Penn State hockey fans might hear a familiar name or two called during the 2020 NHL Entry Draft which is set to begin Tuesday night and finish on Wednesday.
The draft, which this year will select players born from Jan 1. 2000 to Sept. 15 2002, [with a slightly different deadline for non North American skaters] does not make a player ineligible for NCAA play but simply gives an NHL team the signing rights for a player later on in their career.
Various timelines dictate how long a player is tied to a professional team before becoming a free agent. In turn, the NHL Entry Draft largely impacts prospects committed to a school or recently enrolled freshmen as upperclassmen are often too old for the event.
While slightly more complex, generally speaking college players drafted prior to enrolling or while enrolled at an NCAA institution have several months following their collegiate career to sign before becoming an unrestricted free agent.
The 2020 Entry Draft appears to be a somewhat more quiet seven-round affair for Penn State with most of its top players no longer eligible to be drafted. That said, the following Nittany Lions are currently eligible to hear their name called.
- Jimmy Dowd
- Xander Lamppa
- Tyler Paquette
- Christian Berger
- Chase McLane
- Christian Sarlo
Additionally a moderate handful of verbally committed prospects are eligible as well. This group is lead by Ben Schoen out of Ohio and Ryan Kirwan, currently playing in Wisconsin in the United States Hockey League. Both players are rated in the Elite Prospects Top 200 among North American skaters.
- Ben Schoen (159)
- Ryan Kirwan (194)
- Dane Dowiak
- Hunter Carrick
- Jeffery Bertrand
- Carson Dyck
- Daniyal Dzhaniyev
- Drew Tsakounis
- Simon Mack
- Jarod Crespo
Currently Penn State is skating three player with NHL ties, Kevin Wall (Carolina), Aarne Talvitie (New Jersey) and Clayton Phillips (Pittsburgh). The Nittany Lions saw a handful of players leave for various NHL organizations this offseason. Former Penn State forward Casey Bailey is still the only Nittany Lion to see the ice during an NHL game.
Evan Barratt was the most recent high draft choice by a Penn State player ever drafted, selected No. 90 overall in the 2017 draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. Former goalie Eamon McAdam is the program’s highest going 70th overall prior to enrolling in 2013.
