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Western Hockey League

50 WHL Players Listed on NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings

April 15, 2019 - Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release


Calgary, Alta. - The Western Hockey League announced today that 50 WHL players have been listed by NHL Central Scouting in its final rankings in advance of the 2019 NHL Draft, scheduled for June 21-22 in Vancouver, B.C.

Headlining the list are three WHL players among the top four skaters in North America, led by defenceman Bowen Byram (Cranbrook, B.C. / Vancouver Giants) who is ranked second. Forwards Kirby Dach (Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. / Saskatoon Blades) and Dylan Cozens (Whitehorse, Yukon / Lethbridge Hurricanes) rank third and fifth respectively.

Joining Byram, Dach, and Cozens in the Top 10 North American skaters is Winnipeg ICE captain Peyton Krebs (Okotoks, Alta. / Winnipeg ICE). Mads Søgaard (Aalborg, Denmark / Medicine Hat Tigers) is ranked second among goaltenders in North America, leading all WHL net minders.

Including, the aforementioned four skaters, eight WHL players are ranked inside the Top 31, including defenceman Lassi Thomson (15th - Tempere, Finland / Kelowna Rockets), forward Brayden Tracey (21st - Calgary, Alta. / Moose Jaw Warriors), forward Brett Leason (25th - Calgary, Alta. / Prince Albert Raiders), and defenceman Matthew Robertson (26th - Sherwood Park, Alta. / Edmonton Oil Kings).

Notable risers on the final rankings, include Tracey, who led all WHL rookies in scoring with 81 points (36G-45A). He rose 52 spots from the midterm ranking to rank 21st. Adam Beckman (Saskatoon, Sask. / Spokane Chiefs), who ranked second in rookie scoring, rose 10 spots to rank 34th. On defence, Gianni Fairbrother (North Vancouver, B.C. / Everett Silvertips) moved up 35 spots to rank inside the top 50.

Overall the list includes 26 forwards, 14 defencemen, and 10 goaltenders from the WHL, representing all 22 WHL member Clubs. The East, Central, and U.S. Division each have 13 players on the list while 11 come from the B.C. Division. The Eastern Conference holds a slight edge with 26 players on the list to 24 from the Western Conference.

Of the 50 players identified by NHL Central Scouting, five are currently competing with Canada at the 2019 IIHF Under-18 World Championship. The team's leadership group features Krebs as the captain and Cozens as an alternate captain.

2019 NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING FINAL RANKINGS (NORTH AMERICA) - WHL SKATERS

Final Rank Player Height Weight Position Amateur Club

2 Bowen Byram 6'0" 193 Defenceman Vancouver

3 Kirby Dach 6'4" 197 Centre Saskatoon

5 Dylan Cozens 6'3" 180 Centre Lethbridge

10 Peyton Krebs 5'11" 180 Centre Winnipeg

15 Lassi Thomson 6'0" 190 Defenceman Kelowna

21 Brayden Tracey 6'0" 177 Left Wing Moose Jaw

25 Brett Leason 6'4" 200 Right Wing Prince Albert

26 Matthew Robertson 6'3" 201 Defenceman Edmonton

32 Kaedan Korczak 6'2" 192 Defenceman Kelowna

34 Adam Beckman 6'0" 168 Left Wing Spokane

37 Nolan Foote 6'3" 190 Left Wing Kelowna

44 Aliaksei Protas 6'5" 205 Centre Prince Albert

50 Gianni Fairbrother 6'0" 194 Defenceman Everett

66 Oleg Zaytsev 6'1" 180 Centre Red Deer

79 Sasha Mutala 6'0" 200 Right Wing Tri-City

81 Reece Newkirk 5'11" 172 Centre Portland

94 Quinn Schmiemann 6'2" 185 Defenceman Kamloops

100 Luke Toporowski 5'11" 179 Centre Spokane

117 Ben McCartney 6'0" 182 Left Wing Brandon

118 Vladimir Alistrov 6'2" 175 Left Wing Edmonton

123 Henrik Rybinski 6'0" 176 Right Wing Seattle

126 Luka Burzan 6'0" 184 Right Wing Brandon

128 John Ludvig 6'0" 196 Defenceman Portland

132 Mark Kastelic 6'4" 213 Centre Calgary

136 Cole Moberg 6'2" 187 Defenceman Prince George

138 Jackson van de Leest 6'6" 222 Defenceman Calgary

142 Krystof Hrabik 6'4" 218 Centre Tri-City

145 Josh Williams 6'1" 190 Right Wing Edmonton

146 Jake Lee 6'1" 214 Defenceman Seattle

164 Connor Horning 6'3" 188 Defenceman Swift Current

168 Mitchell Brown 6'3" 205 Defenceman Tri-City

170 Bryce Kindopp 6'2" 185 Right Wing Everett

171 Brett Kemp 6'0" 162 Centre Medicine Hat

175 Alex Swetlikoff 6'2" 188 Centre Kelowna

186 Nikita Sedov 6'1" 186 Defenceman Regina

188 Logan Barlage 6'4" 202 Centre Lethbridge

192 Emil Malysjev 6'3" 187 Defenceman Saskatoon

199 Tarun Fizer 5'10" 163 Centre Victoria

202 David Kope 6'4" 170 Right Wing Edmonton

206 Cole Muir 6'2" 205 Centre Winnipeg

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