USHL Stock Watch: Benjamin Kevan's skill turning heads

As we continue approaching the World Junior Championships, the USHL action has continued to heat up over the past month. 

A trio of 2025 draft-eligible talents stood out from the pack for their own distinct reasons. Benjamin Kevan has bounced between three different lineups in recent weeks and continues to deliver offensive punch despite limited consistency in his surroundings. Ryker Lee has led draft-eligible scoring in the league for most of the season to date, leveraging intelligent reads and impressive skill to create consistent offence in Madison. On the USNTDP side, William Belle distinguished himself against strong competition with his physical and projectable game.

As winter encroaches and games become increasingly meaningful, the 2024-25 USHL season is now in full throttle. Let’s dive straight into six of the league’s standout players.

Stock Rising 📈

Benjamin Kevan, RW, Des Moines Buccaneers (2025 NHL Draft)

Perhaps the most dynamic USHL product eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft, Benjamin Kevan can break games open when he’s at his best. In those sequences, the 6-foot forward blends strong agility, speed, and handling skill to cut through defences and carve out dangerous scoring chances for himself and teammates.

Kevan’s become increasingly comfortable exerting his skill to change games in recent weeks. And this despite bouncing between the Des Moines Buccaneers, NTDP, and Team USA at the World Junior A Challenge. Once he returns from the tournament and rejoins Des Moines – hopefully for good – Kevan will be able to build on his point-per-game start to the campaign through 16 appearances. 

He climbed to 23rd overall on our December Top-50 rankings (previously 32) through his displays of high-pace skill on whichever roster he found himself this Fall, whether it be a checking role with the NTDP or top-line offensive driver responsibilities in Des Moines. Look for Kevan to continue exploring his tools at top speed, especially if he receives the stability of consistent deployment and linemates in Iowa.

Ryker Lee, RW, Madison Capitols (2025 NHL Draft)

An intelligent and skilled winger, Ryker Lee has been difficult to contain and restrict all season long for USHL defences despite his subpar skating. His stride is clunky and hunched, limiting his explosiveness significantly. Lee’s strong handling ability, physicality, and strong reading of the game have more than compensated for his limitations at the junior level. He keeps his feet moving, eyes scanning, and wastes little time with the puck on his stick.

These strengths paired with an excellent and versatile set of releases have resulted in his leading the USHL draft-eligible class in scoring with 10 goals and 14 helpers through 20 games. A Shattuck St. Mary’s product who played alongside Macklin Celebrini and Cole Eiserman in 2020-21, Lee has been surrounded by skilled – and quicker – players his whole career and since the season's start, he has methodically become the most potent offensive threat on a strong 15-5-2 Madison Capitols team. At this rate, he could well enter top-64 debates.

William Belle, RW, USNTDP U18s (2025 NHL Draft)

At 6-foot-4, 218 pounds, and a detailed understanding of how to make the best use out of such frame, William Belle has been a tank of a power forward for the U.S. National Team Development Program this season in a middle-six capacity. Supported by a strong motor and an impressive top speed, Belle doles out powerful pressure on the forecheck, manhandling even NCAA defenders.

While he isn’t leading the offensive charge for the NTDP, Belle finds ways to make himself valuable to his team in just about every situation. He locks down passing lanes on the penalty kill. He posts himself at the net front and makes life difficult for opposing defenders and netminders. With speed, he can even beat defenders to the outside and cut inside to tenaciously drive the net with the puck.

A versatile checking forward with flashes of playmaking skill down low and an array of polished physical and defensive habits, William Belle has been integral to this year’s superstar-less NTDP at both ends of the ice. For these reasons, the big winger landed at 48 on our recent board, eighth among USHL players.

Stock Steady ↔️

Mikhail Yegorov, G, Omaha Lancers (New Jersey Devils)

A goaltender with some of the best tools among 2024 draft-eligibles, Mikhail Yegorov has been developing in a difficult environment in Omaha these past 18 months. The Lancers are already on their third head coach of the season and sit in the basement of the Western Conference sporting a 6-14-4 record. 

In less-than-ideal conditions, Yegorov has taken some steps in his development this year. He gets shelled on most nights, regularly facing over 30 – or even 40 – shots. Through this barrage, the athletic 6-foot-5 netminder has recorded a .903 save percentage through 13 games, despite losing all but three of them.

The Devils prospect has consistently tracked pucks and sealed gaps, moving around his crease with control and calm, favouring a methodical approach to goaltending lacking the flair of more aggressive counterparts. Look for Yegorov to progress significantly over the coming seasons upon moving to Boston University, a dominant program that has lacked a toolsy netminder like the big Russian these past few seasons.

Cole McKinney, C, USNTDP U18s (2025 NHL Draft)

Rarely the most dazzling player on the ice, Cole McKinney has become an indispensable two-way centre for the Development Program this year – taking key draws, playing tough defensive minutes, and providing necessary intensity and physicality offensively. While his game hasn’t evolved in the past two months – and his NHL projection might be more of a bottom-six one – McKinney has continued to double down on the elements that gain the trust of coaches and teammates alike.

His combination play with Jack Murtagh is the best of any duo on his team, instinctively reading the goalscorer’s intentions and routes.

Though he had a forgettable performance at the CHL-USA Prospects Challenge against an opponent his team was clearly outmatched by, McKinney returned strong to the USHL, potting a handful of points in three games. The centre has been gaining confidence on a monthly basis this season and could potentially play himself into first-round consideration at the draft with continued consistent impacts at both ends of the ice.

Stock Falling 📉 

Cole Spicer, C, Dubuque Fighting Saints (Boston Bruins)

Rarely do we see players transferring from the NCAA to the USHL – rarer still after two full seasons in the college ranks. Cole Spicer is one such anomaly, and it has been anything but smooth sailing for his start with the Dubuque Fighting Saints this season. He’s only gotten into seven games so far this season with an injury keeping him out almost entirely until mid-November. In those appearances, he has logged just three assists.

The 2022 fourth-round selection of the Boston Bruins has struggled to explore his offensive game since graduating from the USNTDP. While he has delivered high-energy play to Dubuque so far, he hasn’t brought the offensive punch expected of senior players arriving from stronger leagues. Consistent minutes and a clean bill of health would go a long way for Spicer to rediscover his scoring touch.