Meet seven high school boys hockey prospects in Minnesota pondering college commitments

Cole Bumgarner of Rogers (Provided) Cole Bumgarner, junior forward, Rogers Nate Celski , junior defenseman, White Bear Lake Nathaniel Pederson , junior forward, Shakopee Casey Vandertop , junior forward, Edina. Celski and Vandertop skated at the state tournament in March. In August, the quartet helped the Yanks defeat Slovakia for the gold medal in the Under-17 Five Nations Tournament.

Hornets forward Casey Vandertop looks to pass during Edina's game against Chanhassen in the Class AA boys hockey tournament March 9 at Xcel Energy Center. (Nicole Neri/The Minnesota Star Tribune) The list prospects in Minnesota is certainly deep. This past summer, eight Minnesota prospects were selected to the USA Hockey's National Team Development Program's under-17 team .

The NTDP is a two-year residency program for high-performance players located at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich. The under-17 team plays in the U.S. Hockey League, the only Tier I junior hockey league in the United States, as well as against select competition in the North American Hockey League and Minnesota Elite League.