100 Players with USHL Ties Crack NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Players to Watch List
Published on October 20, 2025 under United States Hockey League (USHL) News Release
One hundred players with United States Hockey League (USHL) ties were named to NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list for the 2026 NHL Draft. Muskegon Lumberjacks forward and reigning Clark Cup MVP Tynan Lawrence headlined a group of 53 players on active rosters and nine USHL alumni in the NCAA.
NHL Central Scouting's list identifies players based on the following criteria:
A Rating -- Indicates a 1st round candidate
B Rating -- Indicates a 2nd/3rd round candidate
C Rating -- Indicates a 4th/5th round candidate
W Rating -- Indicates a 6th/7th round candidate
LV (Limited Viewing) -- Injured players who have not had sufficient viewings to be categorized.
Each USHL team had an active player or alumni listed. Lawrence received an A-rating, while Jack Hextall (Youngstown Phantoms), Landon Hafele (Green Bay Gamblers), Jonas Kemps (Chicago Steel), Tobias Trejbal (Youngstown Phantoms), Blake Zielinski (Des Moines Buccaneers), Myles Brosnan (Sioux City Musketeers), and multiple players from USA Hockey's National Team Development Program (NTDP) earned B ratings.
The breakdown of one hundred players includes every player who has played in a USHL regular season game. Eighty-four of those players have played in at least 10, while 16 fell below that threshold.
Top NCAA alumni to make the list included Miami's B-rated Ilya Morosov and St. Thomas' C-rated Bode Laylin, who played together for the Tri-City Storm, as well as UMass, C-rated defenseman Landon Nycz, who spent time with the Waterloo Black Hawks and Sioux City Musketeers.
Eighteen USHL affiliates were listed, including Theodore Lechner (Muskegon Lumberjacks), William Manchiso (Sioux City Musketeers), and Domán Szaongoth (Fargo Force), who each recieved C ratings.
United States Hockey League Stories from October 20, 2025
- 100 Players with USHL Ties Crack NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Players to Watch List - USHL
- Hafele, Fedotov, and Kultgen Make the NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Players to Watch List - Green Bay Gamblers
- Solomon, Prunty, Prowse Named Players of the Week - USHL
- Two Current, One Former Lancer Appear on Preliminary Central Scouting List - Omaha Lancers
- Six Lumberjacks Named to NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Rankings - Muskegon Lumberjacks
- Two Fighting Saints Named to Preliminary NHL Draft Watch List - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- Tri-City's Laylin Makes NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Players to Watch List - Tri-City Storm
- DeGraff, Rieber Receive NHL Attention - Waterloo Black Hawks
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