Top College-Connected Players Expected to Go in the 2012 NHL Draft

Most NCAA Division I hockey players are drafted by NHL teams while they're still in juniors or prep school, long before they ever set foot (or skate) on a college campus. Some gems occasionally slip through the cracks, often times because they're not yet 18 years old when the draft rolls around.

Here are 10 players who should hear their names called in June at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft in Pittsburgh, according to the mid-term rankings of North American players at NHL Central Scouting.

(The list does not include junior or high/prep school players who have not yet formally committed to an NCAA institution.)

Jacob Trouba

Duane Burleson/Associated Press

A 6'1", 183-pound defenseman from Rochester, Mich., Trouba is ranked ninth by Central Scouting, and has played the last two seasons with the U.S. National  Development Team Program in Ann Arbor, Mich., which has cranked out many a first-round NHL draft choice since its inception in the 1990s.

Trouba, who has committed to Michigan for 2012-13, has collected a total of seven goals and 25 points along with 66 penalty minutes in 53 games with the NDTP.

He also skated for the U.S. in the 2012 World Junior Championships in Alberta, where he had two assists in six games.

Zemgus Girgensons

Ranked 12th by Central Scouting, the Latviann has been skating with Dubuque in the United States Hockey League, posting 21 goals and 28 assists for 49 points in 51 games with the Fighting Saints.

Girgensons has already committed to Vermont for next season. 

He previously played with the Green Mountain Glades of the Eastern Junior Hockey League, where had 28 points in 23 games in 2010-11.

Brady Skjei

Skjei, a Minnesota native ranked 18th by Central Scouting, played with the U.S. NDTP this season, but will be back home this fall to skate with the University of Minnesota.

A 6'3'', 200-pound defenseman, Skjei has recorded four goals and 18 points in 60 games over the past two seasons. 

Nicolas Kerdiles

Kerdiles, ranked 27th by Central Scouting, hails from California, where he played for the elite LA Selects program and had 54 points in 37 games in 2009-10.

He's now with the NTDP, where he has collected 16 goals and 17 assists for 33 points along with 70 penalty minutes in 50 outings, and is expected to play at Wisconsin this fall.

Phillip Giuseppe

The 6'1", 200-pound left wing from Maple, Ont., notched 11 goals and 14 assists for 25 points in 39 games for Michigan.

He didn't turn 18 until October, when he was named the CCHA Rookie of the Month, or he would have been taken in last year's draft. He is ranked 28th by Central Scouting.

Giuseppe also posted seven multiple-point games in 2011-12, as the Wolverines made it to the NCAA Tournament for the 22nd straight season but fell to Cornell in overtime in the NCAA Midwest Regional.

Michael Matheson

The defenseman has committed to Boston College for next season and is ranked 29th by Central Scouting.

He will be looked to for immediate contributions on an Eagle blueline that will be losing two key seniors in captain Tommy Cross and Edwin Shea. Junior Brian Dumoulin is also expected to leave the program.

A Quebec native, the 6'2", 178-pound Matheson has nine goals, 22 points, and 78 penalty minutes in 47 games this year with Dubuque (USHL).

Cristoval Nieves

Better known as "Boo", Nieves is ranked 31st overall by Central Scouting and will be off to Michigan next fall.

In 48 games with the Kent School in Connecticut the past two years, Nieves registered 18 goals and 60 assists for 78 points. 

The 6'2", 185-pound native of Baldwinsville, N.Y. also tallied six points in his first seven USHL games with the Indiana Ice. 

Jon Gillies

The 6'5'' Gillies is ranked first among North American goaltenders by Central Scouting.

A native of Maine, he has played the last two seasons with Indiana (USHL), compiling a record of 43-16-9 in 72 games with a 2.76 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage along with six shutouts through March 27.

He is expected to play at Northeastern this fall.

Jake McCabe

McCabe, who is ranked 47th by Central Scouting, recorded three goals and nine assists for 12 points in his first season on the blueline with Wisconsin. Two of his goals stood up as game-winners, although the Badgers did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

Prior to college, McCabe honed his game with two seasons with the U.S. NDTP.

Austin Wuthrich

Wuthrich, ranked 73rd by Central Scouting, just finished his first season as a right wing at Notre Dame.

He topped all Fighting Irish freshmen in scoring with seven goals and 10 assists for 17 points.

The Anchorage, Alaska native finished fifth on the team scoring scroll overall, as Notre Dame cooled down after a strong start and missed out on the NCAA Tournament, just one year after advancing to the Frozen Four.

Like McCabe and Trouba, Wuthrich is also is a U.S. NDTP product.