The 2025 NHL Entry Draft assigned new prospects to a host of hopeful franchises, with the OHL Erie Otters’ Matthew Schaefer headlining the event as the first overall pick. Among the 224 players selected include two Northeastern commits, Sean Barnhill and Nathan Quinn.
With the 70th overall pick, the New York Rangers selected Barnhill, an 18-year-old Scottsdale, Arizona, native, in the third round. The first of two Husky hopefuls to hear his name called in the draft, Barnhill is a 6-foot-5, 214-pound defenseman coming off his first full season with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints. After joining Dubuque for two games toward the tail end of the 2023-24 season, Barnhill skated in 54 games with four goals and eight assists to amass 12 points alongside a plus-9 rating in the 2024-25 season, adding an assist in the postseason.
Barnhill is a disciplined defenseman whose athleticism shines in his ability to intercept pucks, but his lacking physicality and minimal offensive skills have been called out for needing further development. He committed to Northeastern in August 2023 as a member of the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes, and is set to join the Huskies at the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
Staying in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division, the Philadelphia Flyers selected fellow 2026-27 Northeastern commit Quinn in the sixth round, 164th overall. The 5-foot-11, 172-pound center posted 17 goals and 29 assists for 46 points across 54 regular season games, ending his second QMJHL season as the Quebec Remparts’ second-highest scorer in 2024-25. He recorded one goal and added two helpers in four playoff games, and became one of just two Remparts players to be selected by an NHL team, alongside 2024 St. Louis Blues draftee Antoine Dorion. In 2023-24, Quinn appeared in 34 games and contributed nine points, setting up an explosive first full season with the Remparts.
As a player, Quinn is best known for his speed and sharp playmaking ability, and is a competent two-way player. At the same time, his smaller stature may impact his ability to sustain physicality, and his decision-making under pressure is a core developmental concern.
While Quinn has several years of development ahead of him, with the 17-year-old turning 18 in late August, recent changes surrounding NCAA eligibility offer new development opportunities. New this season, players coming from the Canadian Hockey League — which is made up of Canada’s three major junior hockey leagues in the WHL, OHL and QMJHL — now hold NCAA eligibility. Prior to gaining NCAA eligibility, a Canada-based prospect like Quinn would have to turn professional following the season during which he turned 20 years old.
Now, with the opportunity to play collegiate hockey, Quinn can look to lengthen his development process, taking advantage of up to four years at Northeastern before inking a professional contract. Quinn is one of three CHL talents bound for Huntington Avenue, joining 21-year-old center Jacob Mathieu and 19-year-old defenseman Garrett Frazer as a young prospect with several maturing years ahead of him.
While NCAA eligibility allows for an extended development period, the likelihood that Quinn, Barnhill and other draftees coming to Northeastern partake in a four-year collegiate career is unknown. The NCAA reported that in 2022-23, 66% of NHL players who developed at collegiate programs spent at least three years at their respective schools, while just 27% spent all four years.
The decision for when to turn professional is largely based upon each individual player’s sense of readiness, with notable Northeastern departures following this past season including junior forwards Jack Williams (Columbus Blue Jackets, undrafted) and Cam Lund (San Jose Sharks, 34th overall, 2022) as well as sophomore goaltender Cameron Whitehead (Vegas Golden Knights, 128th overall, 2022).In welcoming Barnhill and Quinn in 2026, Northeastern will hope to play a key role in developing top-level talents and reap the benefits of their professional potential.