Four Spirit Players Land on NHL Central Scouting's Mid-Season Rankings
OHL Saginaw Spirit

Four Spirit Players Land on NHL Central Scouting's Mid-Season Rankings

Published on January 12, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


Buffalo, N.Y. - NHL Central Scouting released its mid-season rankings ahead of the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft on Monday evening, and the Saginaw Spirit saw four players from its roster ranked on the bureau's list.

#16 North American Skaters - (F) Nikita Klepov

Saginaw's leading scorer leads the Spirit on NHL Central Scouting's midterm rankings as well. His 50 points (23G-27A) place him fifth in OHL scoring as of Jan. 12. Klepov burst onto the scene for the Spirit in 2025-2026 after debuting as an A-rated prospect on the preliminary rankings. He registered points in each of his first six games (7G-6A-13P), highlighted by a career-best 5-point night on Oct. 4 in Owen Sound. He leads the Spirit with eight powerplay goals this season and has 13 multi-point outings.

#39 North American Skaters - (F) Egor Barabanov

Barabanov sits directly behind his right winger in scoring, with 17G-32A-49P in 41 games. He leads the Spirit in assists (32) and powerplay points (19). Barabanov's longest scoring streak came over a six-game span beginning in late November, yielding 5G-6A-11P. His 14 multi-point games are the most of any Spirit player in 2025-2026.

#110 North American Skaters - (F) Brody Pepoy

A free agent signing out of training camp, Pepoy began this season with a 'W' ranking as a potential player to watch. He began to hit his stride in mid-November, after a three-point night in London on Nov. 28 spurred a run of ten points (6G-4A) in ten games. He sits third among Spirit rookies with 16 points (8G-8A) in 40 games this season.

#17 North American Goalies - (G) Stepan Shurygin

Shurygin has backstopped the Spirit to 14 wins in his first OHL season, doing so in often-dramatic fashion. The 6'5" netminder is fresh off a first-star performance in Saginaw's 3-2 overtime win over the Spitfires on Jan 10., making 38 saves on 40 shots. He has two 40-save performances (Oct. 25, Nov.1) and leads OHL goaltenders in minutes played (2027) as well as saves (1000). Shurygin has won six of his last seven starts and has a season stat line of 14-14-2-4, 3.61GAA, and .897SV%. His #17 ranking comes after being left off NHL Central Scouting's preliminary list.

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Ontario Hockey League Stories from January 12, 2026


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.

OurSports Central