North American NHL Central Scouting Rankings
By Traci Kay
Photo Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
The draft is coming and the NHL Central Scouting Rankings are out. Talent is the highlight and it looks very promising.
Among the top three North American Skaters are three very skilled Canadian boys – Sam Bennet, Aaron Ekblad, and Sam Reinhart. The top goalie prospect is American player, Thatcher Demko.
Forward, Sam Bennett from the OHL Kingston Frontenacs is ranked first with 91 points in 57 games.
Defenseman, Aaron Ekblad from the OHL Barrie Colts is second in line with 53 points in 58 games.
Sam Reinhart, forward for the WHL Kootenay Ice, ranks third with 105 points in 60 games.
The top goalie in the ranking is Thatcher Demko from Hockey East’s Boston College Eagles. He’s earned a 2.16 GAA and .920 save percentage.
Other notable mentions include Leon Draisaitl, originally from Germany and plays for the WHL Price Albert Raiders, sits in 4th place in the rankings with 105 points in 64 games.
Julius Honka, a Finnish defenseman of the WHL Swift Current Broncos, is in 11th place, earning himself 56 points in 62 regular season games and 2 points in 2 playoff games.
The second ranked goalie in North America is Canadian Mason McDonald of the QMJHL Charlottetown Islanders with a 3.35 GAA and .907 save percentage.
The 2014 NHL Draft will take place on June 27th and 28th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Wells Fargo Center.