170 CHL Players Listed in NHL Central Scouting's Final Rankings

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170 CHL Players Listed in NHL Central Scouting's Final Rankings

April 15, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release


TORONTO, ON - The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) announced today that a total of 170 CHL players have been listed in the NHL Central Scouting's Final Rankings ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft (click here to see the full list), which is scheduled to take place on June 27 and 28 in Los Angeles at L.A. Live's Peacock Theater.

Along with being the most of any development hockey league in the world, the 170 CHL players ranked Tuesday represented the largest number of CHL players listed in a Final Rankings by NHL Central Scouting in more than 17 years.

Of the CHL players ranked, the Western Hockey League (WHL) had the most with 67 players, including 58 skaters and nine goaltenders. They were followed by a total of 64 players from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), who counted 57 skaters and seven netminders from North America. Meanwhile, the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) rounded out the CHL contingent with 39 players ranked, including 33 skaters and six goalies.

In total, the rankings identify 225 North American skaters, including 148 that currently compete in the CHL, representing roughly two-thirds of the skaters listed. Similarly, NHL Central Scouting ranked 22 North American goaltenders highlighted by 32 from the CHL.

For the first time since 2014, the top two North American skaters hail from the OHL, led by Erie Otters defenceman Matthew Schaefer (7G-15A in 17 GP), who was the top-ranked skater mid-season and will now head into the 2025 NHL Draft as the No. 1 skater in North America. Having been absent from the Otters' lineup due to an injury suffered at the 2025 World Juniors, Schaefer averaged a 1.29 point-per-game rate over 17 games in 2024-25, which is the fourth-highest average among CHL defencemen (min. 5 GP) and the best mark among draft-eligible blueliners from the CHL. Additionally, back in December, Schaefer became the third-youngest defenceman to play for Team Canada at a World Juniors. Looking ahead to the 2025 NHL Draft, Schaefer could become just the second Erie player to be selected with the first overall pick after Connor McDavid (2015) a decade earlier.

The other six defencemen from the CHL joining Schaefer in the top 30 include Radim Mrtka of the Seattle Thunderbirds (5th), Kashawn Aitcheson of the Barrie Colts (9th) Jackson Smith of the Tri-City Americans (13th), Henry Brzustewicz of the London Knights (19th), Cameron Reid of the Kitchener Rangers (23rd), and Blake Fiddler of the Edmonton Oil Kings (26th). Sitting at No.5 and identified as the second-highest ranked defenceman after Schaefer, Mrtka (3G-32A in 43 GP) is the WHL's top skater. The 17-year-old Czech defenceman finished third in points per game (0.81) among rookie defensemen in the WHL this season.

Sitting second, Michael Misa (62G-72A in 65 GP) of the Saginaw Spirit was the highest-ranked forward on NHL Central Scouting's list. With 134 points in 65 games, Misa became the first player in Saginaw Spirit (OHL) franchise history to ever lead the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) in scoring. Including Misa, there are 14 from the CHL ranked in the top 25. The other 13 forwards from the CHL ranked within the top-25 skaters from North America were Jake O'Brien of the Brantford Bulldogs (4th), Porter Martone of the Brampton Steelheads (6th), Caleb Desnoyers of the Moncton Wildcats (7th), Roger McQueen of the Brandon Wheat Kings (8th), Carter Bear of the Everett Silvertips (10th), Brady Martin of the Soo Greyhounds (11th), Lynden Lakovic of the Moose Jaw Warriors (14th), Jack Nesbitt of the Windsor Spitfires (15th), Justin Carbonneau of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (16th), Malcolm Spence of the Erie Otters (17th), Braeden Cootes of the Seattle Thunderbirds (20th), Ben Kindel of the Calgary Hitmen (21st), and Cole Reschny of the Victoria Royals (25th).

Holding the second-best scoring average this season in the QMJHL (at 1.50 points per game in 2024-25), Desnoyers (35G-49A in 56 GP) remained at No. 7 and is the QMJHL's highest-ranked skater by NHL Central Scouting in five years.

Additionally, of the 22 North American goalies from the CHL ranked by NHL Central Scouting, Prince George Cougars netminder Joshua Ravensbergen (33-13-3-1 record, 3.00 GAA & .901 SV% in 51 GP) was at the top of their list. Ravensbergen finished tied for second in the WHL with 33 wins after posting a 33-13-3-1 record this season. In 2023-24, he tied the WHL record for most shutouts by a rookie after posting six.

After Ravensbergen, among the top five were Lucas Beckman of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar (2nd), Jack Ivankovic of the Brampton Steelheads (4th), and Louis-Antoine Denault of the Québec Remparts (5th). Beckman (31-18-2-0 record, 2.65 GAA, .914 SV%, & 4 SO in 52 GP) was the highest QMJHL goalie on the list after he led the QMJHL in wins (31) and ranked among that league's top-five netminders for goals-against average (2.65), save percentage (.914), and shutouts (4). Meanwhile, Ivankovic (25-12-5-0 record, 3.05 GAA, .903 SV%, & 2 SO in 43 GP) led all draft-eligible goalies from the OHL in fourth after going 25-12-5-0 with a 3.05 goals-against average and .903 save-percentage in 43 games this season.

55 of the CHL's 60 clubs are represented on the list. The Saginaw Spirit (OHL) led all CHL teams with seven players included in the rankings, while the Guelph Storm (OHL) trailed close behind with six players, followed by the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (QMJHL) and the Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL), who both had five players ranked.

The CHL and its Member Leagues (WHL, OHL, and QMJHL) are the top suppliers of talent to the NHL. Last year, 149 CHL players appeared in NHL Central Scouting's Final Rankings before 88 CHL players were selected (accounting for nearly 40% of all draft picks) at the 2024 NHL Draft in Vegas. The latter included 14 first-round selections from the CHL, the most of any development hockey league in the world. Dating back to 1969, the CHL has seen 10 or more of its players taken in the first round of the NHL Draft - a streak now running at 56 consecutive drafts.

At the beginning of the 2024-25 season, a total of 390 CHL graduates from its Member Leagues (WHL, OHL & QMJHL) were among those named to the NHL's Opening Night rosters, representing just close to 50% of the players on the NHL's 32 teams.

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