40 players chosen for USHL/NHL Top Prospects game

The United States Hockey League on Wednesday announced the 40 players selected to compete in the 2013 USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game presented by CCM to be held on Jan. 23 at the L.C. Walker Arena in Muskegon, Michigan.

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It is the second season for the event, which will showcase many of the top players in the USHL who are eligible for the 2013 NHL Draft. In all, 27 of the players selected are in their first year of eligibility for the NHL Draft. The selection process was completed in cooperation with USHL general managers, NHL scouts and team personnel, and NHL Central Scouting. The composition of the two teams will be announced at a later date.

All 16 USHL clubs had at least one player selected to participate in the event. The Waterloo Black Hawks were tops with five players chosen, while the Dubuque Fighting Saints, Lincoln Stars, Muskegon Lumberjacks, Sioux City Musketeers, and Tri-City Storm each had four players named.

USHL players scheduled to compete include highly-ranked defensemen Ian McCoshen (Waterloo) and Michael Downing (Dubuque) along with forward Luke Johnson (Lincoln Stars), all of whom are projected as early-round selections in the 2013 NHL Draft. USHL leading scorer Taylor Cammarata (Waterloo) is also on the roster in addition to Arthur Brey (Dubuque) who leads all USHL goaltenders with 15 victories this season.

"The second USHL/NHL Top Prospects game promises to be an outstanding showcase of talent that USHL teams continue to develop for the next levels of hockey," USHL president and commissioner Skip Prince said in a statement. "With so many of our young stars on the NHL watch list, and with the full attention of the National Hockey League, it promises to be a great night of hockey in Muskegon, and something all USHL fans should be anxious to see."

The USHL had 28 players taken in the 2012 NHL Draft, including a record six in the first round. They included defenseman Jacob Trouba (No. 9, Winnipeg Jets) of the U.S. National Team Development Program, center Zemgus Girgensons (No. 14, Buffalo Sabres) and defenseman Michael Matheson (No. 23, Florida Panthers) of the Dubuque Fighting Saints, defenseman Jordan Schmaltz (No. 25, St. Louis Blues) of the Green Bay Gamblers, and defenseman Brady Skjei (No. 28, New York Rangers) and center Stefan Matteau (No. 29, New Jersey Devils) of the USNTDP.

2013 USHL/NHL Top Prospects Roster

Forwards

Thomas Ebbing, Chicago Steel; Christian Heil, Chicago Steel; Luke Voltin, Des Moines Buccaneers; Peter Quenneville, Dubuque Fighting Saints; John Stevens, Dubuque Fighting Saints; Gabe Guertler, Fargo Force; Brendan Harms, Fargo Force; Alex Kile, Green Bay Gamblers; Luke Johnson, Lincoln Stars; Ross Olsson, Lincoln Stars; Vinni Lettieri, Lincoln Stars; Cam Darcy, Muskegon Lumberjacks; Frederik Tiffels, Muskegon Lumberjacks; Drew Melanson, Omaha Lancers; Jake Guentzel, Sioux City Musketeers; Conor McGlynn, Sioux City Musketeers; Jake Montgomery, Sioux City Musketeers; Jason Cotton, Tri-City Storm; Garrett Gamez; Tri-City Storm; Trevor Moore, Tri-City Storm; John Hayden – Team USA; Taylor Cammarata, Waterloo Black Hawks; Justin Kloos, Waterloo Black Hawks; Austin Cangelosi, Youngstown Phantoms

Defensemen

Ian Brady, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders; Michael Downing, Dubuque Fighting Saints; Jordan Gross, Green Bay Gamblers; Gustav Olofsson, Green Bay Gamblers; Rinat Valiev, Indiana Ice; Justin Woods, Lincoln Stars; Michael Brodzinski, Muskegon Lumberjacks; Ben Storm, Muskegon Lumberjacks; Tucker Poolman, Omaha Lancers; Blake Heinrich, Sioux City Musketeers; Ryan Ivey, Tri-City Storm; Ian McCoshen, Waterloo Black Hawks;

Goaltenders

Arthur Brey, Dubuque Fighting Saints; Charlie Lindgren, Sioux Falls Stampede; Eamon McAdam, Waterloo Black Hawks; Cal Petersen, Waterloo Black Hawks