I just got back from the World Under-17 Challenge hosted by Charlottetown and Summerside in PEI. With an early look at the 2007 age group, I thought it was time for a way, way-too-early look at next year’s NHL Draft class. This kind of list requires all kinds of caveats. I have not dug into these players the way I will in their draft years. I do not claim to have seen every top prospect yet, and thus if I haven’t watched them, they aren’t listed. Also, since Russian prospects aren’t at major tournaments anymore, I have a bit of a lag in knowing the top Russian prospects at this point in the process.

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1. James Hagens, C, U.S. NTDP-USHL

Hagens is a dynamic playmaking center who has shown the ability to impact games at the USHL level despite not being draft eligible yet. His skating is excellent with NHL footspeed and edge work. He’s a very skilled puck handler and playmaker who can create at full speed. His skating/puck play combo reminds some evaluators of Jack Hughes. I’m not sure I would go that far yet, but it’s not outlandish to compare the two players at the same age. He has star NHL forward upside.

2. Porter Martone, RW, Mississauga-OHL

Martone is an easy player to like who is having a great season in the OHL. He’s a 6-3 forward who skates like an NHL player and has a ton of skill. He is so talented, and can break open a shift at any given moment to create offense. Martone also doesn’t shy from playing around the net and has a lot of skills that are transferable to the top level. His pure playmaking doesn’t quite rise to the level of the rest of his skill set, but it’s good enough. Hagens’ claim to the No. 1 spot is not uncontested, as I think Martone is neck and neck with him currently.

3. Roger McQueen, C, Brandon-WHL

McQueen’s tools are hard to miss when you watch him. He’s a 6-foot-5 right-shot center who can skate and handle the puck like an NHL player. He can make unique plays for a guy with his size and the way he creates around the net gets you excited about his NHL potential. McQueen can dominate at times, but he can also be inconsistent, which reminds some evaluators of Kirby Dach a bit at the same age.

4. Logan Hensler, RHD, U.S. NTDP-USHL

Hensler has shown quite well at the junior level for the NTDP this season. He checks every box you want in a top-four NHL defenseman. He skates well. He has length and can project to make stops as a pro. He is very skilled and smart with the puck, and has a natural instinct to create offense. Will he be the most dynamic player ever? Probably not. But he looks like a big minute-eating NHL defenseman.

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5. Matthew Schaefer, LHD, Erie-OHL

Schaefer projects as a very good two-way defenseman in the NHL. He’s an excellent skater who will stay with fast NHL forwards and be able to retrieve a lot of pucks. He competes well and makes a lot of stops. His skill and vision are good, albeit not as strong as his skating. He will contribute enough offense in the NHL that, when combined with his defense, he will contribute a lot of value to his team.

6. Michael Misa, C, Saginaw-OHL

Misa has been very good in the OHL since being named an exceptional status player. As a prospect, his talent level is closer to that of Shane Wright than the very best exceptional-status players, though. Misa is a very strong skater and puck handler who can project to create at an NHL pace and be an asset offensively. He competes well enough and has good playmaking instincts. There is a lack of a wow factor in his game, even though there are a lot of positives.

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7. Cole McKinney, C, U.S. NTDP-USHL

McKinney is the go-to forward in his NTDP age group. He plays all situations and is a play driver down the middle. He skates well, has strong puck skills and is creative offensively with the puck as a playmaker, although his scoring totals haven’t been amazing to start the season. His great motor when combined with his talent though makes him a very strong pro prospect.

8. Caleb Desnoyers, C, Moncton-QMJHL

Desnoyers has been off to a great start this season — he’s an important part of a top QMJHL team and helped his U17 team win gold at the U17 Challenge. He has the speed, skill and hockey sense to be a legit scoring threat versus men and help a power play at higher levels.

9. Drew Schock, LHD, U.S. NTDP-USHL

Schock is a small defenseman, but he is very talented and I think his game will translate to the NHL level. He’s a powerful skater with excellent edge work and is very evasive. He is very skilled and instinctive with the puck. He has legit PP QB skills and the feet to help a team at even strength. The defensive side of his game will be an issue until it isn’t versus bigger players, but there are some rhymes in the way he plays to someone like Quinn Hughes.

