Thomas Bordeleau Commits To The University Of Michigan

After a record-breaking 2019 draft class, the U.S. National Team Development Program won’t be making as many waves during the 2019-20 season. In fact, some draft pundits doubt that any American players will be selected in the first half of the first round next year. One of the few players who could challenge that prediction is forward Thomas Bordeleau. He may have already just taken a step toward a higher draft slot by committing to a top NCAA program. College hockey insider Mark Divver reports that Bordeleau will attend the University of Michigan after this season with the USNTDP.

Bordeleau, who actually grew up in Switzerland and later Quebec, was born in Houston, Texas while his dad was playing for the AHL’s Houston Aeros. Sebastien Bordeleau played in more than 250 NHL games from 1995 to 2002 and then played another decade in the NLA before retiring in 2012. Bordeleau thus grew up surrounded by hockey and has had a chance to grow his game in many unique environments. The undersized center opted to use his American citizenship to continue his development with the USNTDP rather than the Candian juniors and in his first season with the program Bordeleau notched 39 points in 56 games for the U-17 team. Set to star for the U-18 team this year, Bordeleau will look to improve those numbers and also fight for a top role at the U-18 World Junior Championship.

With a season still left to further prove himself, Bordeleau is already drawing great attention. In their preliminary rankings, scouting source Future Considerations ranked Bordeleau as the No. 52 prospect in the 2020 class and the well-rounded scorer has plenty of room to improve his draft stock with ample opportunity to star for the USNTDP. He’ll then head to Ann Arbor, where the University of Michigan already houses several NHL prospects, including recent USNTDP graduates and 2019 first-rounders Cam York (PHI) and John Beecher (BOS). The Wolverines are surely excited to add another potential first-round pick in Bordeleau, just as the young pivot likely is to join such a strong program.