Hockey East featured six first-round, NHL Draft picks last season, including Hobey Baker winner Cale Makar, who joined the Colorado Avalanche for their playoff run just days after leading UMass to the National Championship game. 

The other five -- Boston College's Oliver Wahlstrom and Boston University's Shane Bowers, Dante Fabbro, Joel Farabee and Jake Oettinger -- also signed professional contracts following the season.

If major mock drafts are any indication, however, the conference will be not without first-round talent for long. 

In fact, five players committed to Hockey East schools are expected to be taken in round one of this year's draft, slated for Friday and Saturday at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. 

Here is a closer look at each one:

Spencer Knight (Goaltender)

Committed to: Boston College

Final NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 1 among North American goalies

Mock drafts: 12th -- USA Today; 13 -- NHL Draftsite, NHL.com, Draft Analyst, Newsday; 17 – New Jersey Advance Media; 18 -- Bleacher Report; 20 -- Hockey Writers; 26-- Sporting News, Yahoo Sports, Tankathon, MyNHLDraft, Medium; 30 -- DraftGeek; 31 -- NBC Sports

Draft rankings: 15 -- TSN; 18 -- Sportsnet; 20 -- Hockey News, Sportsology; 21 -- Draft Analyst; 27 -- ESPN; 29 -- Prospect Pipeline

Commentary: Knight, ranked the draft's No. 1 goaltender by NHL.com, would become just the 10th American netminder taken in the first round.

The list currently includes Tom Barrasso (Buffalo Sabres, No. 5, 1983), Brian Boucher(Philadelphia Flyers, No. 22, 1995), Rick DiPietro (New York Islanders, No. 1, 2000), Jason Bacashihua (Dallas Stars, No. 26, 2001), Al Montoya (New York Rangers, No. 6, 2004), Cory Schneider (Vancouver Canucks, No. 26, 2004), Tom McCollum (Detroit Red Wings, No. 30, 2008), Jack Campbell (Stars, No. 11, 2010) and Oettinger (Stars, No. 26, 2017).

The Darien, Connecticut native went 32-4-1 with a 2.36 goals-against average, .913 save percentage, and two shutouts in 39 games for United States National Development Team Program last season before helping Team USA strike bronze at the 2019 IIHF World Under-18 Championship in April with a 1.51 GAA, .936 save percentage and one shutout in six games. 

Knight was an incredible 59-9-1 as a starter over two seasons with NTDP with a 2.46 gaa.

Always seeking to gain an edge, the 6-3, 192-pound Knight joined Performance 20/20, a training facility in his hometown last summer, running through various workouts to sharpen his cognitive skills.

They included juggling tennis balls while wearing strobe goggles, touching blinking lights on a screen, and other vision-based tasks aimed at improving depth perception, reaction time, and hand-eye coordination.

"Knight is a big kid at 6-foot-3 with a great ability to swallow rebounds, has the maturity to shake off a bad goal and is as athletic as it gets," wrote Ryan Kennedy of Hockey News. "Knight is a future franchise starting goaltender who projects as a Vezina Trophy candidate for years to come."

Knight finished among the top 5 in six NHL Scouting Combine drills last month, including second in standing long jump (117 inches), squat jump (18.84 inches) and pro agility test right (a shuttle cone drill, 4.32 seconds). 

He was third in pro agility test left (4.29) and no arms jump (21.54) and fifth in vertical jump (23.58). 

Trevor Zegras (Forward)

Committed to: Boston University

Final NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 6 among North American skaters, second among NCAA commits behind future Wisconsin Badger Alex Turcotte

Mock drafts: 4th -- Draft Analyst; 5 -- Sporting News; 6 -- NHL.com, USA Today, MyNHLDraft, Medium, – New Jersey Advance Media; 8 -- Hockey Writers, NHL Draftsite, DraftGeek, Tankathon; 9 -- The Score; Newsday; 11 -- NBC Sports; 12 -- Yahoo Sports; 13 -- Bleacher Report

Draft rankings: 5 -- Hockey News, Sportsnet, Hockey Prospects; 6 -- Sportsology; McKeen's Hockey, Tankathon; 7 -- Dobber Prospects, Prospect Pipeline; 8 -- ESPN, The Athletic, Future Considerations; 10 -- ISS Hockey

Commentary: Ranked the No. 5 center in the draft by NHL.com, the Bedford, New York native is a slick, fluid passer who finished with 146 points (46 goals, 100 assists) in 116 games the past two seasons with the United States National Development Team Program. 

That includes seven power-play goals and three game-winning goals despite sometimes being overshadowed by teammate Jack Hughes, who is expected to be taken No. 1 overall. 

"Zegras has world-class vision, silky-smooth moves and can enter the offensive zone cleaner than anyone," according to Draft Analyst.

Adds the Hockey Writers website: "This silky-smooth puck magician has proven to be a low-maintenance threat who creates instant chemistry with his linemates."

Zegras picked up nine assists for Team USA at the 2019 IIHF World Under-18 Championship and was a plus-8.

Zegras was seventh at the NHL Scouting Combine in the mean power output test which is conducted on stationary bike. His output was 11.3 watts per kilogram. 

