The Kids' Table: #CawlidgeHawkey

It's been a little more than three years since I graduated from the great institution of West Virginia University and not a day goes by that I miss every second of Morgantown. My sophomore year was in 2010, when the Olympic games were taking place in Vancouver. Watching those games was what originally got me into hockey, so had I not been at school finding a way to procrastinate, there's a chance I wouldn't even be writing this right now.

Since West Virginia wasn't exactly a hot-bed for hockey talent, WVU was without a hockey team -- unless you want to count the club team. Sure, college hockey is huge in certain parts of the country, but a few years ago it still wasn't really on the national radar. Times have certainly changed though, as it's received a big boost in an age dominated by social media. ESPN's John Buccigross -- who should get a lot of credit for making "#CawlidgeHawkey" more mainstream -- consistently keeps college puck in his Twitter timeline, sharing his perception of the current NCAA landscape.

BucciMane #cawlidgehawkey Top 10 1 BC 2 Quinnipiac 3 Providence 4 NDakota 5 NebOmaha 6 UMassLowell 7 StCloud 8 YaleU 9 Harvard 10 Merrimack

— John Buccigross (@Buccigross) November 16, 2015

"BucciMane" is definitely on point with his rankings of the top teams in the country and these are the programs that have -- and will continue -- to produce NHL-worthy talent. This week we'll take a look at some of the top players/prospects from the powerhouses of #CawlidgeHawkey.

Boston College

The Golden Eagles are ripe with young talent that will continue to blossom throughout their four years in school. Leading the pack are two freshmen wingers: Colin White (Senators) and Miles Wood (Devils), who have a combined 10 goals and 17 assists in 10 games this season. White, who I mentioned in last week's column, has the makings of an all-around stud at the next level. He's going to compete hard every night and possesses the skill to be effective in every facet of the game. Wood, who spent an extra year at prep school after originally committing to Brown University, was the youngest player on USA's World Junior Championship squad from last year. He projects as a power winger or a "wagon" as Buccigross has mentioned multiple times.

Canucks draft pick goalie Thatcher Demko has been the best goalie in the country with a 9-1-0 record, 1.00 GAA and .962 save percentage in 10 starts. He's got the size and poise to become one of the premier netminders. The leader of BC's forward group, forward Ryan Fitzgerald (Bruins), is an intriguing prospect that will likely fly under-the-radar in fantasy leagues. He's a Massachusetts kid who has a heavy hockey background; his father Tom played 19 seasons in the NHL and is currently the assistant GM of the Devils, having worked with Ray Shero and the Penguins during their 2009 Stanley Cup run. He's also related to Jimmy and Kevin Hayes, as well as the Tkachuk family. Fitzgerald is the type of player that will thrive in the Bruins system due to his speed and hockey sense. Other players to watch at BC include forward Alex Tuch (Wild), and defensemen Steve Santini (Devils) and Ian McCoshen, D (Panthers).

North Dakota

North Dakota is the school known for producing such talent as Jonathan Toews, Zach Parise, T.J. Oshie and most recently Brock Nelson. Their long-time coach Dave Hakstol recently took the job with the Flyers and was replaced by Brad Berry, who was an assistant under Hakstol for nine season, so don't expect much drop off in player development. Not surprisingly, at the top of UND's list of players is Blackhawks 2014 first-round pick center Nick Schmaltz, who is in that similar Toews mold. He's a solid two-way center with decent size and is very strong on the puck in the corners. Like the Hawks captain, Schmaltz also sports enough high-end skill to create scoring chances on every shift. On Schmaltz's right wing is Brock Boeser (Canucks), an imposing forward who has a real knack for putting the puck past goalies; he scored 35 times for Waterloo of the USHL last season. Boeser will definitely have to work on rounding out his game, but as a freshman at UND, he's got plenty of time before he'll be asked to make the jump and sign his entry-level deal with Vancouver.

The only other player to keep an eye on is Panthers 2015 sixth-round pick forward Chris Wilkie, who tied Boeser for the league lead in goals last season in the USHL. He isn't a physically imposing prospect, but the kid can do a lot of nice things when the puck is on his twig. He projects more as a bottom-sixer who can provide some secondary scoring.

Michigan

While the Wolverines may not be one of the top teams in the country -- playing in the Big Ten hurts their case a bit -- they're still one of the deepest in terms of NHL-caliber prospects. Had it not been for Dylan Larkin's early jump with the Red Wings, Michigan would be even deeper, but they still boast a couple of high-end players from the 2015 NHL Draft: forward Kyle Connor (Jets) and defenseman Zach Werenski (Blue Jackets).

As a freshman, Connor is leading the Wolverines with five goals and nine points in seven games. He has the big body to play a physical game, but usually just skates around defenders and makes them look silly with his amazing stick handling. He plays center, but projects more as a left wing at the next level, a position where he can force more turnovers and use his creativity.

Werenski now in his sophomore year at Michigan, had a very impressive rookie season, posting nine goals and 25 points while finishing plus-9 in 35 games. Obviously that sort of offensive production won't come right away, but Werenski definitely has power-play general written all over him. The Blue Jackets blueline isn't very deep, so if Werenski were to ditch school after this season, he could see a role immediately for Columbus. Though, the more logical route would be for him to stay at Michigan for four years of seasoning before joining a Blue Jackets team that has a plethora of young talent.

A couple of veterans for the Wolverines are captain J.T. Compher (Avalanche) and Tyler Motte (Blackhawks). Compher was originally drafted by the Sabres, but was traded as part of the Ryan O'Reilly deal during the offseason. He doesn't have the chops of some of the elite forward prospects in this piece, but projects more as a bottom-six option for Colorado, who may be headed towards another big rebuild of its roster. Compher gets a boost for his leadership and tenacity, a few of the traits that he'll need to really hone in order to make it at the next level.

Motte is a bit undersized, and like Compher, projects more as a bottom-six penalty killer, but still has enough scoring prowess to be an asset to the Blackhawks. If Motte can crack Chicago's lineup in a year or two, there's a decent chance he'll get to play alongside some of the most talented guys in the NHL.