Draper, McLaughlin among NCAA draft-related NHL free agents
A number of young prospects are now able to sign with whomever they want.
On Saturday, six NCAA players became unrestricted NHL free agents after not signing with the teams that selected them in previous NHL drafts.
While players might’ve been drafted in different years, the rule for college players is that they have to sign on Aug. 15 following their fourth year of undergraduate eligibility. While that rule might change with the new age eligibility rule implemented by the NCAA, a number of players annually become UFAs as they elect not to sign with the team that drafted them, for one reason or another.
One of the bigger names on the list is forward Owen McLaughlin. Once a touted goal scorer with the University of North Dakota, the Philadelphia Flyers draft pick transferred to Boston University for his senior season, hoping to cap off his career with a bang. However, things didn’t click, as he scored just five goals and 17 points in 34 games, his lowest production since his rookie season in Grand Forks. McLaughlin ended up finishing the 2025-26 season with the Flyers’ ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals.
McLaughlin won’t be out of the Flyers’ system, entirely, as he has signed an American Hockey League contract with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
A recognizeable name is Kienan Draper. The son of Detroit Red Wings legend Kris Draper was taken by his father’s former team in the seventh round of the 2020 NHL Draft. While he had a respectable career at the University of Michigan, it wasn’t enough to warrant him and NHL deal. Yet, Draper will stay in the Mitten. After finishing this past year with the Grand Rapids Griffins, Detroit’s primary affiliate, the 24-year-old signed a two-year, minor-league deal with the Griffins.
Of the players who haven’t signed, but are still on their team’s reserve list, is Arizona State University forward Cruz Lucius. Originally taken by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Draft, the kid from Kansas was a talented scorer coming up through the youth and USNTDP ranks. After a couple of promising seasons at the University of Wisconsin, he transferred to ASU to continue to grow a solid program in Tempe. After an injury-riddled 2024-25 season, Lucius posted career highs in goals (15), assists (31) and points (46) in his senior season, though the Sun Devils finished near the bottom of the NCHC standings.
In 125 career NCAA games, the 22-year-old scored 41 goals and 83 assists for 124 points.
Another notable player who didn’t sign with their NHL squad was Wisconsin star Kyle Kukkonen. However, his story is a little different than Lucius’.
Kukkonen was picked by the Anaheim Ducks in the sixth round of the 2021 draft. He was an impressive scorer at Maple Grove High School in Minnesota, and posted 53 points in one season with the United States Hockey League’s Madison Capitals. However, he never found his footing in the NCAA ranks. After a couple of decent seasons at Michigan Tech, he joined the Badgers for his final two years, posting just 25 points across two seasons.
Kukkonen will remain in the Ducks’ system, as he already signed a minor-league deal with the organization’s American Hockey League affiliate, the San Diego Gulls.
Here’s the full list of NCAA players who are now UFAs this year:
Detroit Red Wings: Kienan Draper (Michigan)
Ottawa Senators: Tyson Dyck (Wisconsin)
Philadelphia Flyers: Owen McLaughlin (Boston University)
Toronto Maple Leafs: Joe Miller (Harvard)
Utah Mammoth: Cal Thomas (Minnesota)
Washington Capitals: Chase Clark (Canisius)
Below is this list of “reserve list” players, according to PuckPedia:
Anaheim Ducks: Kyle Kukkonen (Wisconsin)
Boston Bruins: Oskar Jellvik (Boston College), Mason Langenbrunner (Harvard), Philip Svedeback (Providence)
Buffalo Sabres: Stiven Sardaryan (Michigan Tech)
Montreal Canadiens: Jack Smith (Minnesota State)
Nashville Predators: Adam Ingram (St. Cloud State), Sutter Muzzatti (Notre Dame), Benjamin Strinden (North Dakota)
New Jersey Devils: Charlie Leddy (Quinnipiac), Samu Salminen (Denver)
New York Islanders: Ryan Healey (Harvard)
Pittsburgh Penguins: Cruz Lucius (Arizona State)
Vegas Golden Knights: Noah Ellis (Sacred Heart)
Washington Capitals: Joaquim Lemay (Northeastern)