USHL Sets Records at 2018 NHL Draft
June 23, 2018 - United States Hockey League (USHL) News Release
The USHL had its strongest-ever showing at the NHL Draft, as 57 players with USHL ties were selected at the 2018 NHL Draft in Dallas, TX. The 57 players chosen set a new USHL record, shattering the previous mark of 51 set at the 2014 NHL Draft. 45 of those 57 players skated in the USHL during the 2017-18 season, also setting a league record, breaking the previous mark of 40 set last year at the 2017 NHL Draft. The USHL also led all junior leagues in the world with the 45 players who played in the league last season, at least 10 more than any other junior league in the world.
The 2018 NHL Draft marks the seventh consecutive year that 40 or more players that played in the USHL have been selected at the NHL Draft. In addition, 14 of the 17 USHL member clubs had at least one player selected who played in the nation's only Tier 1 junior hockey league, with 12 teams having multiple players chosen.
Seven players with USHL ties were selected in the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft on Friday, including Brady Tkachuk (Team USA), who was taken fourth overall by the Ottawa Senators. Other first round selections included Andrei Svechnikov (Muskegon Lumberjacks), Quinn Hughes (Team USA), Oliver Wahlstrom (Team USA), Joel Farabee (Team USA), Jay O'Brien (Youngstown Phantoms) and K'Andre Miller (Team USA).
The USHL had at least four players selected in every round of the 2018 NHL Draft, including 16 of the 31 picks in the fourth round and 37 total draftees through the first four rounds. 51 of the 57 USHL players chosen are either committed to NCAA Division I college hockey programs or have already begun their college hockey careers.
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the USHL celebrated its 16th season as the nation's only Tier I junior hockey league in 2017-18. The USHL had a record 45 players selected at the 2018 NHL Draft, more than any junior league in the world, and more than 400 players on team rosters last season committed to NCAA Division I schools, further establishing the USHL as the world's foremost producer of junior hockey talent.
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