2018 USHL Draft an indication NY/NJ developing more top junior prospects

As hockey continues to grow in New York and New Jersey, more and more players from the region will be moving on to the United States Hockey League and eventually playing college hockey.

Phase I and Phase II of the 2018 USHL draft was another validation of just how far hockey has come in this region, especially New Jersey and Long Island.

Phase I is the portion of the draft where league teams can select 2002-born prospects. Teams are allowed up to two tenders, but for each tender, a first or second pick is lost. In Phase II, teams select prospects born between 1998 and 2001.

Eamon Powell (Marcellus, N.Y.) and Luke Tuch (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) were off the board, as both have signed agreements to play for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program next season. Powell, a mobile, puck-moving defenseman, is committed to Boston College.