197 CHL Players Ranked by NHL Central Scouting for 2026 NHL Draft
WHL Western Hockey League

197 CHL Players Ranked by NHL Central Scouting for 2026 NHL Draft

Published on April 16, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release


TORONTO, ON - The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) announced today that 197 players developed through the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) have been named to NHL Central Scouting's Final Rankings ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft (click here to view the full list) - the highest total of CHL-developed players featured in the Final Rankings in more than 17 years. It also marks the largest representation of any development league in the world, further reinforcing the CHL's position as the leading supplier and developer of NHL talent.

The Western Hockey League (WHL) led the CHL with 80 ranked players, including 71 skaters and nine goaltenders. The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) followed with 76 players, made up of 65 skaters and 11 goaltenders, while the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) rounded out the CHL total with 41 players, including 35 skaters and six goaltenders.

In total, the rankings feature 224 North American skaters, including 171 developed through the CHL, accounting for more than three-quarters of all skaters listed. Among North American goaltenders, 26 of the 37 ranked are currently playing in the CHL.

Of the 197 players developed through the CHL, 195 are actively playing in the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL - surpassing the combined 37 players ranked from the USHL and the U.S. National Team Development Program (NTDP). That margin underscores that more draft-eligible players currently competing in the CHL are recognized among North America's top talent than from any other league or program.

Leading the way among current CHL skaters is Soo Greyhounds (OHL) defenceman Chase Reid (18G-30A in 45 GP), who was ranked No. 2 for the 2026 NHL Draft among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. Reid was the only first-year draft-eligible defenceman in the OHL - and one of just six across the CHL - to average at least a point per game in 2025-26. Although he missed the final 17 games of the regular season due to injury, Reid has made an impact since returning, recording six points (3G-3A) in eight playoff appearances. He was also one of seven defencemen from across the CHL - and the only one from the OHL - selected to represent Team CHL at the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge in Calgary and Lethbridge, Alta., where he scored once in two games.

On defence, Reid is one of seven active CHL blueliners ranked among the top 25 North American skaters, along with Carson Carels (Prince George Cougars / WHL, 3rd), Daxon Rudolph (Prince Albert Raiders / WHL, 5th), Ryan Lin (Vancouver Giants / WHL, 16th), Tommy Bleyl (Moncton Wildcats / QMJHL, 17th), Xavier Villeneuve (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada / QMJHL, 18th), Ben MacBeath (Calgary Hitmen / WHL, 22nd). Also ranked near the very top of the list is Victoria Royals (WHL) product Keaton Verhoeff, who sits No. 4 overall among North American skaters.

Among forwards, 11 current CHL players rank in the top 25 among North American skaters, led by Brantford Bulldogs (OHL) forward Caleb Malhotra, who sits No. 6 after tallying 29 goals and 55 assists in 67 games. Entering Thursday, Malhotra is tied for the 2026 OHL Playoffs lead with eight goals in eight games, while his five power-play markers are the most among all OHL skaters this postseason. In the regular season, he set new Bulldogs rookie records for points (84) and assists (55), eclipsing the previous marks held by Brantford captain and Seattle Kraken prospect Jake O'Brien, while also posting a plus-33 rating, eight game-winning goals, and 30 power-play points. Malhotra was also one of 13 forwards from across the CHL - and one of seven from the OHL - selected to represent Team CHL at the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge in Calgary and Lethbridge, Alta., where he registered a goal and an assist in two games

The other CHL forwards featured in the top 25 are Nikita Klepov (Saginaw Spirit / OHL, 8th), Ethan Belchetz (Windsor Spitfires / OHL, 9th), JP Hurlbert (Kamloops Blazers / WHL, 12th), Adam Novotny (Peterborough Petes / OHL, 14th), Maddox Dagenais (Québec Remparts / QMJHL, 15th), Egor Shilov (Victoriaville Tigres / QMJHL, 19th), Liam Ruck (Medicine Hat Tigers / WHL, 20th), Brooks Rogowski (Oshawa Generals / OHL, 21st), Markus Ruck (Medicine Hat Tigers / WHL, 23rd) and Ryder Cali (North Bay Battalion / OHL, 25th). Sitting atop the rankings is Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) product Gavin McKenna, who was named both the CHL Player of the Year and WHL Player of the Year in 2024-25.

Additionally, among the 26 CHL goaltenders included in NHL Central Scouting's Midterm Rankings, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) netminder Michal Orsulak is ranked No. 2 among North American goalies. Orsulak led the WHL with a 2.22 goals-against average during the 2025-26 regular season, a mark that ranked third across the CHL, while also finishing among the WHL's top five in save percentage (.907, fifth), wins (28, fifth), and shutouts (4, tied for second). Entering Thursday, he owns the best goals-against average among WHL goaltenders in the 2026 playoffs at 1.55, which ranks second across the CHL. Rounding out the top five behind Orsulak are Filip Ruzicka (Brandon Wheat Kings / WHL, 4th) and Jan Larys (Drummondville Voltigeurs / QMJHL, 5th)

56 of the CHL's 61 clubs are represented in the rankings. The Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) led all CHL clubs with nine players on the list, followed by the Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) and London Knights (OHL) with seven each. The Guelph Storm (OHL), Oshawa Generals (OHL), Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL), and Portland Winterhawks (WHL) each had six players ranked, while the Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL) paced all QMJHL clubs with five.

The CHL remains the leading supplier of talent to the NHL. In 2025, 170 CHL players were included in NHL Central Scouting's Final Rankings, and 90 were ultimately selected at the NHL Draft in Los Angeles - more than 40% of all picks. That group included 21 first-round selections from CHL clubs, marking just the fifth time since 1969 - and the first time in more than a decade - that the CHL reached that total in the opening round. Since 1969, the CHL has also produced at least 10 first-round picks in 57 straight NHL Drafts.

Over the course of the 2025-26 season, 477 alumni from the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL played at least one NHL game, accounting for 46.2% of the 1,033 players who appeared in the league - the highest share of any development league in the world. That followed an Opening Night snapshot that saw 402 CHL graduates named to NHL rosters at the start of the 2025-26 campaign, representing nearly half of the players across the league's 32 teams.

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Western Hockey League Stories from April 16, 2026


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