Its that time of year. The NCAA hockey season has come to a close and conference tournaments are in full swing. NHL teams are now salivating at the chance to sign the top undrafted college free agents as their teams play their final games of the season.
These prospects don’t always have an impact at the NHL level, but the chances of finding a diamond in the rough ala players like Matt Read, Danny DeKeyser, Chris Kunitz, Andy McDonald, Dustin Penner, Tyler Bozak, Matt Gilroy, Cory Conacher, Jason Garrison, Ben Scrivens, Torey Krug, Christian Folin, Cam Talbot, and others who have been uncovered in recent years, make giving a good college player a contract is always a chance that NHL teams seem willing to take. At worst they give out an Entry Level contract, pay a player to play for their minor league club for a couple years, and then let them go. At best they get a player who can contribute at the NHL level, for a relatively low cap hit, without using a draft pick, or trading other assets. These players are low risk/big reward and so the competition to sign them will be fierce.
With that said, who are the top Free Agents available? I’ve listed them in alphabetical order by last name for ease of reference. I will be handling this over the weekend in four parts, with 10 players in each part.
Part 1 is available here.
Part 2 is available here.
College Hockey Free Agents 2015: Part 3
Kenney Morrison, Defense, Western Michigan Broncos, Junior (6’2″ 205 lbs)
Signed with the Calgary Flames, March 20th, 2015
Morrison was highly sought after last year, but he choose to go back to Western Michigan. The 23-year-old has put up 5 goals and 15 points in 35 games this year, confrirming the assessments from last year. Morrison is a tremendous skater. He has outstanding speed, great acceleration, and superb edgework. As a result he is extremely mobile on the backend and a great two-way defender. Morrison has an absolute cannon from the point, and if he can be just a little more accurate could really do damage on the powerplay. He also plays an excellent defensive game, and his ability to change directions quickly makes him a feared hitter off the rush. There could be a huge bidding war for Morrison, who is probably the second best defenceman on the market.
C.J. Motte, Goaltender, Ferris State Bulldogs, Senior (6’0″ 176 lbs)
Signed an ATO with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (NY Islanders Affiliate) March 26th 2015
Motte has been outstanding for Ferris State this season, putting up .921 save percentage. In fact, in his four NCAA seasons he’s never had a save percentage below .925. He has very good fundamentals. He tracks the puck extremely well, cuts down angles, moves well laterally and controls his rebounds. Add in a lightning quick glove hand, and you can see why he’s so hard to beat at the NCAA level. The one thing Motte has added to his game is maturity, as he now rarely gets flustered after a goal and is ready to stop the next shot. This prevents things from spiraling out of control on him (which had happened at times in his first two seasons). Motte is also an excellent puckhandler for a goalie. He attended the Montreal Canadiens prospect camp last summer.
Matt O’Connor, Goaltender, Boston University Terriers, Junior (6’6″ 205 lbs)
O’Connor is the most sought after goaltender on the market, and he might even be the most sought after player on the market. The 23-year-old has put up a 2.28 Goals Against Average and .928 save percentage for a strong cougars team. O’Connor has excellent size, and uses its extremely well. He gets out of the crease and cuts down the angle, giving shooters very little to look at. O’Connor has very good lateral movement and tracks the puck well, cutting down a lot of cross-ice plays in the zone. He also has very quick legs, and a tight, efficient butterfly style. He’s so big there is little room upstairs even when he goes down. He could stand to work on his rebound control going forward to the pro ranks, but even then, he is more advanced than most college goalies.
Ahti Oskanen, Defence/Left Wing, Boston University Terriers, Junior (6’3″ 207 lbs)
Oskanen was converted from defence to wing this past season, and scored 23 goals in his new position, spending most of the year on a line with Jack Eichel. The 22-year-old Finnish native has got all the skills to be a solid winger, but must continue to gain experience at the position. His game features strong skating, puck handling, passing and vision, and a cannon of a shot. Some teams may want to put him back on the point, and if so he can definitely be an efficient powerplay quarterback at the AHL level. That said he lacks one-on-one defensive skills and as such his future likely lies on wing when it comes to 5 on 5 play.
