Minnesota contributes 23 current and former high school hockey players to NHL and PWHL drafts

Nearly two dozen hockey players whose youth careers took them through the State of Hockey — from playing in the state tournaments to time on the youth circuit — took the next step in their hockey careers last week, selected in the NHL and PWHL drafts. Neither the hometown Minnesota Wild nor Frost ended up as landing spots for the locals.

Hill-Murray • Ottawa Senators (Rd. 1, No. 23)

Ahead of his sophomore year at Wisconsin, Hensler, from Woodbury, is already a world junior championships gold medalist with Team USA. The defenseman played one season at Hill-Murray, 2021-22, before heading to USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program (NTDP) in Michigan.

Edina • Chicago Blackhawks (Rd. 1, No. 29)

Committed to play hockey at Michigan State, West is both an elite skater and a well-regarded quarterback for the Hornets. The rising senior recorded 27 goals and 22 assists last winter for Class 2A’s third-place finisher.

Spring Lake Park • Nashville Predators (Rd. 2, No. 3)

The 6-6 defenseman from Blaine recorded 19 points in his 2022-23 season at Spring Lake Park before playing two seasons with the USHL’s Lincoln Stars and committing to the Gophers for next school year.

St. Paul • New Jersey Devils (Rd. 2, No. 18)

The Boston University commit never played high school hockey in Minnesota but hails from St. Paul. A forward, he skates for the NTDP.

Shakopee • Boston Bruins (Rd. 3, No. 15)

The North Dakota signee and Mr. Hockey finalist scored 96 goals across three seasons with Shakopee, with stints with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm. This winter, the senior helped the Sabres return to state for the first time since 2005.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s • Calgary Flames (Rd. 3, No. 16)

The defenseman from Wayzata played two seasons with the Red Knights from 2021-23 before heading to the NTDP and signing with the Gophers ahead of the 2025-26 school year.

Eden Prairie • New Jersey Devils (Rd. 3, No. 26)

Moe, a recent Gophers signing, scored 67 points across two seasons with Eden Prairie before spending the past two seasons with the Madison Capitols in the USHL.

Stillwater • Ottawa Senators (Rd. 3, No. 29)

Playing at right wing, Vanek produced a 53-point senior season that helped Stillwater reach its first Class 2A state championship game this year, falling short against Moorhead.

Champlin Park • Detroit Red Wings (Rd. 4, No. 13)

Solomon, a Wisconsin commit, was a Mr. Hockey finalist in his senior year with Champlin Park, scoring 38 goals.

Shattuck-St. Mary’s • Toronto Maple Leafs (Rd. 5, No. 9)

Born in Minnetonka before spending early childhood in China, the Notre Dame commit spent three hockey seasons at Shattuck-St. Mary’s prep school in Faribault before playing right wing in the NTDP.

Moorhead • New York Islanders (Rd. 5, No. 10)

Laurila, a North Dakota commit, is another defenseman who spent time in the NTDP, before skating for a season with the Fargo Force in the USHL.

Minnetonka • Buffalo Sabres (Rd. 6, No. 7)

Now with the USHL’s Chicago Steel and committed to North Dakota, the forward recorded 57 points in his junior season at Minnetonka after winning the 2023 Class 2A state title as a sophomore.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s • Los Angeles Kings (Rd. 7. No. 4)

Left winger McMorrow, from Lakeville, played a year with the Red Knights before being called into the NTDP, then signed with Denver for the upcoming school year.

Wayzata • New York Islanders (Rd. 7, No. 10)

The Gophers commit joined the NTDP after putting up 45 points in 28 games with Wayzata in the 2022-23 season.

White Bear Lake • Colorado Avalanche (Rd. 7, No. 22)

The St. Cloud State signee racked up 95 points in two seasons at White Bear Lake. Playing for the USHL’s Tri-City Storm, he scored 60 points in 61 games this winter.

Minnetonka • Ottawa Charge (Rd. 1, No. 5)

Before her college career with Cornell, the 5-11 defender was a two-time All-State and two-time Star Tribune All-Metro honoree, helping the Skippers to two Class 2A third-place state finishes.

Breck • Boston Fleet (Rd. 3, No. 2)

Mobley played college hockey at Quinnipiac, Ohio State and Minnesota Duluth. While at Breck, the forward earned Ms. Hockey honors her senior year and led the Mustangs to three Class 1A state titles, including in a 73-point senior season.

Shattuck-St. Mary’s • Toronto Sceptres (Rd. 3, No. 7)

Van Wieren hails from Okemos, Mich., and played her senior year of prep hockey at the boarding school in Faribault. The UMD alum won gold at the 2020 U18 IIHF Women’s World Championship.

Blake • PWHL Seattle (Rd. 3, No. 8)

The two-time state champion at Blake heads to one of two new West Coast expansion teams. The forward, who capped her career with 41 goals as a senior, was a three-time All-State player, then played at Cornell.

Andover • Ottawa Charge (Rd. 4, No. 5)

The 2021 Ms. Hockey winner and former Gophers forward helped Andover — where she scored 218 points in four seasons — to a Class 2A title in 2020 and the U.S. to gold at the 2020 IIHF U18 World Championships.

Buffalo • PWHL Seattle (Rd. 4, No. 7)

Habisch, a forward, was a three-year captain and three-year MVP for Buffalo before heading on to become Connecticut’s No. 3 all-time leading scorer.

Minnetonka • Toronto Sceptres (Rd. 6, No. 3)

The defender joins her former Minnetonka and UMD teammates in the league. Like Guilday, she finished third at state twice with the Skippers and was an All-Tournament team selection in 2020.