Breaking down USA Hockey's U17 NTDP roster for the 2026-27 season

USA Hockey has announced the final roster for the 2026-27 U17 National Team Development Program.

There will be a lot of energy spent on the kids that won’t be playing in Plymouth next fall, but it's important to note how well the NTDP did at locking down some of the top players in the class. There’s been speculation all year long surrounding many of these players in the new landscape. 

CHL opportunities loomed, particularly for kids in the west. WHL teams have held the rights of A-grade names like Joey Cullen, Carter Morris, Henry Buttweiler, RJ Thompson, and Maverick McKinnon for nearly a calendar year. That’s a full season of courtship and recruiting athletes who are eligible to sign player agreements into the league. While a few players signed, the allure of wearing the Red, White & Blue held serve. Securing those five, along with others approaching their respective CHL drafts, will help make this a very respectable group in international competition. 

Another name that has been surrounded with flight risk all year long is Shattuck-St. Mary’s blueliner Drew Daley. Daley was a contender for the OHL first overall pick, possibly even having the luxury of choosing his landing spot. But Daley instead will opt for the National Program, the strongest defenceman factory of the past decade. 

Bantam to the USHL

USA Hockey U18 General Manager Rod Braceful was adamant to Elite Prospects in the challenges that the programs face when evaluating kids across multiple leagues, levels, and age groups of competition. “You might have some kids playing prep school in New England, or bantam and high school hockey in Minnesota, and you are trying to figure out how things work…taking that all into account."

It’s a tricky balance to manage, something that plagues every scouting room across the country, including ours at Elite Prospects. Because of how varied the playing levels are for these kids, the Evaluation Camp in March every year becomes of paramount importance. 

At the camp, perhaps no one had more to prove than Minnetonka forward Dean Stevens. Because of Minnesota’s unique age layout, Stevens played Bantam AA this past year in a loaded Minnetonka program. Now, he’s earned his way into the National Team Development Program. It’ll be a massive leap, bantam to the USHL, but it's not unprecedented. Most notably, Brock Faber made the move as a 2002 birth-year after dominating for Osseo-Maple Grove’s program. Recently, Wyatt Cullen from the 2008s and Beck Thoreson from the 2009s made the leap, both Moorhead, MN natives. There will be challenges and moments for growth, but Stevens has the puck skills and release to produce at any level.

Who Won’t Be There?

This list has massive implications across all leagues, not just the USHL programs eager to sign tenders. CHL programs preparing for their drafts now have a clear understanding of who will be available from the US AAA circuits, snagging players who slipped through the cracks in the NTDP process. It's impossible to split hairs on who turned the program down and who was cut, so we’re not going to speculate. 

OHL teams will be smiling, seeing that Colin Kennedy has officially entered the player pool. The diminutive Little Caesars forward has torched events this season with pace, motor, and a sneaky release. Ben Slavick, his Little Caesars teammate, is another top camp invite who will possibly turn to the OHL. He’s a heavy forward with slick hands and scoring instincts. Kennedy and Slavick slotted in at 15 and 23, respectively, on our OHL team’s midseason draft list. They’re strong candidates to rise. Alec Walker, a 6-foot-5 forward from Florida Alliance, also felt like a strong contender to play a middle-six role for the NTDP. He’ll seek opportunities elsewhere.  

Other camp invites, such as Liam Brooks, Henry Meier, Nikolai Zhukov, Dylan Delgado, and Aiden Ali, are players who will help form the strong 2010-class playing outside of the National Program. As we continue to evaluate into the spring, they will be high-priority players on our USA list. 

The Forward Core

This team is loaded with talent up front, featuring kids who have been breaking games open at the minor hockey level for years. Joey Cullen, Carter Morris, Maverick McKinnon, and RJ Thompson are the four biggest names on paper, kids who can fly while embarrassing defenders at pace. Deverin Warner has been dynamic this season, taking over games by playing through contact and manipulating with his feet. Dean Stevens jumps up from the bantam level as a high-end shooter, and Ryan Teuscher will add some spark from Fox Motors. 

New England Prep standouts Jack Queally and Samuel Lee both crack the list after dominant seasons, leading their AAA programs to the National Tournament. Both had strong interest from QMJHL programs. Cameron Evans, fresh off an 11-point performance at USA Hockey Nationals en route to a championship, will add some secondary scoring and edge into the lineup. Thicker forwards, guys like Jack Trupiano, Will Losauro, and Henry Buttweiler, will add some jam along the wall, complementing the high-flying transition scorers up in the top six. 

The Blue Line

The USA has produced more elite defenders than any country in the world over the past decade. It's too early to say if this group of 16-year-olds will continue this trend, but they bring a really intriguing blend of both high-end potential and high-floor prospects. 

Drew Daley will headline the blue line after recently leading Shattuck’s Prep team to a National Championship as a tenth grader. He’s an early favourite to run the top power play unit. Chase Schulberger is another name that immediately stands out. He was dominant at 15O Nationals, combining hulking size with high-level skating and activations. Don’t be surprised if he’s in the top 5 Americans on our list when it releases. 

While Schulberger and Daley highlight the massive upside, there are plenty more opportunities for guys to fill roles. Kellen Paetsch, Mason Schemenauer, and Landon Knott all bring some size and projectability. Brooks Suter, Ryan’s son, starred at Edina High School this past season as an efficient rush defender. Fox Motors product Andrew Krochalk and Little Caesars defender Griffin Carver, who was recently ranked 24th overall by our OHL Draft scouts, will round out the blue line. It's a strong core group, one that is wide open for players to seize opportunity.

The Crease

Colby Arnold and Mason Martin will man the crease for the National Team, the next era in a strong lineage of American goalies. Arnold comes from the St. Louis Blues 15O AAA group, while Martin spent his time this season at Fox Motors. Arnold is a bit smaller, but he reads plays well and moves efficiently. Martin brings a bit more size, at 6-foot-2, and has some physical tools along with mechanics. Both of them will require development on the road to the NHL draft, but there's a nice baseline to work with.