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WHL Kelowna Rockets

Cristall, Price And Szturc Ranked

January 13, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Kelowna Rockets News Release


Kelowna Rockets left wing Andrew Cristall
Kelowna Rockets left wing Andrew Cristall
(Kelowna Rockets, Credit: Steve Dunsmoor)

A trio of Kelowna Rockets are ranked among North American skaters for the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft as the NHL Central Scouting Bureau today released its mid-season rankings presented by BioSteel. Andrew Cristall ranks No. 16, Caden Price is rated No. 30 and Gabriel Szturc ranks No. 181.

Only Cristall and Price were on the Preliminary Players to Watch List released in October, both were given 'B' rankings. Players with B ratings are considered possible second- or third-round choices, and those with C ratings are potential fourth-, fifth- or sixth-round selections.

On November 21st Central Scouting released an updated ranking for Cristall, boosting him to an 'A'. The players on the preliminary list with A ratings are considered potential first-round picks.

Szturc, a late 2003 birthdate, will be eligible for the draft for the second time. Last season he cracked the Preliminary Players to Watch List in October with a 'C' rating, but failed to make Central Scouting's rankings in January and May - he eventually went undrafted.

Fifty-one WHL players were named to NHL Central Scouting's Mid-Term Rankings.

Cristall, 17, has appeared in 36 games for Kelowna this season, posting 62 points (26G, 36A) to go along with 30 penalty minutes. He leads the Rockets in all scoring categories and sits second in league scoring - only behind Bedard.

Price, 17, leads the Rockets defence in scoring with 22 points (5G, 17A) through 36 games this season.

Szturc, 19, is second in team scoring with 37 points (10G, 27A) through 27 games with Kelowna. The Czechia product recently helped his country capture silver at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship. He finished tied for eighth in tournament scoring with eight points (5G, 3A), four penalty minutes and a +9 plus/minus rating through seven games.

Cristall and Price will play in the 2023 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game hosted at the Langley Events Centre in Vancouver on Wednesday, January 25. The pair were named to opposing rosters earlier this week; Cristall will play on team red with childhood friend Connor Bedard, while Price and team white will look to shut down the league's top two scorers.

The mid-season rankings feature the top 224 skaters and 32 goaltenders in North America as well as the top 130 skaters and 12 goaltenders internationally.

In its 48th year of operation, NHL Central Scouting provides evaluation and scouting of draft-eligible players to NHL member clubs. Headed by Vice President of Central Scouting Dan Marr, NHL Central Scouting employs eight full-time scouts throughout North America. To report on prospects playing internationally, the NHL employs the services of Goran Stubb and his staff at European Scouting Services based in Finland.

The 2023 NHL Draft is scheduled from June 28-29 and will be hosted by the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

For NHL Draft history visit https://records.nhl.com/draft.

The Rockets will be back on home ice at Prospera Place on Saturday, January 21st when they'll host the Vancouver Giants.

Single-game tickets for all Rockets home games are on sale at Select Your Tickets. Tickets can be purchased online through www.selectyourtickets.com, at the Prospera Place box office, or by phone at 250-762-5050.

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Images from this story

Kelowna Rockets left wing Andrew Cristall
Kelowna Rockets left wing Andrew Cristall
(Steve Dunsmoor)		   



Western Hockey League Stories from January 13, 2023


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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