Dubuque's Noah Powell Making Case As Re-Entry Candidate For 2024 NHL Draft

The 'hyper-competitive power forward' leads the USHL with 39 goals and has done more than enough this season to hear his name called in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Noah Powell likely was not on anyone's radar entering the 2023-24 season. The Dubuque Fighting Saints forward had just eight goals and 19 points in 53 games last year.

Accompanied by a slow start to his second USHL season, Powell was understandably omitted from NHL Central Scouting's preliminary list in October and mid-term rankings in January.

However, he has put scouts on notice with his huge second half of the season, a stretch that really began in mid-November. Since November 10, Powell has accumulated 38 goals and 66 points in his last 44 games.

For a player with just three points in the first 14 games, it's safe to assume that the 19-year-old even surprised himself.

"I wanted to have the season that I'm having now just from the start of the year," Powell told The Hockey News in an interview on Wednesday. "Being able to do that after a slower 14-game start is also kind of cool."

The Ohio State commit turned to his teammates, coaches, and family for guidance, who all reassured the young forward that he could accomplish what he set out in his second USHL season.

With extra work in video sessions and on-ice drills, Powell found his groove and has not looked back.

"Sometimes the light bulb goes off at different times for different guys, but it's a credit to him for sticking with it," said Dubuque head coach Kirk MacDonald.

"He took advantage of an opportunity he got in November with some increased ice time, and he's ran with it. So I think you're always happy for guys to have success."

As the 2023-24 season has progressed, the Northbrook, Illinois, native has played an integral role in Dubuque's memorable campaign. The Fighting Saints clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2012-13.

Powell played a big factor in helping Dubuque get there. He had a seven-game goal streak in which he scored 12 goals and 15 points during that stretch. Powell also had two hat tricks in that span, giving him three total on the season.

The young forward also broke the franchise scoring record for most goals (38) in a single season, previously set by Mike Szmatula during that 2012-13 season. With his 37th goal, Powell also leapfrogged former Fighting Saints forward Johnny Gaudreau's total from the 2010-11 season.

The record-breaker came in a game against the NTDP U18 squad when Powell whacked away at the puck in front of the goal crease and buried the loose puck. 

In the subsequent moments, the officials allowed Powell to have his moment with his teammates and be recognized by the home crowd.

"It was cool just because there were some really big guys on that list that had previously held the record," said Powell, who was unaware of the record in the days leading up to the game.

"My teammates bringing it up and supporting me and wanting me to break in the fashion that it happened, I couldn't have done it without them, so it was cool to celebrate it with them."

The individual accolades result from Powell's development in his second USHL season. The hyper-competitive power forward, in his own words, has collected a league-leading 39 goals and 30 assists. Powell's 69 points are tied for the fourth-most in the USHL.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound forward has done more than enough in the second half of the 2023-24 season to earn recognition in Central Scouting's final rankings, which will be released later this month.

Last season, Powell was passed over in his first year as an NHL draft-eligible prospect. Since then, scouts have taken a more active interest in Powell as a re-entry candidate. He has spoken with several NHL clubs through questionnaires, Zoom calls, and in-person interviews.

While nothing is ever certain, it seems like a strong possibility that Powell will be drafted this time around

"I think at this point, he's got 39 goals," said MacDonald. "If somebody doesn't draft him, as big and strong as he is, then they probably should be out of a job. "His biggest thing now is not to worry about it. He's doing everything he needs to do to give himself an opportunity to get drafted.

"Knock on wood, hopefully he gets 40 (goals), and not many guys do that at this level. He's certainly not lacking in the physical side of things. Based on what he's done and his body of work this year, he should be getting drafted."