30 names to watch when the 2024 college hockey recruiting cycle opens – Grand Forks Herald

GRAND FORKS — A new college hockey recruiting window opens Aug. 1.

Players heading into their junior year of high school will be able to receive scholarship offers and begin making verbal commitments.

Schools have been allowed to communicate with these players since Jan. 1.

There will likely be some commitments right away on Aug. 1. Other players will begin taking official visits — paid for by the school — and make their decisions later.

Each year, the Herald compiles a list of recruits to watch.

This list is a combination of the best-available players nationally with a lean toward traditional National Collegiate Hockey Conference recruiting grounds and players from the area who could be notable prospects.

It’s worth noting that players develop at different rates. Some of college hockey’s best teams in recent years have been made up of older players and late-bloomers who never would have been on a list like this.

Two years ago, the No. 1 player on the Herald’s recruiting watch list was Macklin Celebrini. He won the Hobey Baker Award as a freshman and signed with the San Jose Sharks.

Last year, the top player was James Hagens, who will be a freshman at Boston College this season and could contend for the Hobey.

Celebrini and Hagens were no-brainers. This year, it’s different. There is not a consensus No. 1 prospect and scouts’ lists appear to vary significantly.

Here’s this year’s list of 30 players to watch when the new window opens.

1. Mikey Berchild, F, Excelsior, Minn.: Berchild was the only sophomore to make the prep team at Shattuck-St. Mary’s last season, and he was able to produce. He had 60 points in 49 games, tying for eighth on the team. When he was among his own age group, Berchild led the gold-medal USA team at the Youth Olympics with nine points in four games. He’s small at 5-foot-9, but scouts say he has impressive off-the-ice qualities. Berchild will play for the U.S. Under-17 Team this fall.