Roger McQueen Commits to Providence College for 2025-26 Season
In a surprising twist to his developmental story, Elite Prospects can confirm that Anaheim Ducks 2025 10th-overall pick, Roger McQueen, will officially commit to Providence College for the 2025–26 season.
McQueen, a towering 6-foot-6 centre known for his smooth hands, physical presence, and high-end upside, was originally expected to return to the Brandon Wheat Kings for what would have been a dominant final season in the WHL. But in a growing trend among elite Canadian prospects, he has opted instead to take the college route, becoming the latest high-profile name to depart the CHL in favour of the NCAA.
McQueen joins a wave of top-end talent shifting south, including Gavin McKenna and Jackson Smith (Penn State), Porter Martone and Cayden Lindstrom (Michigan State), Cole Reschny and Keaton Verhoeff (North Dakota), and Jack Ivankovic and Malcolm Spence (Michigan). The decisions reflect a changing landscape in junior development, one where factors such as a lighter schedule, access to world-class facilities, and booming NIL opportunities are drawing elite CHL talent away from the traditional Canadian major junior model.
For McQueen, the move is viewed as both strategic and necessary.
The 18-year-old missed a significant amount of time in 2024–25 due to a lingering back injury, appearing in just 20 games. While he returned in time for the postseason and showcased flashes of the dominance that made him a top-10 draft pick, the Ducks and McQueen’s camp seemingly view the NCAA’s more flexible schedule as the ideal setting to manage his recovery, rebuild his body, and develop at his own pace. All while facing high-end, older competition.
“This is a path that gives him (McQueen) the best chance to arrive fully built and ready for the NHL when the time comes,” one league source shared.
A long-striding pivot with elite vision and underrated playmaking, McQueen's frame and hands give him unique potential down the middle. Scouts have long projected him as a future NHL top-six centre, and Anaheim’s selection of him 10th overall showed their confidence in his long-term upside despite the injury concerns. His game is built for the modern NHL: mobile, cerebral, and tough to handle below the dots.
Several top NCAA programs had been pursuing the top centre prospect, including programs already benefiting from this shifting tide in Canadian development.
Still, the loss is a tough one for the Wheat Kings. McQueen was seen as a centrepiece of their forward group and a potential league force next season. His absence will leave a gaping hole in their lineup..
For the Ducks, it’s another piece of long-term planning. McQueen’s timeline may shift a tad, as it was expected he’d make the jump to pro hockey in 2026-27, we could see him stay two years at school. The Ducks are betting on patience paying off, and that the NCAA will give him the foundation to thrive when he eventually leaps into the NHL.
