A few Ohio State men’s hockey players are at NHL development camps

The 2024 NHL Draft took place last weekend in Las Vegas. The only Ohio State men’s hockey player taken during the two-day event still hasn’t stepped on the ice in the scarlet and gray. Noah Powell was taken in the fifth round by the Philadelphia Flyers with the 148th overall pick, and is currently at Philadelphia’s development camp.

Powell isn’t the only Buckeye who is at camp with an NHL team this summer, as there are a couple previous draft picks and a number of free agent invitees. Unlike the NFL and NBA, where if a player is drafted they automatically lose their college eligibility, the NHL allows for players drafted or invited to development camps to retain their eligibility and return to school if they feel it is the best move for them.

It will be interesting to see how those players that do attend these camps and return to Ohio State in the fall progress during the 2024-25 season. The feedback from those coaches at the NHL level will only help the growth of these players and hopefully will result in not only a successful season for them, but also for the Buckeyes as a team.

Davis Burnside – Vancouver Canucks

Burnside appeared in all 38 games for Ohio State during the 2023-24 season. The forward finished with 26 points, which tied for second-most on the team. While Burnside did see his goal total fall from 14 in the 2022-23 season to nine goals last season, there is no doubt he is a huge part of the Buckeye offense and he will be counted on as one of the veteran leaders this season.

This marks the second developmental camp for Burnside while he has been at Ohio State, as last year he was invited to Winnipeg’s camp. While Burnside was only an invitee to Vancouver’s camp this year, he undoubtedly has been pushed by some of the other Vancouver draft picks from the last few years who are looking to make a name for themselves in the organization as they battle for placement within the minor league system of the Canucks.

Theo Wallberg – Ottawa Senators

The 6-foot-5 defenseman was a sixth round pick by the Senators in the 2022 NHL Draft. 2023-24 was Wallberg’s freshman season at Ohio State, with the Stockholm native ranking second on the Buckeyes with 19 assists. In his first collegiate game, Wallberg dished out three helpers against Mercyhurst.

Along with his offensive prowess on the blue line, Wallberg isn’t afraid to put his body on the line on defense, blocking 46 shots during the season.