On Campus: Top NHL prospects among NCAA freshman defensemen

College hockey is an important development step for many up-and-coming NHL defensemen, now more than ever.

Reigning Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox (Harvard) of the New York Rangers, 2020 Calder Trophy winner Cale Makar (University of Massachusetts) of the Colorado Avalanche, and Charlie McAvoy (Boston University) of the Boston Bruins are among the high-profile players who established their credentials in college before becoming some of the best defensemen in the NHL.
On the rise is the Rangers' K'Andre Miller (University of Wisconsin), who
scored a brilliant goal on an end-to-end rush
Monday in a 4-3 win against the Florida Panthers.
Owen Power
(University of Michigan), selected No. 1 by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2021 NHL Draft, is excelling in his second NCAA season and could join the Sabres for 2022-23.
The next wave of college defensemen with bright futures and NHL aspirations is a step or two away.
Here are five freshman defensemen to watch this season (listed alphabetically):
Corson Ceulemans, University of Wisconsin
Ceulemans, selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets with the No. 25 pick of the 2021 NHL Draft, has scored five points (one goal, four assists) in 10 games.
An offensive-minded defenseman, Ceulemans (6-foot-2, 198 pounds) scored 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in eight games last season for Brooks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, the same team Makar played for before entering college.
The 18-year-old was injured on a hit by the University of Minnesota's Matt Staudacher on Saturday. Staudacher received a major penalty for contact to the head and a game misconduct, and was suspended for one game. Wisconsin coach Tony Granato told the Wisconsin State Journal he wasn't sure how much time, if any, Ceulemans would be out.
Luke Hughes, University of Michigan
Hughes (6-2, 184), chosen by the New Jersey Devils with the No. 4 pick in the 2021 draft, has scored 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 10 games.
The 18-year-old is tied for fifth in scoring among NCAA defensemen and his plus-13 is second, behind Michigan teammate
Jacob Truscott
(Vancouver Canucks) at plus-14.
Last season Hughes scored 34 points (six goals, 28 assists) in 38 games with USA Hockey's National Team Development Program Under-18 team.
Mason Lohrei, Ohio State
Lohrei (6-4, 195) has a combination of length and offensive acumen that NHL teams covet in a defenseman.
After being passed over in the 2019 NHL Draft, he was chosen by the Boston Bruins in the second round (No. 58) of the 2020 NHL Draft.
The 20-year-old has scored seven points (two goals, five assists) in eight games this season, including a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win against Penn State on Nov. 6.
Playing last season with Green Bay of the United States Hockey League, he was named the league's best defenseman and a First-Team All-Star after he led the league's defensemen with 59 points (19 goals, 40 assists) in 48 games.
Scott Morrow, University of Massachusetts
Morrow (6-2, 195), selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round (No. 40) of the 2021 draft, has scored eight points (three goals, five assists) in eight games. He has a three-game goal streak, including two game-winning goals.
"He needed four games to get a feel for the pace and how he can use his abilities," Massachusetts coach Greg Carvel said. "He's very confident in his abilities. Scotty really sees the game well and he trusts his abilities and he can execute. To have all three of those makes him a very dangerous offensive player."
Last season the 19-year-old led Shattuck St. Mary's with 48 points (eight goals, 40 assists) in 30 games.
Guillaume Richard, Providence College
Richard (6-2, 170), a fourth-round pick (No. 101) by the Blue Jackets in the 2021 draft, has scored five points (one goal, four assists) in 11 games.
"He's got great poise, both with the puck, without the puck," Providence coach Nate Leaman said. "I don't think he gets rattled at all."
The 18-year-old scored 16 points (two goals, 14 assists) in 46 games with Tri-City of the USHL last season. He also had a team-best plus-14 rating in helping Canada win the 2021 IIHF Under-18 World Championship.
Photo courtesy of University of Michigan