2017 NHL Draft Preview
The world’s best hockey prospects, many of whom play in the OHL, will gather at the United Center in Chicago on June 23 and 24 in hopes of hearing their name called by an NHL club.
Current drafted Petes include Jonathan Ang (Florida, 2016), Dylan Wells (Edmonton, 2016), and Matt Spencer (Tampa Bay, 2015).
Sharing the honour of being the highest selected Pete are Chris Pronger (Hartford, 1993), Eric Staal (Carolina, 2003) and Jordan Staal (Pittsburgh, 2006), who were selected 2nd overall in their respective drafts.
Three Peterborough Petes are ranked on NHL Central Scouting’s final 2017 rankings, while four others are also eligible for selection. They hope to follow in the footsteps of 179 Petes drafted before them.
Zach Gallant – Centre: Zach is ranked 64th among North American skaters. He is described as an intelligent, two-way centre with a strong compete level; he can be tough to contain; his best assets include his shot and his success in the faceoff circle. Zach was voted by OHL coaches as the Eastern Conference’s best defensive forward, best on faceoffs, and third most improved player.
2016-17 Stats: 60 GP, 21 G, 26 A, 47 Pts, 74 PIM
Nick Isaacson – Forward: Nick is ranked 148th among North American skaters. He is described as a big, rangy winger with a good compete level and hard shot; he’s able to quickly find pucks and get them to the net; he fills lanes and finds space appropriately.
2016-17 Stats: 66 GP, 5 G, 10 A, 15 Pts, 36 PIM
Cole Fraser – Defence: Cole is ranked 197th among North American skaters. He is described as a physical, stay-at-home defender with good size and strength; he utilizes his strength and physicality to be tough to play against; he won’t be outworked in position and/or puck battles.
2016-17 Stats: 61 GP, 6 G, 13 A, 19 Pts, 82 PIM
Also available for selection in this year’s NHL Draft are Matyas Svoboda, Matt Timms, Logan DeNoble and Nikita Korostelev.
Tune in to the draft live at 7:00pmET to see which Petes are selected.
Join thousands of fans and stay up to date with the Petes all summer long by downloading the Peterborough Petes Mobile App, available for iPhone or Android devices. Enter rewards code Draft2017 in the My Rewards section of the app to earn loyalty rewards today.
Player scouting reports courtesy of HockeyProspect.com
