Eagles’ Milota, Lavoie ranked in latest NHL Players to Watch List
On Friday, NHL Central Scouting released its mid-term player rankings showcasing the top prospects to watch heading into the 2024 NHL Entry Draft scheduled for June 28-29 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The list features a total of 34 QMJHL players that have garnered the attention of scouting experts this season; two of which are members of the Cape Breton Eagles roster.
17-year-old goaltender Jakub Milota is ranked 12th amongst goalies playing in North America, while 17-year-old defenceman Tomas Lavoie is ranked 50th overall amongst North American skaters as a potential second round NHL draft choice.
Milota was drafted 23rd overall in last year’s CHL Import Draft and has since played 21 games with the club, sprouting three shutouts, a 2.65 goals against average and a .914 save percentage in the process.
Milota is one of four QMJHL goaltenders ranked among the top 15 in the latest ranking and was initially given a C rating in the first Players to Watch list released in October.
Lavoie is a former first overall QMJHL draft pick to the Eagles in 2022 and has 33 points in 99 games with the club over the past two seasons.
Earlier this year, the 17-year-old was one of 40 players named to the 2024 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Moncton, N.B this January.
In October, NHL Central Scouting gave Lavoie a B rating in their initial Players to Watch list.
The full list of rankings can be found here: draftprospectbrowse.htm
