Duchesne & Keyser Named To NHL Central Scouting ‘Futures List’
The National Hockey League’s Central Scouting department released it’s 2016-17 ‘NHL Futures List’ and Flint Firebirds’ Samuel Duchesne and Kyle Keyser are slated as players to watch for the upcoming season.
Both Duchesne and Keyser are the only two returning Flint Firebirds that are 1999 birth years, meaning this is their first year that they are eligible to be selected in the NHL Draft.
A total of 31 current OHL skaters join an additional three players committed for the 2016-17 season on the list that includes 290 names from across the globe.
The Ontario Hockey League leads the CHL with 34 players on the list while the Western Hockey League trails closely with 32 and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League features 15.
“The 2016 draft class lived up to all the hype regarding the exceptional talent available and the unpredictability of the order in which prospects would be taken,” NHL Director of Central Scouting Dan Marr said. “It’s anticipated that 2016-17 will again be a deep draft class for prospects, and there is a lot of depth at all positions.”
The 2016 NHL Draft class featured 48 OHL players including two from the Flint Firebirds (Bitten & Caamano). The OHL produced nine first round selections, including three each from the MasterCard Memorial Cup champion Knights and 2017 host Windsor Spitfires. The Firebirds had six players on their roster during the 2015-16 season that were already drafted in the NHL.
“The list is based on evaluations we made of the players during the 2015-16 season,” Marr added. “A number of these players will be changing teams for 2016-17 and that will be reflected in our preliminary players to watch list in September.”
While the preliminary players to watch list will provide the A, B and C ratings for players in each of the major junior hockey leagues, the Futures List offers a collection of skaters and goaltenders NHL scouts should consider targets of interest heading into the season.
NHL CSS Futures List – OHL Players (34):
Players in italics are committed to OHL for 2016-17 season. * indicates late 1998 birthdate
Ian Blacker (London Knights) D
Tyler Burnie (Kingston Frontenacs) RW
Sasha Chmelevski (Ottawa 67’s) C
Cole Coskey (Saginaw Spirit) LW
Anthony DeMeo (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) D
Michael DiPietro (Windsor Spitfires) G
Samuel Duchesne (Flint Firebirds) D
MacKenzie Entwistle (Hamilton Bulldogs) RW
Morgan Frost (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) LW
Kaden Fulcher (Hamilton Bulldogs) G *
Zach Gallant (Peterborough Petes) C
Brady Gilmour (Saginaw Spirit) C
Nicolas Hague (Mississauga Steelheads) D *
Mac Hollowell (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) D *
Aidan Hughes (Sarnia Sting) G
Austen Keating (Ottawa 67’s) C
Kyle Keyser (Flint Firebirds) G
Vanya Lodnia (Erie Otters) RW
Brady Lyle (North Bay Battalion) D
Kyle MacLean (Oshawa Generals) LW
Ryan McGregor (Sarnia Sting) C
Greg Meireles (Kitchener Rangers) C
Reagan O’Grady (Sudbury Wolves) D *
Jacob Paquette (Kingston Frontenacs) D
Markus Phillips (Owen Sound Attack) D
Isaac Ratcliffe (Guelph Storm) LW
Jason Robertson (Kingston Frontenacs) LW
Nate Schnarr (Guelph Storm) C
Dylan Seitz (Kitchener Rangers) C
Matthew Strome (Hamilton Bulldogs) C
Jack Studnicka (Oshawa Generals) C
Nick Suzuki (Owen Sound Attack) C
Owen Tippett (Mississauga Steelheads) RW
Gabriel Vilardi (Windsor Spitfires) C
Click here to see the full 2016-17 NHL CSS Futures List
Photo Credit: Rena Laverty / Flint Firebirds
