Cole McKinney News: Nabbed by San Jose in Round 2

McKinney was the 53rd overall pick by San Jose in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.

In what is a down year for the US NTDP, McKinney was one of the program's safer options available for the 2025 draft. McKinney earns high marks for his work ethic and ability to kill penalties. However, his offensive game is quite basic, and there are concerns about how much he'll score at the next level. On a more positive note, McKinney is a no-doubt center, and his skating is fine. The University of Michigan commit has the look of a future third liner with the ability to log difficult defensive minutes in addition to chipping in 10-15 goals per season. That's still a solid player.