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3 Frozen Four participants that will immediately impact the NHL

By Vincent Parise |
HALIFAX, CANADA - JANUARY 05: Team captain Luke Hughes #43 of Team United States holds up the bronze medal trophy after defeating Team Sweden 8-7 in overtime during the bronze medal round of the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship at Scotiabank Centre on January 5, 2023 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
HALIFAX, CANADA - JANUARY 05: Team captain Luke Hughes #43 of Team United States holds up the bronze medal trophy after defeating Team Sweden 8-7 in overtime during the bronze medal round of the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship at Scotiabank Centre on January 5, 2023 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
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The NHL has the most talent in the history of the league right now. Pretty much every team has at least one star player that is worth watching on any given night.

If they don’t, they have a loaded prospect farm that will get them back on the map again soon. There are plenty of teams who are awesome and have a great prospect farm too, which is how you have sustained success in this league.

The NCAA’s Frozen Four took place over the weekend, and it was incredible. Quinnipiac faced off against Minnesota after big wins in the semi-final over Michigan and Boston University respectively.

Quinnipiac defeated Minnesota in overtime of the championship game. It was truly incredible to watch as they tied the game late with the goalie pulled. It was the definition of a “never give up” attitude, and they deserved to win.

The NHL is loaded with talent and it is only going to be getting better.

Now that the tournament is over, there are players that are starting to sign with the NHL teams that drafted them, which is ending their tenures with their universities. We’ve seen the impact that a guy like Devon Levi has already made, so who is next to follow suit?

Players are going to keep signing as the week goes on now that the tournament is over. However, we have a pretty good idea of who is going to make the biggest impact once they reach NHL ice.

These are the three Frozen Four participants that will immediately make a positive impact in the National Hockey League:

(Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images)
(Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images) /

1. Luke Hughes

The New Jersey Devils have signed Luke Hughes to his entry-level contract.

Luke Hughes gets to join a team ready to make a push in the playoffs as the New Jersey Devils have been one of the best teams in the league all season long.

He also gets to be on a team with his older brother and Devils leading scorer Jack Hughes. The elder Hughes is one of the best players in the NHL already as he is knocking on the door of reaching 100 points. We’ll see how having Luke on the bench helps his legs keep going.

Luke Hughes is going to at least get in one of the two final games that New Jersey has as they take on the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday and the Washington Capitals to end their season on Thursday. It should be an exciting time as he prepares to make his NHL debut.

Hughes’s season came to an end with Michigan at the hands of Quinnipiac in the semi-finals, and he signed with the Devils two days later. It is going to be exciting to see what becomes of his NHL career on the same team as his brother.

(Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images)
(Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images) /

2. Matthew Knies

The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to love having Matthew Knies on their team.

Over the weekend, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced that they have signed Matthew Knies to his entry-level contract. Obviously, that is going to be great for their team as they add another really good forward to the group.

Knies just had an amazing run with the University of Minnesota. He was the Big Ten Player of the Year which tells you just how good he was. He also went with the Gophers all the way to the National Championship where they were defeated in overtime by Quinnipiac.

Matthew Knies plays a hard game that gives tremendous effort at all times. It is going to be just the right fit with the Toronto Maple Leafs who are constantly looking for players like him. Their top six forwards will benefit from knowing that a kid like this is there behind them on the depth chart.

In 2022-23, he had 21 goals and 21 assists for 42 points in 40 games played. That is an amazing and balanced production that will really help Toronto’s attack. It will be interesting to see how they use him this week following his NHL debut on Monday and now going into the playoffs.

(Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images)
(Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images) /

3. Brock Faber

Brock Faber is going to bring something really good to the Minnesota Wild.

Like Matthew Knies, Brock Faber is leaving the University of Minnesota to try and bring something good to the National Hockey League. He doesn’t have to go very far as he is a member of the Minnesota Wild.

The Minnesota native is a defenseman that was really good for the Gophers as their captain in 2022-23. In 38 games played, Faber had four goals and 23 assists for 27 points. It was really good to see him display his leadership and his skills on the ice this year.

It will all serve him very well in the NHL. His debut came on Monday night as the Wild defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in Chicago. That was a good way for him to get his game going in the NHL, as it will be an obviously difficult transition. We’ll see what else is in store for him.

Faber is more than capable of handling such pressure. He wore the C with the Gophers for a reason.

light. Related Story. 3 things the Seattle Kraken need to make a playoff run

All of these guys are going to be in the league for a long time and it will be fun to see them get going this week in the NHL.

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