The United States National Team Development Program was the top story of the 2019 NHL Draft. USA Hockey’s squad of elite prospects had seven players selected among the first 15 picks, including Jack Hughes at first overall.
The 2020 crop isn’t nearly at that level; there wasn’t a single player who hit the point-per-game mark on the under-18 team this year after six accomplished that feat a season ago. There was no Cole Caufield to balloon everyone’s assist totals, no Hughes to break games open his with playmaking abilities. That general drop in quality may mean only one player — defenceman Jake Sanderson — will be selected in the opening round.