Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | Undrafted USHL Alumni in the NHL

Undrafted USHL Alumni in the NHL

There will be hundreds of elite level 18-year-olds around the world waiting to hear their names called next week at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft – among them a number of the United States Hockey League's finest. But as living proof of the strength of the USHL and its commitment to the U.S. development system, an extraordinary number of USHL alumni who didn't get that call have still recently realized their NHL dreams.

Following the 2009-10 NCAA hockey season, an unprecedented 17 undrafted USHL alumni playing Division I hockey signed free-agent contracts with NHL teams – all of them having benefited from the USHL-to-NCAA development pathway, and all of them now professional caliber players.

Their stories are compelling. A case in point: Casey Wellman, who four years ago was an undrafted 18-year-old from Brentwood, California who signed to play for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. After a solid rookie USHL season in 2006-07 with 19 points (6g, 13a) in 50 games, he had a breakout second season in 2007-08 with 45 points (22g, 23a) in 59 games.

His inspired play earned Wellman a scholarship to the University of Massachusetts, and after two successful seasons at the school, the NHL came calling. The Minnesota Wild inked him to an entry-level contract on March 16th, and he immediately joined the club. In a span of almost exactly two years, the former RoughRider and Minuteman went from scoring his last goal in the USHL (a playoff tally versus the Waterloo Black Hawks), to scoring his first goal in the NHL, a third-period tally in the Wild's season finale.

"Examples like this prove that there are many paths and ways that a player can make it to pro hockey today that weren't there years ago," said Jack Barzee of NHL Central Scouting. "You have to look at the bridge that the USHL has not only been to get to college, but to the pros."

Barzee, who was an integral part of the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the early years of the USHL, has watched not only the League but all of hockey evolve since joining NHL Central Scouting in 1985.

"The system that is in place now is different as there are fewer rounds in the NHL Entry Draft – seven as opposed to ten a few years ago – and the collective bargaining agreement has played a major role in the way that NHL teams fill their rosters," said Barzee. As a result, Barzee points out, it is far from being a "life sentence" for a player to go undrafted.

In fact, all NHL clubs now regularly scout NCAA Division I hockey to keep tabs on the best available free agents. And 17 of the best this year were USHL alumni, whose value to the NHL increased as they developed on the college stage.

So how did 30 NHL teams "miss" on a player like Wellman four years ago? Barzee notes that the NHL is the only professional league that conducts a draft made up of predominately 18-year-olds and it is hard to project if and when those players will be ready for the top level of the sport.

"As scouts, we don't know what is inside a player at times," said Barzee. "How much does he want it and how hard he is going to work? Also, we don't always know what each NHL team is looking for. I look at many of these players getting signed to free-agent contracts now and I am trying to even remember them during their draft years."

Cedar Rapids RoughRiders Head Coach and General Manager Mark Carlson had a first-hand account of players like Wellman, Ray Kaunisto (Los Angeles Kings), Hunter Bishop (Montreal Canadiens), and Rob Bordson (Anaheim Ducks), all of whom came into their own in the USHL, followed the college pathway, and got to the end of the hockey player's rainbow – an NHL contract.
"Our league is as good of a developmental league as anywhere in the world," said Carlson. "These recent signings are examples of that and it is exciting."

Carlson is also proud of the commitment to education USHL alums make; many earn their degrees prior to being signed, and those that leave the college scene early for the NHL still focus on completing their educations. Of the 17 players signed, 14 have completed at least three years of schooling.

"All of our players across the League have aspirations of playing in the NHL. To see them make it is very gratifying," said Carlson. "To know they have their education to fall back on makes you feel even better. It's a part of what our league is all about and it's tough to beat that."

"The USHL is giving these kids an opportunity to grow, mature, and get into college, which in turn has given them even more time to hone their skills," said Barzee. "The League has been a great springboard for players to move on in hockey and get this opportunity."

As 17 USHL alumni will now confirm about the NHL – you can get there from here.
Undrafted USHL alumni that have signed free-agent NHL contracts since the conclusion of the 2009-10 season:
NHL team College USHL team

Sean Backman Dallas Stars Yale University Green Bay Gamblers

Hunter Bishop Montreal Canadiens Ohio State Cedar Rapids RoughRiders

Brandon Bollig Chicago Blackhawks St. Lawrence Lincoln Stars

Rob Bordson Anaheim Ducks Minnesota-Duluth Cedar Rapids RoughRiders

Zach Cohen Colorado Avalanche Boston University Tri-City Storm

Ben Holmstrom Philadelphia Flyers UMass-Lowell Sioux Falls Stampede

Steven Kampfer Boston Bruins Michigan Sioux City Musketeers

Ray Kaunisto Los Angeles Kings Northern Michigan Cedar Rapids RoughRiders

James Marcou San Jose Sharks Massachusetts Waterloo Black Hawks

Jake Newton Anaheim Ducks Northeastern Lincoln Stars

Jarod Palmer Minnesota Wild Miami University Tri-City Storm

Jeff Petry Edmonton Oilers Michigan State Des Moines Buccaneers