27 WHL players, including Prince George Cougars forward Jackson Leppard, are on the NHL Central Scouting preliminary ‘Players to Watch’ list for the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.
The 17-year-old, who was given a “C’ rating, has a goal and an assist in four games this season after posting two goals and two assists in 35 games during his rookie year.
Central Scouting identifies players with a rating system; the ‘A’ rating indicates a first-round candidate, a ‘B’ rating indicates a second or third round candidate, and a ‘C’ rating indicates a fourth, fifth, or sixth round candidate.
Spokane Chiefs defenceman Ty Smith is the lone WHL skater with an “A” rating.
Five players were given “B” ratings, while 21 more were given “C” ratings.
Vancouver Giants rookie Todd Scott is the lone goalie to appear on the list.
2018 NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING PRELIMINARY ‘PLAYERS TO WATCH’ – WHL PLAYERS
| PTW | Last Name | First Name | Team | League | Height | Weight | Pos |
| A | SMITH | TY | SPOKANE | WHL | 5’10.25″ | 176 | D |
| B | ADDISON | CALEN | LETHBRIDGE | WHL | 5’9.75″ | 179 | D |
| B | ALEXEYEV | ALEXANDER | RED DEER | WHL | 6’3.0″ | 200 | D |
| B | BURZAN | LUKA | MOOSE JAW | WHL | 5’11.75″ | 185 | C |
| B | SUTTER | RILEY | EVERETT | WHL | 6’3.0″ | 205 | RW |
| B | WOO | JETT | MOOSE JAW | WHL | 5’11.75″ | 205 | D |
| C | BARTEAUX | DAWSON | RED DEER | WHL | 6’0.5″ | 180 | D |
| C | DALEY | CAIDEN | BRANDON | WHL | 6’0.5″ | 172 | C |
| C | FARREN | MICHAEL | SASKATOON | WHL | 5’9.75″ | 167 | RW |
| C | FOCHT | CARSON | TRI-CITY | WHL | 6’0.0″ | 178 | C |
| C | GRICIUS | JAKE | PORTLAND | WHL | 6’3.0″ | 187 | C |
| C | HARTJE | CHASE | MOOSE JAW | WHL | 5’11.5″ | 190 | D |
| C | JOHNSON | ISAAC | TRI-CITY | WHL | 6’2.0″ | 186 | LW |
| C | LEPPARD | JACKSON | PRINCE GEORGE | WHL | 6’1.25″ | 200 | LW |
| C | NIELSEN | TRISTEN | CALGARY | WHL | 5’8.75″ | 180 | C |
| C | PATTERSON | MAX | SWIFT CURRENT | WHL | 6’5.25″ | 209 | RW |
| C | PECKFORD | RYAN | VICTORIA | WHL | 6’0.5″ | 191 | LW |
| C | POPOWICH | TYLER | VANCOUVER | WHL | 6’4.25″ | 197 | C |
| C | REINHARDT | COLE | BRANDON | WHL | 6’0.5″ | 203 | LW |
| C | ROMAN | MILOS | VANCOUVER | WHL | 5’11.75″ | 188 | C |
| C | SCOTT | TODD | VANCOUVER | WHL | 6’0.5″ | 203 | G |
| C | STOTTS | RILEY | SWIFT CURRENT | WHL | 5’11.5″ | 168 | C |
| C | WOUTERS | CHASE | SASKATOON | WHL | 5’11.5″ | 177 | C |
| C | ZABRANSKY | LIBOR | KELOWNA | WHL | 6’0.75″ | 190 | D |
| C | ZAMULA | YEGOR | REGINA | WHL | 6’2.5″ | 160 | D |
| C | ZAZULA | LUKE | KAMLOOPS | WHL | 5’7.75″ | 169 | D |
| C | ZUMMACK | ELI | SPOKANE | WHL | 5’9.0″ | 177 | C |
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
NHL Central Scouting #PlayersToWatch List is posted on https://t.co/ONjCiALkyX listing top 2018 #NHLDraft prospects https://t.co/crA5TYF4Nf
— NHL Central Scouting (@NHLCentralScout) October 3, 2017