In a never-ending strive to be considered the best in the world at hockey, the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (USNTDP) was founded in 1996 and has produced some of the biggest names in American hockey.
A member of the United States Hockey League (USHL) among junior hockey teams, USA holds an under-17 team and an under-18 team. They play many of the USHL teams while regularly competing against the NCAA with a team of almost all commits to high-level college hockey programs.
Some of the best American-born players in the NHL are alumni of the USNTDP, and the talent pool continues to increase with alumni as the youth of both pro and college hockey.
There have been just under 750 hockey players to come through the program, 432 of them drafted by the NHL, and 103 going in the first round. As of last season, there were 108 alumni in the NHL and three players drafted first overall in separate drafts (2007, 2016, 2019).
In the World Junior tournament (IIHF World Junior Championship) currently taking place, 18 players on the 25-man roster are alumni of the program who look to carry the legacy of 187 other alumni who have medaled at the World Juniors.
It is exciting for opponents to take the ice against players who will more likely have an NHL career than not. It is equally or more exciting for the fans of opponents and the USA alike who see the future of hockey at the USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan.
Bowling Green has scheduled USA three times in the last four seasons and eight times total. These are the most notable alumni from the USNTD who have played against BGSU.
Brandon Saad (LW) | CHI/CBJ/COL/STL/VEG- a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Chicago Blackhawks, he began his stardom at USNTDP, where he led the team in goals and points. Saad then played two seasons for the Saginaw Spirit in the Ontario Hockey League before a pro career, now in his 15th season at just 33 years old. His numbers include five teams, 968 games, and 534 points in the NHL.
Saad scored the final goal of a 7-2 win for USNTDP in Bowling Green on Oct. 16, 2009.
Jack Campbell (G) | DAL/LAK/TOR/EDM- saved 91.3 percent of shots and allowed just 2.2 goals per game in his season with USNTDP before he journeyed through many teams in the OHL, ECHL, AHL, and NHL. He was drafted by the Dallas Stars 11th overall in the 2010 NHL Draft, playing just one game for his draft team. He went on to play 175 games for three other franchises, now at Detroit’s AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Campbell allowed two power-play goals in the third period of USNTDP’s game at Bowling Green in 2009, winning the game 7-2.
Jack Eichel (C) | Boston U./BUF/VEG- finished as the goal and point leader for USA in 2013-14 with eight games missed. He took his scoring talent to Boston University, scoring 71 points in 40 games and winning the Hobey Baker Award as a freshman. Drafted by the Buffalo Sabres second overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, he landed 355 points in 375 games before moving to the Vegas Golden Knights expansion team in 2021. Eichel won the 2023 Stanley Cup, has scored 342 points in 272 games, and is not yet 30 years old.
BGSU Hockey handled Eichel in their 2014 contest against USNTDP in Bowling Green, holding the star to one assist on the game-winning goal. The Falcons lost 6-1.
Dylan Larkin (C) | Michigan/DET- is “Mr. Michigan” given his journey from Waterford Township, to the USNTDP in Plymouth, to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, to the Grand Rapids Griffins in the AHL, and the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL. He has been successful at every level, second in goals in the USA and fourth in points, second at Michigan in points, and now captains the Red Wings as a six-time 60+ point scorer.
Larkin took six shots against BGSU in 2014 in the Slater Family Ice Arena, scoring a goal and two assists in the 6-1 USNTDP victory. He led the game in points (3), shots, and rating (+3).
Auston Matthews (C) | TOR- known as maybe the most proficient goal scorer in the NHL, played parts of two seasons with the USNTDP under-18 team. In his first season, he scored 17 points in 20 games and 117 points in 60 games in the 2014-15 campaign. He then played one year of pro hockey in Switzerland before being drafted first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2016 NHL Draft.
Matthews has won the Calder (outstanding rookie), Richard (top goal scorer), Hart (most valuable), and Pearson (most outstanding player) trophies. Leading the league in goals three times and even-strength goals five times, he is 11th among active players in career goals scored at just 28 years old.
Matthews was held pointless by Bowling Green in their game against the USNTDP in 2014, although the San Ramon, California native took a +3 rating.
K’Andre Miller (D) | Wisconsin/NYR- scored nine goals and 29 points with USA in 2017-18 before being drafted in the first round by the New York Rangers in 2018. He joined Wisconsin and played two 18+ point seasons of college hockey ahead of his now-six-season NHL career. In his almost 400 career games, he has averaged about 21 minutes of ice time per game, scoring 145 points and a +49 rating.
Miller recorded two shots and two blocks against BGSU on October 6, 2017, in a 4-1 Bowling Green home win.
Jack Hughes (C) | NJD- was on the roster and did not skate against BGSU in 2017, but did play against the Falcons in Plymouth. He played just 86 of the team’s 126 total games played, yet scored 61 goals and 119 assists before leaving directly for the New Jersey Devils as the first overall pick in the 2019 draft. He has three seasons in a row of 70+ points, a 99-point season as an All-Star in 2022-23.
Hughes scored an assist in the 5-4 loss on November 21, 2018, taking a slashing penalty and skating a -1 rating.
Spencer Knight (G) | Boston C./FLA/CHI- is one of the better goaltenders in USNTDP history. He finished his season with 2.3 goals against and a .913 save percentage in 2018-19 among 32 wins. Knight completed 54 games in two seasons at Boston College, and in his second season was a First Team All-American and named Hockey East’s Player and Goaltender of the Year. He was drafted 13th overall by the Florida Panthers in 2019 and was traded to Chicago in March of 2025.
