viewer's guide to the top NHL prospects from each Frozen Four team.

MICHIGAN (31-9-1)

With four of the first five selections from the 2021 NHL Draft, Michigan has been in the spotlight all season. They have 13 NHL prospects, including seven first chosen in the first round, on the roster.
Michigan's power play converts on 26.8 percent of its chances, second-best in the NCAA, and is led by forwards Brendan Brisson (Vegas Golden Knights) and Kent Johnson (Columbus Blue Jackets), among others.
The Big Ten playoff champions have won nine national titles, more than any other Division I men's hockey program. The last one was in Boston in 1998.

Players to watch

Owen Power
Power, a defenseman who played for Canada at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, was the No. 1 selection in the 2021 draft by the Buffalo Sabres. A stout defender and productive offensive player, he has scored 32 points (three goals, 29 assists) in 32 games.
Matty Beniers
The forward was selected after Power at No. 2 by the Seattle Kraken. He has scored 43 points (20 goals, 23 assists) in 36 games, including 10 power-play goals, and played for the United States in Beijing.
Erik Portillo
The goalie has started every game and has a 2.13 goals-against average and .926 save percentage. The sophomore was picked by the Sabres in the third round (No. 67) of the 2019 NHL Draft.

DENVER (29-9-1)

Offense is the name of Denver's game. With a dozen NHL draftees, they lead the NCAA with an average of 4.30 goals per game.
Denver has eight players with at least 30 points, and the highest-scoring senior class (147 points) and freshman class (135) in the Frozen Four.
The school has won two of its eight NCAA championships in Boston, in 1960 and 2004.

Players to watch

Bobby Brink
The junior forward leads the NCAA with 56 points (14 goals, 42 assists) in 39 games and was chosen by the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round (No. 34) in 2019.
Carter Savoie
The sophomore forward can shoot the puck like few others in college hockey. Denver coach David Carle calls him a "one-shot scorer."
He has scored 44 points (22 goals, 22 assists) in 37 games, including 11 power-play goals, and was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the fourth round (No. 100) of the 2020 NHL Draft.
Magnus Chrona
The junior goalie is 26-8-1 with a 2.16 GAA and .909 save percentage. He was chosen by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the fifth round (No. 152) in 2018 and was traded to the San Jose Sharks for defenseman Fredrik Claesson in April 2021.

MINNESOTA (26-12-0)

Making its first trip to the Frozen Four since 2014, Minnesota has 14 NHL draft picks and two first-round selections on its roster. Minnesota won one of its five NCAA titles in Boston in 1974, under coach Herb Brooks.

Players to watch

Ben Meyers
Widely regarded as the top college free agent this year, Meyers leads Minnesota with 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists) in 33 games. The junior forward played for the United States at the 2022 Olympics.
Jackson LaCombe
A junior defenseman, LaCombe is a puck mover and point producer. He has scored 30 points (three goals, 27 assists) in 38 games and his plus-25 leads Minnesota. He was picked in the second round (No. 39) in the 2019 draft by the Anaheim Ducks.
Justen Close
The junior goalie took over when Jack LaFontaine signed an NHL contract with the Carolina Hurricanes Jan. 9. and is 14-4-0 since. Close, who was not drafted, has a 1.83 GAA and .929 save percentage.

MINNESOTA STATE (37-5-0)

Great defense and goaltending are the keys to the success for Minnesota State, which lost to St. Cloud State on a last-minute goal in the national semifinal in 2021. They have two NHL draft picks, including defenseman Benton Maass, chosen by the Washington Capitals in sixth round (No. 182) of the 2017 NHL Draft.
Minnesota State's goals-against per game is 1.30, tied for best in the NCAA with Quinnipiac University. It allowed 18.9 shots per game, the lowest.

Players to watch

Dryden McKay
The senior goalie, never drafted by an NHL team, has had a remarkable career, going 112-19-4 and setting the NCAA record for shutouts (34). McKay went 37-4-0 with a 1.28 GAA and .934 save percentage. He is a Hobey Baker Award finalist for the second straight season.
Nathan Smith
The junior forward, who played for the United States at the 2022 Olympics, is second in the NCAA with 50 points (19 goals, 31 assists) in 36 games. He was chosen by the Winnipeg Jets in the third round (No. 91) in 2018 and was traded to the Arizona Coyotes on March 21 for a fourth-round draft pick in 2022.
Julian Napravnik
The senior forward, who plays on a line with Smith, is tied for third in the NCAA with 49 points (18 goals, 31 assists) in 38 games. A free agent, his plus-35 is tied for third.