College hockey has never been hotter than it is right now. This wave of interest was already on the rise prior to recent rule changes, with more and more hockey players opting to go the college route than ever before. However, it’s not just proving to be a great option for American-born players — now CHL players can make the migration after playing junior hockey, making it a great developmental option for prospects who are too good for the CHL, but maybe not quite ready for the AHL yet.
Just look at some of the numbers from last June’s NHL Draft:
Per College Hockey Inc. stats, there have been “record-setting numbers in recent drafts and a clear upward trend in NCAA representation.”
For example, at the 2026 NHL Draft, 110 current or committed NCAA Division I players were selected — the highest since the league’s current seven‑round format began in 2005, and the most since 1989 (in the then-12-round Draft).
In Round 1 alone, 19 of the 32 players taken had an NCAA affiliation. At the time, Round 2 featured 16 players, but that number has grown even more — as guys like Kings prospect Liam Lefebvre later committed to Boston University for the 2027-28 season.
Some exciting Kings prospect news — One of the team’s top 10 prospects (and three most impressive forwards at Dev Camp last month) has committed to Boston University.
Liam Lefebvre, a 2026 second round pick (acquired in the Danault trade to Montreal), will join one of the best… https://t.co/fr7efpolRj
— The Mayor | Team MM (@mayorNHL) August 24, 2026
Let’s get back to this year, though.
With collegiate programs across the country preparing to open their 2026-27 seasons this weekend, it’s time for the first College Hockey Poll of the new year — featuring six Kings prospects at three different universities ranked in the Top 10.
They’ll also have another pair of players at universities ranked between 11 and 20, and two more at unranked schools (Jack Sparkes, Clarkson and Will Sharpe, St. Cloud State).
No. 1 – Denver University
The reigning NCAA title holders come in riding high and feature a trio of Kings prospects who helped them secure their 2026 National Championship back in April.
Having already put Jared Wright in the pro game, highly regarded coach David Carle is currently responsible for helping mentor forwards Kristian Epperson, Brendan McMorrow, and James Reeder (note: he prefers to be called Jay). This is part of what we had to say about each player during our most recent round of Prospect Ranking articles:
Buy stock early on McMorrow, and lots of it. His most simple description is that he’s a hockey player. In the same vein as guys like Mikey Anderson, Alex Laferriere, Kenny Connors, et al., this former USHL standout is a high-effort player who brings it every single game. Has a Mike Richards-Blake Lizotte motor, is great on the forecheck, solid in transition, and can pull off some unbelievable scoring plays (check out his spin-o-rama goal from December). With Team USA at the World Juniors, he earned Player of the Game honors in their opening contest of the tournament. He’s one of the true players to watch at Dev Camp.
Epperson – After quietly putting together a nice freshman year during Denver’s regular season, LA’s 2025 draftee may have just been saving his best work for the playoffs. He notched the game-winner in the 2026 NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship and assisted on the game-winning goal in this year’s NCAA championship game — in overtime, no less. Expect plenty of eyes to be on the Wisconsin native from this point forward.
On a stacked national championship-winning roster, Reeder was one of the most trusted players on the team. He averaged the most ice time of any forward during the regular season, had the highest shooting percentage, and improved on his freshman campaign with 12 more points. He’s far outplayed his seventh-round draft status thus far.
No. 7 – Quinnipiac
This is a new school entering the conversation among Kings prospects. There hasn’t been a single Kings prospect at the school since they moved to D-1 action in 1998. That all changes with the arrival of 20-year-old right wing Alex Kostov this season. He was selected by LA in the sixth round at this past June’s NHL Draft. Kostov arrives after four years in the OHL, including a breakout campaign last season, where he put up 55 points in 47 games for the Flint Firebirds — including 24 goals. A full scouting report on him can be found here:
From a program perspective, here’s an interesting note on Quinnipiac: In what may have been the upset of the year, they were knocked out of the ECAC tournament quarterfinals in March by Sparkes and Clarkson. As a top-10 ranked program at the time, they still qualified for the field of 16 playoff teams in the main NCAA field. After winning their opening-round game, they were then eliminated by North Dakota, who advanced to the Frozen Four.
No. 7 – Providence
While the Ducks plucked their 2026 first-rounder, Roger McQueen, out of Providence, here’s another school entering the Kings prospect conversation for the first time. And they’re doing it with not one player, but two this year — both forwards, and both drafted this past June.
“It’s really funny, it’s like a serendipitous thing,” said Mark Yannetti, LA’s longtime Director of Amateur Scouting. “We ended up with two guys in London. We ended up with three guys in Denver. Way back when, we ended up with three or four guys in St. Cloud. There is no method to it or plan to it. It really just happens. Now that being said, it really doesn’t just happen — because successful programs run by successful people attract successful players.
“While we don’t actively look to take a kid who’s going to Denver or who is playing in London or is going to Providence, we certainly like when players are going to teams like that. You have coaches like Carle, people like the Hunters, you have Lehman. Those guys are proven winners and proven developers. And the programs and those situations can’t be ignored. While we don’t look for it, we certainly like that. And it’s not surprising to me that those are the type of schools that have a lot of guys picked from.”
More on the LA hopefuls who will be at Providence this year can be found in these Draft day articles:
LA Kings Select Blake Zielinski No. 80 – What You Need to Know
LA Kings Select Thomas Vandenberg No. 103 – What You Need to Know
Both players are likely to see plenty of chatter among the organization’s prospect pool in the months ahead. In the days leading up to the Draft, there was plenty of discussion among Kings scouts about Zielinski and Vandenberg. They were two guys heavily targeted on their list, and they were more than happy to leave Draft weekend with both players.
More specifically, when it comes to Zielinski, his willingness to go to the dirty areas only adds to his overall compete level.
“Absolutely; that’s the biggest thing about him,” noted Yannetti. “Some of those intangibles, on ice and off ice. He’s a high, high character kid. He’s a worker. He’s a worker on the ice, and he’s a worker in terms of taking charge of his own development, trying to become the best at what he can be. Those two things kind of bleed over — off the ice and on the ice. Also, he’s over a point-a-game player in the USHL. That certainly isn’t a bad thing.
“He’s one of those guys that has that work ethic and the intangibles you sometimes find with a lower-lineup-level player — a guy playing lower in the lineup — and he’s also running numbers, playing on the first line in the USHL. So that combination of work and intangibles to go along with skill — and sense as a secondary — certainly separated him and made him valuable to us.”
No. 12 – Boston College
After what was a down year for Boston and Boston College last season, both schools come in ranked inside the top 16 and eager to enter the national conversation once again. Kings prospect Ryan Conmy is back with the Eagles for his senior year. It will be an important campaign for the 21-year-old winger, as he gives one final push toward earning an NHL entry-level contract.
No. 17 – Penn State
Perhaps nobody on this list brings more question marks than defenseman Caeden Herrington. It has nothing to do with what the 6-foot-2, 204 pound rearguard has done thus far — it’s what lies ahead. After piling up 34 points (16G, 18A) in 56 regular-season games in the USHL two years ago, he played his freshman season at the University of Vermont last year. A native of the state, it was where he had always dreamed of going. Now, with a potential pro career a real possibility, Herrington has transferred to Penn State, which should provide a big step up in competition and expectations. How will he handle the jump? We’re about to find out.
Lead photo of Zielinski by Clarus Multimedia Group
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