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63 OHL Players Included on NHL Central Scouting 'Players to Watch' List for November

November 19, 2021 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL) News Release


Toronto, Ont. - The Ontario Hockey League is proud to announce that 63 OHL players have been included on NHL Central Scouting's November 'Players to Watch' List for the 2022 NHL Draft scheduled to take place July 7-8 in Montreal, Quebec.

Forwards Shane Wright of the Kingston Frontenacs and Matthew Poitras of the Guelph Storm remain 'A' rated prospects, and are joined this month by Storm centreman Danny Zhilkin and Saginaw Spirit blueliner Pavel Mintyukov in the top tier of draft eligible talent.

"Some players who are true first-year draft eligible players or did not have the opportunity to play in 2020-21 have been able to establish their game and others have displayed continued improvements and developments," director of NHL Central Scouting Dan Marr said. "This update provides the opportunity to highlight some players whose game is trending in the right direction."

NHL Central Scouting's Joey Tenute had positive things to say about Zhilkin and Mintyukov, the OHL's two newest additions to the 'A' category.

"It's very evident just by watching him that Zhilkin is ahead of the curve at this point from a lot of prospects; he really plays a mature game," said Tenute, who played four OHL seasons between Barrie and Sarnia from 2000-04. "He's a top line player that plays in all situations for Guelph, so he's a big part of his team and he's a very strong skater.

"He had a good U-18 Worlds and showed his ability to play up and down the lineup while filling multiple roles in that tournament."

Mintyukov has played big minutes for the Spirit this season, joining the franchise as the 52nd overall pick of the 2020 CHL Import Draft.

"I think [Mintykov's] a very polished player," Tenute said. "Coming over from Russia, and playing in a new league with new teammates, you don't always know how quick a player is going to adapt but he's a guy who's come in and has had an immediate impact. He's a top pairing defenceman who plays in every situation, crunches minutes, and excels on the power play."

An additional 19 OHL players were assigned 'B' ratings indicating a potential second or third round selection while 40, including five goaltenders, received 'C' designations indicating a potential fourth, fifth or sixth round candidate.

Nineteen of 20 OHL teams were represented on the list led by the London Knights with seven players ranked, the Guelph Storm with six including two 'A' rated skaters as well as the Niagara IceDogs and North Bay Battalion with five each.

The list includes 45 OHL forwards, 13 defencemen and five goaltenders.

2021 NHL Central Scouting November Players to Watch List - OHL

Players have been identified using the following criteria:

- A Rating - Indicates a first round candidate

- B Rating - Indicates a second or third round candidate

- C Rating - Indicates a fourth/fifth/sixth round candidate

RATING PLAYER POS. TEAM

A Pavel Mintyukov LD Saginaw Spirit

A Matthew Poitras RC Guelph Storm

A Shane Wright RC Kingston Frontenacs

A Danny Zhilkin LC Guelph Storm

B Liam Arnsby RC North Bay Battalion

B Owen Beck RC Mississauga Steelheads

B Michael Buchinger LD Guelph Storm

B Aidan Castle RW Niagara IceDogs

B Jorian Donovan LD Hamilton Bulldogs

B Jackson Edward LD London Knights

B Pano Fimis RC Niagara IceDogs

B Ruslan Gazizov RW London Knights

B Isaiah George LD London Knights

B David Goyette LC Sudbury Wolves

B Hunter Haight RC Barrie Colts

B Jake Karabela LC Guelph Storm

B Paul Ludwinski LC Kingston Frontenacs

B Bryce McConnell-Barker LC Soo Greyhounds

B Ty Nelson RD North Bay Battalion

B Servac Petrovsky LC Owen Sound Attack

B Vinzenz Rohrer RW Ottawa 67's

B Matyas Sapovaliv LC Saginaw Spirit

B Spencer Sova LD Erie Otters

C Ryan Abraham LC Windsor Spitfires

C Sam Alfano RW Peterborough Petes

C Braeden Bowman RW Guelph Storm

C Brett Brochu G London Knights

C Gavin Bryant LC Owen Sound Attack

C Brice Cooke LW Niagara IceDogs

C Brody Crane LW London Knights

C Luca Del Bel Belluz LC Mississauga Steelheads

C Kocha Delic LC Sudbury Wolves

C Justin DeZoete LC Peterborough Petes

C Rodwin Dionicio LD Niagara IceDogs

C Dom DiVincentiis G North Bay Battalion

C Lucas Edmonds RW Kingston Frontenacs

C Jacob Frasca RC Barrie Colts

C Vsevolod Gaidamak LC Ottawa 67's

C Cedrick Guindon LC Owen Sound Attack

C Gavin Hayes RW Flint Firebirds

C Beau Jelsma LC Barrie Colts

C Evan Konyen RW Sudbury Wolves

C Kirill Kudryavtsev LD Soo Greyhounds

C Artem Kulakov LD Erie Otters

C Nolan Lalonde G Erie Otters

C Ethan Larmand LC Sudbury Wolves

C Zakary Lavoie RW Mississauga Steelheads

C Andrew LeBlanc LC Kitchener Rangers

C Jacob LeBlanc RD Kitchener Rangers

C Tnias Mathurin LD North Bay Battalion

C Jonathan Melee LC Hamilton Bulldogs

C Max Namestnikov LC Sarnia Sting

C Jacob Oster G Guelph Storm

C Tucker Robertson RC Peterborough Petes

C Dylan Roobroeck LC Niagara IceDogs

C Teddy Sawyer LD Ottawa 67's

C Charlie Schenkel G Soo Greyhounds

C Lawson Sherk LC Hamilton Bulldogs

C Landon Sim RW London Knights

C Colton Smith LW London Knights

C Brady Stonehouse RW Ottawa 67's

C Zander Veccia RW Mississauga Steelheads

C Dalyn Wakely RC North Bay Battalion

For the complete list along with additional scouting reports, visit NHL.com.

Check out the Ontario Hockey League Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from November 19, 2021


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.


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