• PROSPECT-UPDATE ARCHIVE
As far as 2018 draft prospects go, Monday ended up being more eventful than expected. That's because the Beanpot tournament produced a sensational showing that ranks among the best performances of the season.
Read all about it below, and don't forget that it's opening day for the Five Nations tournament at Plymouth, Mich., where some of the biggest names in the 2018 talent pool will be on display.
Tuesday's opening game features the Czechs (hope Lukas Dostal starts) against the Finns (spotlight on Jesperi Kotkaniemi). The night game pits Adam Boqvist and Sweden against Team USA and Oliver Wahlstrom. It's a great day for hockey.
Back to Monday's Beanpot. It would be remiss not to mention that Northeastern won its first title in 30 years. That's unbelievable, but expect Northeastern to win a lot more in the years to come. That program has some great recruits coming in, many of them eligible for the 2018. So congratulations, Northeastern. Now let's look at the sensational Beanpot effort mentioned earlier:
LOGAN HUTSKO -- It's easy to forget about prospects who were passed over in 2017 simply because they were coming off major injuries. Hutsko, a 5-foot-10 right wing from New Jersey, missed almost the entire season with the U.S. NTDP Under-18 team. Now at Boston College, he is back with a vengeance. In Monday's Beanpot Consolation game at Boston's TD Garden, Hutsko erupted for a third-period hat trick to tie up Harvard and send the game to OT. The Eagles lost 5-4, but the postgame buzz was all about Hutsko. His first goal, at 7:01 of the third, cut the Crimson lead to 3-2. His second, scored on a power play at 17:26, cut it to 4-3, and his hat-trick goal just 58 seconds later forced the overtime. These were Hutsko's eighth, ninth, and 10th goals of the season. He is on an absolute tear right now with five goals in the past two games. You have to believe there are NHL teams wishing they had taken a seventh-round gamble on his last year. (Note: Third appearance on this list in 2017-18)