USHL strengthens its NHL draft pipeline with 44 selected players

The USHL had 44 players selected in the 2026 NHL Draft at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y., a total that included 32 direct selections credited to the league by the NHL. Mike Moore’s July 3 analysis cast those numbers as evidence of a pipeline that has become repeatable, not occasional, with USHL prospects showing up across multiple clubs and development tracks rather than in isolated one-off draft runs.

The first round added more proof. After Casey Mutryn of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program went 38th overall, Tobias Trejbal of the Youngstown Phantoms became the first goalie selected in the draft. The USHL said it had two direct selections and two alumni chosen in the opening round, a split that showed the league’s influence still runs through both active rosters and players who have already moved on to other paths.

That reach extended well beyond the USHL’s own counts. USA Hockey said 53 Americans were chosen in the 2026 draft, including 14 NTDP players, keeping the developmental program at the center of the American draft picture. The USHL also said 68 players with league ties appeared in NHL Central Scouting’s final North American rankings before the draft, a sign that the league’s visibility was broad before Buffalo opened.

The 2026 class followed a strong run of recent drafts. The USHL said it had 53 total selections in 2025 in Los Angeles, 49 players with USHL ties went in 2024 in Las Vegas, and 51 were selected in 2023 in Nashville. In April 2024, the league said it had reached 1,041 NHL Draft picks all-time, while more than 50 percent of NCAA Division I roster spots were held by USHL alumni in 2024-25 and more than 25 percent of NHL players had USHL experience.

The February 2026 figure on more than 285 direct NHL Draft picks since 2020 sharpened the picture further. For families choosing a junior route, the USHL’s case is no longer built on reputation alone. The draft history, the NCAA footprint, and the steady NHL recognition in Buffalo all pointed to the same conclusion: the league is still one of the most reliable bridges from elite youth hockey to the next level.