NCHC
Quinn Olson - University of Minnesota at Duluth
Quinn Olson played in all 37 games for the University of Minnesota-Duluth in his final season. He finished with with four goals and 17 assists for the Bulldogs.
Olson has yet to be signed by Boston, and if he is to be signed by the Bruins or some other team, it may be a longer road than anticipated to the NHL given his age.
One thing that will play into benefitting Olson, however, is his ability to lead a team. In fact, he is one of the only players on this list that has either an "A" or a "C" on his jersey. It may be a long road to the NHL for him, but he should be able to make it.
Cole Spicer - University of Minnesota at Duluth
Olson's teammate, Cole Spicer, got off to an excellent start for Minnesota-Duluth before being deemed academically ineligible to play for the team.
It came as a tough blow to Spicer who started out the season on tear scoring five goals, and tallying and four assists in the first 17 games of the season. Spicer was limited to practice with the team for the rest of the season, but could not play.
It remains to be seen if Spicer will be academically eligible for next season, but given the history it may give the Boston some pause to sign him directly following his junior year. On the other hand, it may not, as he may come out firing on all cylinders and be ready to go from day one in Duluth.
Jake Schmaltz - University of North Dakota
Jake Schmaltz is the second member on this list with an "A" or a "C" on his jersey, this time it's for the University of North Dakota. While, Schmaltz didn't put up the selfish numbers to be considered an offensive player on this list, he very much so belongs on that portion of the list.
In the 2023-24 season, Schmaltz played in 36 games for the Fighting Hawks, scoring just a single goal and racking up 10 assists.
Schmaltz more than doubled his shot total in his junior season at North Dakota, and in his senior season he is looking to continue that and maybe find the back of the net a bit more than he did this past year.