[Canada 02]

From Scott Wheeler

Michigan’s T.J. Hughes is getting a lot of attention from NHL clubs. Michigan doesn’t have the abundance of talent that we’re used to it having this year but Hughes has gone from being very successful playing with good players like Rutger McGroarty to being very successful as more of a driver/go-to guy on his own this year. He’s a 6-foot center who is excellent in the faceoff circle. He plays the bumper on their power play. And his pace and B game, once the question, have started to come.

Holy Cross' Liam McLinskey, cousin of Rangers prospect Drew Fortescue, is going to get signed. They’re not a program that typically produces NHL talent but he’s the reigning Atlantic Hockey player of the year and a Hobey Baker finalist. He’s a 6-foot-3 right-shot winger who can play in all situations.

I know there’s some NHL interest in Wisconsin’s Christian Fitzgerald, whose counting stats don’t scream but whose elite skating does.

There’s also some interest in Dartmouth sophomore D C.J. Foley (who’s only 21 and is pretty talented/plays huge minutes), Maine captain David Breazeale (a big defenseman who has played big minutes for them), ASU’s Lukas Sillinger (older brother of Blue Jacket Cole, though it sounds like he may be looking at an AHL deal), busy and smooth-skating UND sophomore Jake Livanavage (though that may be more for a year or two from now) and Union junior D John Prokop (one of their leading scorers over the last three seasons).

And one surging name: Army D Mac Gadowsky (son of Penn State head coach Guy Gadowsky, who he has played against!). Gadowsky is a 6-foot-3 D who is up for the Hobey, has been that team’s best player by a country mile and has been on a tear in the last month to emerge as one of the most productive D in all of college hockey and seems to make a play every game.

I’m sure there are others, too. It’s not a great class from what I gather, though.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/613...draft-mailbag/