Top NHL prospects seek NCAA berths in conference tournaments

Six automatic bids to the 16-team NCAA Division I Hockey Tournament, which starts March 24, will be on the line when semifinal and championship games in the six conference tournaments are played this weekend.

Here's a guide to some of the drafted and undrafted NHL prospects who will be in action.

Atlantic Hockey Conference

American International (20-12-3) will play Mercyhurst (16-18-4) and the Rochester Institute of Technology (18-15-4) will play Air Force (15-16-3) in Utica, New York, in the semifinals Friday.
NHL draft picks are rare in Atlantic Hockey. The only one in the conference this season is AIC goalie Jake Kucharski, selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the seventh round (No. 197) in the 2018 NHL Draft.
The conference's best freshman in the regular season was forward Carter Wilkie of RIT. Undrafted, he was tied for third in the conference in scoring with 28 points (13 goals, 15 assists) in 37 games.

Big Ten

A dazzling array of top NHL prospects will be on the ice when Michigan (28-9-1) plays at Minnesota (24-11-0) in the championship game Saturday.
Michigan has 12 NHL draft picks, including seven first-round selections. Minnesota has 14 draft picks, with two from the first round.
Leading the way for Michigan are three of the top four selections in the 2021 NHL Draft. Defenseman Owen Power was selected by the Buffalo Sabres with the No. 1 pick. Center Matty Beniers was selected No. 2 by the Seattle Kraken. Defenseman Luke Hughes was chosen No. 4 by the New Jersey Devils.
Minnesota is led by forward Ben Meyers, considered by many to be the best available college free agent. Meyers, who played for the United States in the Beijing Olympics, has scored 36 points (16 goals, 20 assists) in 30 games.

Central Collegiate Hockey Association

Bemidji State (19-19-0) plays at Minnesota State (34-5-0) in the championship game Saturday.
Minnesota State has two of the top players in the country, goalie Dryden McKay and center Nathan Smith.
McKay has a .933 save percentage, a 1.28 goals-against average and a 34-4 record and holds the NCAA career record for shutouts with 33. He is a free agent.
Smith, a U.S. Olympian, is tied for second in the country in points with 48 (18 goals, 30 assists) in 33 games. The Winnipeg Jets selected him in the third round (No. 91) of the 2018 draft.

Eastern College Athletic Conference

Quinnipiac (30-5-3) will play Colgate (18-17-4) and Harvard (19-10-3) will play Clarkson (21-9-6) in the semifinals in Lake Placid, New York, on Friday.
Quinnipiac has received outstanding goaltending from freshman Yaniv Perets, who has a 20-4-2 record, 11 shutouts, a Division I-leading 0.89 goals-against average and a .953 save percentage. Perets is undrafted.
Harvard has 11 NHL draft picks. Defenseman Henry Thrun, who played for the United States in Beijing, is the top scorer with 31 points (seven goals, 24 assists) in 32 games. He was selected in the fourth round (No. 101) by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2019 NHL Draft.
Clarkson's Alex Campbell is one of the most skilled forwards in the ECAC, scoring 31 points (14 goals, 17 assists) in 36 games. He was selected by the Nashville Predators in the third round (No. 65) in the 2019 draft.

Hockey East

Connecticut (19-15-0) will play Northeastern (25-11-1) and Massachusetts (20-12-2), the defending national champion, will play UMass Lowell (21-9-3) in the semifinals at TD Garden in Boston on Friday. The championship is Saturday.
UMass is led by senior forward Bobby Trivigno, who is expected to have his pick of NHL free agent offers once his season is finished.
Trivigno was named Hockey East Player of the Year on Tuesday. He is fifth in the country with 45 points (18 goals, 27 assists) in 34 games.
Dynamic offensive defenseman Scott Morrow is another UMass player to watch. He was named to the Hockey East First All-Star Team and All-Rookie Team. Morrow has scored 32 points (13 goals, 19 assists) in 34 games. He was drafted by the Hurricanes in the second round (No. 40) at the 2021 draft.
For Northeastern, Devon Levi has had one of the most dominating seasons by a goalie since Ryan Miller of Michigan State won the Hobey Baker Award in 2001.
Levi has a .954 save percentage, which is first in the country, a 1.47 GAA, 10 shutouts and a 21-8-1 record.
He was selected by the Florida Panthers in the seventh round (No. 212) in the 2020 NHL Draft. His was traded to the Sabres with a first-round pick in exchange for Sam Reinhart on July 24, 2021.

National Collegiate Hockey Conference

Denver (27-8-1) will play Minnesota Duluth (19-15-4) and North Dakota (24-12-1) will play Western Michigan (24-10-1) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday. The winners meet for the championship Saturday.
Denver features the nation's leading scorer in forward Bobby Brink, who has scored 55 points (14 goals, 41 assists) and figures to be a serious contender for the Hobey Baker Award.
Brink was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round (No. 34) in the 2019 draft.
Sophomore winger Riese Gaber leads North Dakota in scoring with 36 points (15 goals, 21 assists. He is a free agent.
In his fifth season at WMU, forward Ethan Frank has had a breakout year. Undrafted, Frank has scored 26 goals, which leads the country, and 38 points in 34 games.