CHICAGO - The United States Hockey League and NHL Central Scouting have announced the 40 players selected to compete in the 2015 USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game Jan. 13 at the Mystique Community Ice Center in Dubuque.

Six members of the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders were selected for the event with forward Erik Foley, forward Jiri Fronk, forward Adam Gaudette, defenseman Bryce Hatten, goalie Ryan Larkin and goalie Ben Blacker.

The selection process was completed in cooperation with USHL general managers, NHL scouts and NHL Central Scouting. All 40 players chosen are eligible for the 2015 NHL Draft, including 30 players that are in their first year of eligibility for the NHL Draft.

"We congratulate these young players on being selected for this prestigious event as they represent an exceptional talent pool that is being developed by USHL clubs," said Bob Fallen, USHL President and Commissioner.

"By being selected for the event, they have already captured the attention of NHL scouts, and this game provides them another opportunity to be evaluated very closely by decision makers from every NHL team.

"Their performances in Dubuque could certainly impact when and if their names are called in June at the 2015 NHL Draft."

Fifteen of the 17 USHL clubs had at least one player selected for the game. The RoughRiders led the way with six players, the Chicago Steel and Youngstown Phantoms both have four players and there are three each from the Dubuque Fighting Saints, Green Bay Gamblers, Muskegon Lumberjacks, Tri-City Storm and Waterloo Black Hawks.

Among the players selected to compete are Kyle Connor of the Youngstown Phantoms and Waterloo teammates Brock Boeser and Tom Novak, all of whom are ranked as "A" skaters on the "Players to Watch List" by NHL Central Scouting, meaning they are candidates to be picked in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft. A player from the USHL has been selected in the first round of the NHL Draft for 10 consecutive years

Several "B" skaters, meaning they are candidates for the second and third round of the 2015 NHL Draft, were selected. Joe Cecconi of the Muskegon Lumberjacks is the highest-rated USHL defenseman, along with forwards Foley (Cedar Rapids RoughRiders), Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson (Omaha Lancers), Brent Gates, Jr. (Green Bay Gamblers), Cooper Marody (Sioux Falls Stampede) and Nikita Pavlychev (Des Moines Buccaneers).

Of the 40 players selected, 34 are committed to play college hockey at NCAA Division 1 programs.

This is the third time in which the USHL is conducting the USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, and it follows a record-setting 2014 NHL Draft that saw 35 players from the 2013-14 season selected by NHL clubs. The 2015 NHL Draft will be held June 26-27, 2015 in Sunrise, Fla., at the BB&T Center, home of the NHL's Florida Panthers.

Headquartered in Chicago, the USHL is celebrating its 13th season as the nation's only Tier I junior hockey league in 2014-15. A record 35 players were chosen in the 2014 NHL Draft and more than 300 players on team rosters last season committed to NCAA Division I schools, further establishing the USHL as the world's foremost producer of junior hockey talent.