Trio of First Round Picks Make History at NHL Draft

NASHVILLE – For the second time in four years, three incoming Boston College men's hockey players – U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP) linemates Will Smith, Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault – were selected in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft at Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday night.

Smith was selected fourth overall by the San Jose Sharks, becoming the highest drafted player in Boston College history; Bill Guerin (1989), Noah Hanifin (2015) and Cutter Gauthier (2022) were all selected with the fifth overall pick.

Leonard was drafted with the eighth overall pick by the Washington Capitals as BC became just the third NCAA school to have two top-10 picks in the same draft. The New York Rangers took Perreault with the 23rd overall selection in the first round.

Boston College joined Minnesota as the only NCAA schools to have three players selected in the first round of the same draft on more than one occasion. Matt Boldy, Spencer Knight and Alex Newhook were all first round selections at the 2019 NHL Draft in Vancouver.

Smith was named the MVP of the 2023 IIHF Under-18 World Championship, leading Team USA to a gold medal with nine goals and 11 assists in seven games. His 127 points during the 2022-23 campaign ranked second all-time in the history of the USNTDP for a single season behind Perreault. The Lexington, Massachusetts native also finished his career ranked second all-time for the USNTDP with 191 points over two seasons, trailing only 2019 first overall pick Jack Hughes.

Leonard scored 51 goals during the 2022-23 campaign, tied for ninth all-time in a single season in USNTDP history. Over his two seasons with Team USA, he netted 77 goals which is seventh all-time in program history, two shy of Auston Matthews. The Amherst, Massachusetts native scored the game-winning goal 2:20 into overtime of the U18 World Championship Gold Medal Game to beat Sweden 3-2. He finished the tournament with 17 points, including eight goals.

Perreault registered 53 goals and 79 assists for 132 points this past season, the most in a single season by any player in the history of the USNTDP. His 114 career assists and 185 career points over two seasons both rank fourth all-time in program history. The Hinsdale, Illinois native collected 18 points on five goals and 13 assists at the U18 World Championship in Switzerland to rank second in the tournament behind Smith.

The forward trio gives Boston College 25 all-time first round picks, which ranks third in NCAA history. Eight of those first rounders have come in the last five years. This year also marks the sixth time that multiple BC players have had their names called in the first round.

Rounds 2-7 of the 2023 NHL Draft begin at 10 a.m. on Thursday with live coverage on NHL Network and ESPN+.

Trio of First Round Picks Make History at NHL Draft

Players Mentioned

Cutter Gauthier

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