(Courtesy of Adam Kimelman, NHL.com) -- Much as he was for the entire 2008-09 season, John Tavares was the consensus top-ranked North American skater in NHL Central Scouting's final rankings, which were released Tuesday.Central Scouting rated the top 210 North American skaters and the best 30 North American goaltenders available for the 2009 Entry Draft and for at least two members of the Western Hockey League's Brandon Wheat Kings, the news couldn't be much better.
Ranked fifth among North American skaters at the midterm rankings, 17-year old centre Brayden Schenn has moved up to fourth overall. Linemate Scott Glennie meanwhile has moved up from 12th to seventh.
Schenn and Glennie, who currently share the Wheat Kings' playoff scoring lead with 15 points each, could very well be first round selections at June's National Hockey League Entry Draft, marking the first time since 1979 that two or more Wheat Kings have gone in round one. Thirty years ago, Wheat Kings' Laurie Boschman (Toronto), Brian Propp (Philadelphia), Brad McCrimmon (Boston) and Ray Allison (Hartford) were chosen in the opening round.
In 69 games this season, Schenn led the team in scoring with 32 goals and 88 points while Glennie had 28 goals and 70 points in 55 games. A 17-year old Winnipeg product, Glennie was also named winner of the Turk Broda Top Manitoba Born Wheat King in 2008-09.
Another member of the Wheat Kings also improved dramatically in this, the final CS rankings of the year. Defenceman Brodie Melnychuk, who was named Brandon's Most Improved Player this season, moved all the way up to 83 after sitting 115 at the midterm rankings.
A 17-year old from Balgonie, Saskatchewan, Melnychuk had three goals, 16 points and was a +14 in 71 regular season games this winter.
The NHL Draft Lottery will be held Tuesday night in Toronto and will be televised live on TSN.
Tavares, who led the Ontario Hockey League with 58 goals and 104 points this season, figures to be the top prize when the teams meet in Montreal on June 26-27 for the annual selection process.
"He's a pure scorer who's going to be an asset to teams for years to come," NHL Central Scouting Director E.J. McGuire told NHL.com. "His numbers statistically speak for themselves. He is going to be, we predict, an All-Star caliber player for many years in the NHL."
Tavares showed his elite-level skill with a star performance at the 2009 World Junior Championship. He finished second in scoring with 15 points in six games to help Canada capture the gold medal, and he was voted the event's best forward and MVP.
Following Tavares on the final rankings -- just as they did in the mid-te rm release -- are Brampton Battalion center Matt Duchene and Vancouver Giants center Evander Kane at Nos. 2 and 3.
Duchene had 31 goals, 79 points and a plus-32 rating in just 57 Ontario Hockey League games, and he helped Brampton reach the OHL conference finals with 7 goals and 14 points in 10 postseason games. He's highly regarded for his smarts and all-round ability, and McGuire said Duchene compares favorably with last year's top draft pick, Steven Stamkos.
"All the things Stamkos was last year, as far as offensive ability and a keen hockey sense that allows him to play great defensively, penalty kill and everything else ... Duchene is a natural sniper," he said.
McGuire said the gap between Duchene and Kane was miniscule.
"Matt Duchene might have a hairline edge in the skill -- and exciting skill -- department than Evander Kane," he said, "but not much."
"Kane can score, but will do it in more of a physical sense than Matt Duchene," McGuire said.
As for the younger brother to Maple Leafs' defenceman Luke Schenn, McGuire says "Brayden Schenn is all about work. He takes the puck to the net and scores goals when he gets there. He's got a tremendous work ethic, and he's equally adept at creating goals or scoring them himself."
University of Minnesota center Jordan Schroeder is the highest-rated American-born player at No. 5. Despite standing just 5-8, Schroder had 13 goals and 45 points in 35 games, and his 1.29 points per game was third in the NCAA. The fact that he turned in that performance playing against older, more physically mature competition is even more impressive.
Rounding out the top 10 are Glennie, Schenn's linemate; Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman Simon Despres, the top-ranked skater from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League; Spokane Chiefs defenseman Jared Cowen; and Peterborough Petes right wing Zack Kassian.
A surprise at No. 9 is Cowen, who entered the season with much fanfare after helping lead the Chiefs to WHL and Memorial Cup titles. Cowen was the top-ranked WHL skater in Central Scouting's preliminary rankings, but a slow start was compounded by a season-ending knee injury suffered Jan. 30.
"Everyone came in thinking that he was going to dominate from start to finish," McGuire said. "When he didn't in the first couple of weeks, scouts were saying what's wrong with Jared Cowen. He began to get better as the year went on and then the injury cut that year short."
Still, expectations for a long, successful pro career remain.
"He's going to be a top defenseman in the National Hockey League," Central Scouting's Blair MacDonald told NHL.com. "Might take him a couple years to get used to the quicker speeds, but I think he's going to be a big, reliable guy back there for a couple years."
Also rocketing up the rankings is Swift Current center Cody Eakin. Ranked No. 52 in the midterm release, the Winnipeg born Eakin rose to No. 29, fueled by an MVP performance at the Top Prospects Game in January. Despite injuries that limited him to just 54 games, he finished with 24 goals and 48 points; after his two-goal Top Prospects performance, he had 8 goals and 27 points in 26 games.
"A lot of people say the Top Prospects game is only one game, but he grabbed p eople's attention in January at that game and forced scouts to go watch him in the regular season, and he didn't disappoint," McGuire said. "Cody Eakin took that Most Valuable Player for his team at the Top Prospects and built on it to the point where we predict he'll be a No. 1-round choice."
Eakin was one of nine players from the WHL to be ranked in the first 30 picks, the most of any one league. There were seven skaters from the OHL, four from the QMJHL, and three from the U.S. National Team Development Program.
• Discuss this story on the Western Hockey League message board...
• Digg this story
• Add to Del.icio.us
Tweet
Western Hockey League Stories from April 14, 2009
• Cowen Ranked, Tokarski Named Goaltender of Week - Spokane Chiefs• Oil Kings Host 2009 Western Hockey League Awards Luncheon - Edmonton Oil Kings
• Brandon Wheat Kings Insider - Brandon Wheat Kings
• Two Calgary Hitmen crack NHL central scouting's final draft rankings - Calgary Hitmen
• Three Blades among NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings - Saskatoon Blades
• Button Jumps Up in Central Scouting Rankings - Prince Albert Raiders
• Pair of Canes in CSS Final Rankings - Lethbridge Hurricanes
• Jungle Jim Hunter Returns to PA - Prince Albert Raiders
• Spokane Chiefs' Dustin Tokarski named ADT CHL Goaltender of the Week - WHL
• Tigers Wind Up Season - Medicine Hat Tigers
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