Zach Palmquist, Defence, Minnesota State Mankato Mavericks, Senior (6’0″ 174 lbs)
Signed with the Minnesota Wild, March 30th, 2015
The 24-year-old defender has put up 8 goals and 27 points in 34 games for the Mavericks this season. Palmquist plays huge minutes and against the opposition’s top line every night. Offensively he has a hard shot from the point and understands the importance of keeping it low and on net to get it through traffic and give teammates the opportunity for rebounds, and deflections. He also is a good playmaker from the back with good vision, and the ability to get his passes through tight spaces. He is also good defensively, as he battles hard in the corners and in front of the net. He is good positionally and cuts down passing and shooting lanes. He will need to add some muscle to his frame to play the pro game.
Tom Parisi, Defense, Providence Friars, Junior, (6’0″ 194 lbs)
Parisi is an excellent skater. He has great first step quickness, good speed in both directions, and excellent acceleration. Add to this good agility, edge work and pivots and you have a defenceman who can cover a lot of ice. The 21-year-old is able to join the rush and get back defensively. He makes good heads up passes with the puck, but can stand to add some power on his shot, and that is why he probably won’t be a power play guy at the next level. He plays a solid two-way game though, and is very tough to beat off the rush. He also works hard to keep the front of the net clear and allow his goaltender to see shots, while also working well to clear the rebound.
Derek Pratt, Defence, Connecticut Huskies, Freshman (6’3″ 185 lbs)
Pratt is extremely good defensively. He is a shut down defender, with the skating ability to keep up with the best forwards, the hockey IQ to read the play and the anticipation to cut off passes. He is also willing to put his body on the line and block shots. He also makes a good first pass out of the zone. While he plays a physical game, the 21-year-old defenceman needs to add some upper body strength to do so at the next level. Just a freshman, he could return to college for up to three more years.
Andrew Prochno, Defence, St. Cloud State Huskies, Senior (5’11” 190 lbs)
A solid all around defender, Prochno plays big minutes for the Huskies, taking on a number top unit role on the powerplay, penalty kill and at even strength. He is calm and composed with the puck on his stick, and makes an excellent first pass to start the rush. He can join the rush and has a good wrist shot, and quick release which he uses effectively as a trailer on plays. Prochno is also an important defender for the Huskies. His ability to cut off plays quickly, avoid the forecheck and get the transition game started really helps St. Cloud State defensively as well. His size will be the question mark and the 23-year-old will need to prove himself at the AHL level. Prochno attended the Sabres prospect and development camp last summer.
Mike Reilly, Defence, Minnesota Golden Gophers, Junior (5’11” 183 lbs)
One of the more intriguing names to watch, Reilly is a fourth round draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, rumors are swirling that the defender will use the Justin Schultz loophole and go to free agency. Add to this the fact that his father is a minority owner with the Minnesota Wild, and you can see the issues. Reilly is a little undersized, but he’s an outstanding skater and great passer. Cool and confident with the puck on his stick, Reilly fits the mould of the puck moving defencemen that teams are using more and more. He also has an excellent shot. The 21-year-old has scored 42 points in 36 games so far this season for the Gophers. He has improved his defensive game which was the big question mark when he was drafted, and should be looking at one of the bigger ELC deals, regardless of him signing in Columbus or testing the market. In other words, in order for him to stay with the Jackets they will likely need to pay up before the 21-year-old can activate the Schultz loophole.
Evan Rodrigues, Right Wing, Boston University Terriers, Senior (5’11” 179)
Signed with the Buffalo Sabres, April 22nd, 2015
After his impressive sophomore season, Rodrigues got some NHL interest but decided to return to school. He followed that up by struggling through his junior season. As a senior, he has been put on a line with Oskanen and Jack Eichel, and exploded offensively putting up 18 goals and 54 points in 35 games. Rodrigues has good speed as well as an excellent shot and release. However, the best part of his game is his playmaking ability. He protects the puck well and extends plays, waiting for teammates to get open. When they do, Rodrigues can feather a pass through tight openings. Some may question if his offensive explosion is due to playing with Eichel, and while its true that he has benefited from being on the line, we should remember he had 34 points in 38 games as a sophomore.
Main Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images
