The tricky thing about Boston College’s draft history with the National Hockey League us that by the time a lot of the players are set to join the collegiate ranks they’ve already been selected.
Overall, to be eligible a player must beat least 18 years old by Sept. 15 of the draft year. North American players can’t be older than 20, while international players can be up to 21 if they haven’t previously played in the league. However, that means they only have to be out of high school to be selected.
A good example of how that often played out with the Eagles was the late Johnny Gaudreau. When he was selected by the Calgary Flames with the 104th-overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, he was still with Dubuque in the USHL. A big reason why he lasted until the fourth round was that he was listed as being 5-foot-6, 137 pounds.
Gaudreau had signed a letter of intent to play at Northeastern, only to change to Boston College after Huskies head coach Greg Cronin resigned. As a freshman he led all first-year players with 21 goals and 23 assists in 44 games and played a key part in the Eagles winning the national championship. For an encore he netted 21 goals and 30 assists in 35 games as sophomore, leading to a lot of speculation that he would turn pro.
But instead Gaudreau played a final season at Boston College in order to play with his incoming brother Matthew. The junior led the nation in scoring with 36 goals and 44 assists for 80 points in 40 games and won the Hobey Baker Award as college’s hockey’s most outstanding player.
On the day he received the trophy, Gaudreau went pro and joined the Calgary Flames. He scored on his first shot in the league and during his first full season was named to the All-Star Skills Competition Rookie Team, only to be promoted to the actual All-Star game as a replacement for Sidney Crosby.
Consequently, Gaudreau will be remembered as one of the greatest players in Boston College history, but officially he was draft out of Dubuque.
Boston College All-Time NHL Draft Selections
Year, Overall, Name, Team, Round, Pick, Pos.
1970 68 Tom Mellor Detroit Red Wings 5 12 D
1976 61 Paul Skidmore St. Louis Blues 4 7 G
1978 216 Joe Casey St. Louis Blues 14 4 D
1978 189 Steve Barger Washington Capitals 12 3 RW
1978 141 Charles Antetomaso Vancouver Canucks 9 4 D
1978 117 Mike Ewanowski Philadelphia Flyers 7 14 RW
1978 136 Bobby Hehir Boston Bruins 8 16 C
1980 182 Chris Wray New York Rangers 9 13 RW
1980 157 Billy O’Dwyer Los Angeles Kings 8 10 C
1981 106 Robert O’Connor Winnipeg Jets 6 1 G
1982 155 Chris Delaney St. Louis Blues 8 8 LW
1986 13 Craig Janney Boston Bruins 1 13 C
1987 211 David Littman Buffalo Sabres 11 1 G
1987 140 Robert Cheevers Boston Bruins 7 14 C
1989 227 David Franzosa Boston Bruins 11 17 D
1989 110 David Emma New Jersey Devils 6 5 C
1996 14 Marty Reasoner St. Louis Blues 1 14 C
1996 117 Brendan Buckley Anaheim Ducks 5 9 D
1997 57 Jeff Farkas Toronto Maple Leafs 3 4 C
1997 116 Kevin Caulfield Washington Capitals 5 10 RW
1997 182 Mike Mottau New York Rangers 7 21 D
1998 52 Bobby Allen Boston Bruins 2 25 D
1998 82 Brian Gionta New Jersey Devils 3 24 RW
1998 134 Rob Scuderi Pittsburgh Penguins 5 20 D
2000 19 Krys Kolanos Phoenix Coyotes 1 19 C
2000 18 Brooks Orpik Pittsburgh Penguins 1 18 D
2000 153 Bill Cass Anaheim Ducks 5 23 D
2001 14 Chuck Kobasew Calgary Flames 1 14 RW
2001 131 Ben Eaves Pittsburgh Penguins 4 34 C
2002 82 John Adams Buffalo Sabres 3 19 D
2002 185 Ryan Murphy Los Angeles Kings 6 19 RW
2002 273 Ned Havern Dallas Stars 9 13 LW
2003 29 Patrick Eaves Ottawa Senators 1 29 RW
2004 46 Adam Pineault Columbus Blue Jackets 2 16 RW
2005 54 Dan Bertram Chicago Blackhawks 2 24 RW
2006 196 Benn Ferriero Phoenix Coyotes 7 13 F
2008 169 Ben Smith Chicago Blackhawks 6 18 RW
2014 36 Thatcher Demko Vancouver Canucks 2 6 G
2015 5 Noah Hanifin Carolina Hurricanes 1 5 D
2016 86 Casey Fitzgerald Buffalo Sabres 3 25 D
2018 89 Logan Hutsko Florida Panthers 3 27 RW
2025 7 James Hagens Boston Bruins 1 7 C
SEE ALSO: NHL Draft History of Independent Hockey Programs, Alaska Anchorage, Fairbanks