Against BGSU, the Connecticut native saved 37 shots and allowed five goals, taking one of only four losses in the 2018-19 season.
Cole Caufield (RW) | Wisconsin/MTL- It is very rare you see a 70-goal scorer in any hockey league, a mark he reached in 2018-19 with the USNTDP. He was a Hobey Baker Award winner, a First Team All-American, Big Ten Player of the Year, and First Team All-Big Ten in his second and final season at Wisconsin in the NCAA. Drafted 15th overall in 2019 by Montreal, he is the cornerstone of the Canadiens and is on pace for a career high in goals, assists, and points this season.
He was a two-goal scorer against Bowling Green in their game on Nov. 21, 2018, losing 5-4 at USA Hockey Arena.
Trevor Zegras (C) | Boston U./ANA/PHI- has dealt with relatively major injuries throughout his pro career, playing 80 games just once through five full seasons. He is a two-time 60+ point scorer in the NHL and is on pace for a career high in goals, assists, and points in his first campaign with the Philadelphia Flyers. He was third on the USNTDP team in points, second in assists, and fifth in goals in 2018-19, then scoring 36 points in 33 games during his lone season with Boston University.
Zegras assisted the Caufield’s final goal of the game in a 5-4 loss to BGSU in 2018, recording a team-worst -3 rating.
Luke Hughes (D) | Michigan/NJD- the brother of Jack Hughes, Luke scored 34 points in 38 games in the 2020-21 season that was cut short. He was drafted fourth overall in the 2021 NHL Draft by New Jersey, electing to play at the University of Michigan, where he scored 27 goals and 60 points in two seasons. He skated two games at the end of the 2022-23 NHL season after his final game at UofM, scoring an overtime game-winner in the final regular season game of the season. Hughes has since scored 110 points in 191 games playing with his brother in New Jersey.
Hughes scored a goal and an assist in USA Hockey’s home exhibition game against Bowling Green in January of 2021, the Falcons falling 5-1.
Trey Augustine (G) | Michigan State- maybe the best goaltender in USNTDP history, he finished the 2022-23 season with a 2.1 goals against average and .926 save percentage, losing only one game of 32 played. Augustine was drafted that spring by the Detroit Red Wings, one of the NHL’s most anticipated prospects from a non-affiliated team. He appeared at the IIHF World Junior Championships three times and is Team USA’s all-time winningest goaltender, winning five medals and three golds in two age groups.
Against BGSU on Jan. 27, 2023, Augustine saved 27 shots, allowed three goals, and took a 6-3 win. Five active Falcons played in that game (Pfoh, Norris, Emerson, Blake, Grant), and none recorded a point against Augustine.
Will Smith (C) | Boston C./SJS- now a part of an up-and-coming San Jose Sharks team, Smith is the most successful member of the 2022-23’ USNTDP team.
Smith scored 127 points in 60 games as a commit to Boston College, then scored 71 points in 41 games in his only year of NCAA. Drafted fourth overall in 2023, Smith finished sixth in Calder voting (most outstanding rookie) with 45 points in 74 games in 2024-25. He is on pace for 72 points this season.
The Boston, Massachusetts native took four shots and scored a goal against BSGU in 2023, netting the final goal with 19 seconds to go in the 6-3 win.
Ryan Leonard (RW) | Boston C./WSH- was the third highest scoring player on the USNTDP team in 2022-23 behind Smith and Gabe Perreault, and followed both to Boston College. He was drafted eighth by the Washington Capitals following his 94-point USA season in 2023, scoring 109 points in two seasons at BC. He played his last college game on March 30, 2025, in the NCAA Frozen Four, playing his first NHL game just two days later against the Boston Bruins, the first of nine regular-season and eight playoff NHL games last season.
Like his future Boston College teammates Smith and Perreault, Leonard scored a goal in the USNTDP win at Bowling Green in the Slater Family Ice Arena.
Zeev Buium (D) | Denver/MIN/VAN- the highest scoring defenseman on the 2022-23’ USNTDP roster, Buium nailed just five goals but 35 assists before playing two seasons for Denver. At Denver, the blueliner won the 2024 National Championship, was named a Hobey Baker finalist, a 2x First Team All-American, and USCHO.com Player of the Year. Unlike Augustine, Smith, and Leonard on the same squad, he was drafted in 2024, 12th overall, to the Minnesota Wild. He was traded after 31 games played to the Vancouver Canucks in a package for Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Quinn Hughes.
Buium assisted the third goal of the BGSU vs USNTDP game in Bowling Green on Jan. 27, 2023, a 6-3 win for the USA.
LJ Mooney (RW) | Minnesota- played against the Falcons as a commit to the University of Minnesota in 2024-25’ and scored a team-leading one point per game in 51 games played (of 66). In his first season as a Gopher, Mooney has 15 points in 19 games played, third on the team in points and first in assists. Between his time at USNTDP and Minnesota, Mooney was drafted 113th overall in the 2025 NHL draft by the Montreal Canadiens.
Mooney scored a goal and an assist in the team’s 6-4 victory over Bowling Green in Plymouth, Michigan, on Feb. 14, 2025.
Cole McKinney (C) | Michigan- was drafted in the second round of the 2025 NHL Draft by the San Jose Sharks following his last season with the USNTDP. He scored 61 points in 60 games; he and Mooney were the only players from the team to be point-per-game scorers. A commit to Michigan during last season, he did not sign with the Sharks and is playing his first season of college hockey in Ann Arbor, landing 11 points in 20 games with the number one team in the country.
McKinney assisted Jack Murtagh’s game-winning goal against Bowling Green in 2025, winning 6-4 at USA Hockey Arena.
