Ethan Gingeleskie had a strong first season at Avon Old Farms. (Avon Old Farms)
BUFFALO, N.Y. — USA Hockey’s Select 17 Camp is always a fun event for the wide array of storylines to watch.
There are plenty of uncommitted players looking to shine in front of the throngs of college coaches in attendance (we’ll get to that later in the week). There are players who left early for juniors, looking to show they’re dominant when returning to face their own age group.
And then, of course, there is the following year’s NHL Draft. Even though the 2026 NHL Draft wrapped up just a couple weeks ago, that means 2027 is on the clock.
The ’09s were the birth year at Select 17s. It’s still just under a year out from the draft, but there were already many NHL teams, and NHL Central Scouting represented in Buffalo.
I was in attendance for the first two days of games, so July 8 and 9. From seeing almost every team, I was able to glean who might be prospects NHL scouts will be watching next season. Obviously, I know the New England and Massachusetts region players best, but I was still able to identify a few on the other teams, too.
We’ll cover the forwards in this story. On Tuesday, we’ll look at defensemen and goalies.
Let’s dive in.