Its March, which means the college hockey season is winding down, making certain players available for teams to sign. Some NHL clubs will be signing away players they drafted, while others will be pursuing undrafted free agents.Under the current salary cap structure, undrafted free agents out of college hockey have become hot commodities. In some cases, those players will merely fill organizational depth. Others will be given a shot to jump right onto the NHL roster in the hopes that they can fill a role on the big club for the rest of the season and beyond.The players that end up as undrafted free agents are typically late bloomers, who just didnt have enough of a body of work to warrant a team using a draft pick on them when eligible. Now Danny Green Jersey theyve had time to build up their skills and their strength. Most will range from 21 to 24 years old, the younger the better for most teams. Some are going to be able to jump right into NHL lineups, while many will probably make a minimal impact at best. Because it's such a low-risk investment to see what these players can do, NHL teams keep going back to the college free agent well.A recent college free agent succe s story is , who signed with the out of Western Michigan University and has become a top-four defenseman for the club. saw his junior season at the University of New Hampshire end early due to injury one year and the next he was lifting the Stanley Cup with the . Also, the are sure to be happy with Frank Vatrano, who has been a scoring machine in the AHL this season and scored six goals over 30 games in the NHL as a rookie. They plucked him out of UMa s last season. This years crop doesnt have that standout free agent like weve seen in years past, but there are some really interesting ones. Heres a look, in no particular order, at some of the top college free agents available this season:Troy Stecher, D, North Dakota: Among the undrafted free agents acro s the country, its hard to view any as having more upside than Stecher. A junior defenseman on the nations No. 2 team, Stecher has a strong two-way game and has progre sed in each of his years at North Dakota. It helps to have former NHL defenseman Brad Berry, well respected for his ability to develop fellow blue liners, as a head coach after he took over for current coach Dave Hakstol last summer. UND also plays a more pro-style game, too.Stechers numbers arent eye-popping, nor is his frame (5-10, 190), but hes an intelligent player with good instincts at both ends of the ice. He has posted a career-best 25 points in 35 games so far this season. He very well could return to UND for his senior year, but there should be a host of offers by the time the Fighting Hawks are done playing. At 21 years old, Stecher is on the young side for a college UFA and thats what makes him so much more appealing. Theres more about his game left to develop yet. He might not play right away, but hes got a good shot at reaching the NHL and contributing.Drake Caggiula, RW, North Dakota: To me, Caggiula is the most intriguing of the college free agents. On top of his unending motor, Caggiula has developed into one of the NCAAs most dangerous offensive players over his four years at UND. A true senior, which can be rare to find in college hockey, Caggiula has 39 points in 31 games while playing alongside first-round draft picks Nick Schmaltz (Chicago Blackhawks) and Brock Boeser ( ). Theyre called the CBS Line and even without the draft pedigree, Caggiula is hardly a pa senger.In fact, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound forward has been a bit of a human highlight reel this year, scoring great goals and big goals for his team. He has 18 so far this season. Meanwhile, hell be 22 in June, unlike some of the other top free agent forwards who are already 24. Heres a small sample of what Caggiula can do (with Stecher getting Tracy McGrady Jersey one of the easiest a sists of his life):Nick Lappin, RW, Brown: Lappin appears to be the first player that will be signed this year. Browns season is over and he has already received eight to 10 NHL offers and is in the proce s of narrowing down his list. Lappin is 23 and topped the 100-point plateau for his career at Brown. He had a career year as a senior, posting 17 goals and 33 points this season. He also had a strong career in junior, posting 46 points in his final year in the USHL. Hes one of those guys where its tough to know exactly what hell be until get gets some pro reps, but theres a good reason so many teams want to find out. Update: The New Jersey Devils announced Tuesday night that they have signed Lappin to an entry-level contract.Casey Nelson, D, Minnesota State: A 23-year-old Wisconsin native, Nelson is garnering interest as a good-sized puck-moving defenseman. He was even as a potential top target. Last year, he posted 33 points in 40 games for Minnesota State, which has produced such NHL players at and . This year, his production dropped to 20 points in 35 games. He could return to school for his senior season, but now may be the time for him to take advantage of the offers that are likely to be available to him. Hes not a lock to make it to the NHL, but theres a team out there that will certainly throw a contract at the 6-foot-2 defenseman to see what hes got. Alex Lyon, G, Yale: Lyon appears to be the top goaltender available as a free agent, if hes available that is. He has another year of eligibility left at Yale. Its usually tougher to pull a player out an Ivy League school early and based on Lyons career to date, the offers will still be there when he graduates next season. The 23-year-old netminder has been a three-year starter with Yale. So far this year, Lyon has posted a career-best .941 save percentage, bolstering a.932 career mark over 90 appearances. One i sue with Lyon is that he doesnt po se s the hulking frame that teams seem to covet now, but his numbers are fantastic.Andrew Poturalski, C, New Hampshire: Poturalski is an interesting one in that hes only a sophomore and perhaps should return to UNH for his junior season. That said, he finished the year with 52 points in 37 games, which is currently the second highest total in the country. That gets you some notice. At 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, hes not going to attract teams because of his size, but it wont scare them away either. It will be very interesting to see what kind of offers he ends up getting and if he takes them. UPDATE: Hours after publication, theCarolina Hurricanes announced they have signed Poturalski to a l.This is by no means a comprehensive list. You can look to a number of candidates on defending national champion Providences roster, like veteran forward Nick Saracino and Brandon Tanev. There are also a few other goalie prospects out there that should garner interest. The college free agent signings usually number in the dozens around this time of year. Most of the top players, especially guys like Stecher and Caggiula, could play deep into the spring as their teams advance. The NCAAs Frozen Four will take place in Tampa from April 7-9. The last day of the NHLs regular season is the ninth, with two makeup games scheduled for the 10th.
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