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10. Charlie Trethewey, RHD, U.S. NTDP-USHL

Trethewey’s hockey sense may be the best of his age group or at the minimum right near the top. He is extremely poised and intelligent with the puck and can create a lot of offense. That he’s got decent size and skates well too lends to a very favorable pro projection as someone who can play a lot of minutes.

11. Ivan Ryabkin, C, Dynamo Moscow-Russia Jr

Ryabkin has been a highly productive player at the Russian junior level this season. He is a highly creative offensive player with the hands, speed and vision to be a legit scorer versus pros. Ryabkin also competes hard and projects as an all-around forward despite average size.

12. Sascha Boumedienne, LHD, Youngstown-USHL

Boumedienne has been excellent in the USHL as a 16-year-old hovering around a point/game. He has legit offense and puck-moving ability, but it’s his skating that gets you the most excited about his potential. Boumedienne is a powerful, fluid skater with feet that project as an NHL asset and will allow him to be a strong pro defenseman.

13. Anton Frondell, C, Djurgarden-Sweden Jr.

Frondell has been having a great season in Sweden’s junior league as a leading player for his team. He’s very skilled and intelligent with the puck, and a strong skater which when combined allows him to be a legit play driver down the middle. He can run a power play well and creates a lot of offense with a good scoring touch.

14. Cullen Potter, C, U.S. NTDP-USHL

Potter is a dynamic offensive player. He is a truly elite-level skater with very good hands. When he winds up with his speed in the neutral zone, he is very difficult to stop and generates a lot of offense with pace. Potter is a small forward though, and while he plays center in junior, he has to be a pro wing given his frame and lack of elite playmaking.

15. Conrad Fondrk, LW, U.S. NTDP-USHL

Fondrk has been very good to start his first NTDP season. He is a good skater to go with excellent hands, offensive sense and a legit scoring touch. Fondrk isn’t the biggest winger in the world, but he makes himself noticeable every game and has shown he can kill penalties too.

16. Malcolm Spence, LW, Erie-OHL

Spence has the looks of an NHL forward. His game has a lot of pace and effort in it. He buzzes around the ice and is a player coaches can lean on. He has strong offensive skills with the puck, but I wouldn’t call his pure offensive touch high-end. He’s more the type of player who projects as a strong two-way player as a pro.

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17. Jakob Ihs Wozniak, RW, Lulea-Sweden Jr.

Ihs Wozniak is a very talented player who is in the midst of a great season. He’s a big, fast, athletic winger. He has strong puck skills. He sees the ice well and makes a lot of plays. There is a lot about his game that projects well to the pro game and if he stays on this track he could be a high NHL draft pick.

18. Milton Gastrin, C, MODO-Sweden Jr.

Gastrin is a two-way center. He skates well and competes very hard. He has some skill and can create offense, but does it more through his speed, effort and in going to the hard areas. He is a player who projects to play a lot of minutes versus men.

19. William Moore, C, U.S. NTDP-USHL

Moore is a big center who skates well and has legit offensive skills which will immediately draw a lot of eyes. He has to round out his game a bit away from the puck and with his pure playmaking but the traits in his game will make him a highly desirable pro prospect.

20. Carter Amico, RHD, U.S. NTDP-USHL

Amico isn’t the flashiest defenseman you’ll ever see, but a 6-foot-5 right-shot defenseman who can skate stands out when you see him. That he has enough puck touch to make a good first pass makes him very intriguing when you see how well he defends. He has a lot of NHL upside.

21. Gabriel D’Aigle, G, Victoriaville-QMJHL

D’Aigle is a 6-4, very athletic goalie. I’ve seen him be brilliant at times, and show the ability to steal a game. I’ve also seen him do the opposite and be a major negative on his team with questionable decision making. That consistency will need to get ironed out if he’s going to be a high pick, but for the time being, I’m still willing to rate him high on his potential.

(Illustration: Sean Reilly / The Athletic. Photos: Jonathan Kozub, Chris Tanouye / Getty Images)