Matthew Boldy (Forward)

Committed to: Boston College

Final NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 9 among North American Skaters

Mock drafts: 3rd -- Sporting News; 6 -- DraftGeek; 8 -- USA Today; 9 -- NBC Sports, Yahoo Sports, Draft Analyst, MyNHLDraft; 10 -- NHL.com, NHL Draftsite; Medium, Newsday, – New Jersey Advance Media; 11 -- The Score, Tankathon; 15 -- Bleacher Report

Draft rankings: 5-- TSN; 6 -- Draft Analyst; 7 -- ESPN, ISS Hockey; 8 -- The Athletic; Tankathon; 9 -- Sportsnet; Dobber Prospects, Future Considerations, Hockey Prospects; 11 -- Hockey News, 11 -- Prospect Pipeline; 12 -- McKeen's Hockey; 15 -- Sportsology. 

Commentary: Ranked the best left wing in the draft by NHL.com, the Millis, Massachusetts native totaled 157 points (62 goals, 95 assists) in just 126 games over the past two seasons for the United States National Development Team Program. 

Boldy also finished with 15 power-play goals, 7 game-winning goals and four shorthanded goals. In addition, he was the MVP of last fall's All American Prospects Game, finishing with two goals and an assist. 

"Boldy is a relentless 200-foot player cut out of the hold of Marian Hossa," USNDTP coach John Wroblewski said on the USDTP website. "His zone entry attacks are so unique. His 6-foot-2 frame has surprising agility and cutback ability. Then he utilizes his slick yet powerful hands to form a potent, unpredictable attack."

Boldy had three and nine assits and was a plus-6 at the World Under-18 Championship before placing seventh at the NHL Combine in the no arms jump (20.45).

"Boldy is the player with the highest hockey IQ of any draft-eligible forward also is a powerful skater with a pro-level shot," Steve Kournianos of the Sporting News wrote. "Don't be surprised if this Boston College-bound winger one day wins a Selke Trophy or two."

Alex Newhook (Forward)

Committed to: Boston College

Final NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 13 among North American skaters.

Mock drafts: 12th -- The Score; Medium; 13 -- Hockey Writers, Yahoo Sports, DraftGeek; 14 -- NBC Sports, Tankathon, Sporting News, NHL.com; 16 -- MyNHLDraft, NHL Draftsite, Newsday; 19 -- Bleacher Report

Draft rankings: 9 -- Prospect Pipeline; 11 -- The Athletic; 13 -- Hockey News, Sporting News, ISS Hockey, Future Considerations, Sportsnet; 14 -- ESPN; 15 -- Dobber Prospects, New Jersey Advance Media; 17 -- Hockey Prospects; 18 -- TSN, McKeen's Hockey; 19 -- Sportsology.

Commentary: The St. John's, Newfoundland native is ranked the No. 7 center in the draft by NHL.com and was ultra-productive in his second season with the Victoria Grizzlies of the British Columbia Hockey League.

The 18-year-old Newhook finished with 102 points (38 goals, 64 assists) in a mere 53 games, becoming the BCHL's youngest scoring champion since two-time NHL All-Star Scott Gomez in 1996. 

He has also named the Canadian Junior Hockey League's most valuable player. The CJHL comprises 10 junior A leagues with 132 teams and more than 2,000 players. 

Newhook was the only Junior A player on Team Canada's U-18 World Championships roster, but finished with five goals and five assists in seven games. He was also named the CJHL's 2017-18 Rookie of the Year after 66 points (22-44) in 45 games. 

At the NHL Scouting Combine, Newhook posted the best Pro Agility Left test (4.25).

"Newhook is a fast, determined skater with exceptional balance and agility," wrote Steve Kournianes of Draft Analyst. "He can beat you inside or out, and you can count on him causing at least one defenseman per game to blow a tire. His combination of speed and puck control makes him lethal off the rush, but he also makes the right reads and is able to exploit an overloaded side or confusion in coverage." 

Added The Score's Hannah Stuart: "Newhook is fast and agile, and his high-end hockey sense allows him to make the right decision at top speed."

Alex Vlasic (Defenseman)

Committed to: Boston University

Final NHL Central Scouting ranking: 38

Mock drafts: 20 -- Hockey News; 27 -- Bleacher Report; 25 -- – New Jersey Advance Media; 29 -- NHL.com; 30 -- Hockey writers, NBC Sports; 31 -- Yahoo Sports; MyNHLDraft

Draft rankings:  23 – TSN; 24 -- The Athletic; 25 – ESPN; 30 – Hockey Writers; 34 – Future Considerations; 37 – Hockey Prospects

Commentary: The towering (6-6, 200 pounds) Vlasic contributed four goals and 26 assists in 58 games with the United States Team Development Program in addition to his rock-solid blueline play. 

"(Alex) is not flashy and his numbers don't pop, but Vlasic plays a game that fits the modern NHL," ESPN's Chris Peters wrote. “He defends at a high level, has excellent feet and sees the ice remarkably well."

Vlasic, a Wilmette, Illinois native and cousin of San Jose Sharks' defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic, boasted the No. 1 wingspan at the NHL Scouting Combine at 80.75 inches. 

He was also sixth in left hand grip (145 pounds of pressure) and eighth in right hand grip (150) and no arms jump (20.13).