Eighty OHL Players Included on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Draft Rankings

TORONTO – A total of 80 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) players have been included on the NHL Central Scouting Service’s Midterm Rankings for the 2026 NHL Draft, highlighting the league’s depth of draft-eligible talent. That figure establishes the most for the OHL on the NHL Central Scouting Midterms in the past 17 years.

The 80 OHL players (67 skaters, 13 goaltenders) are part of a larger group of 200 players from across the Canadian Hockey League, also a new benchmark dating back to 2008-09. That total includes an additional 76 current players from the Western Hockey League, and 44 from the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.

The list features 10 OHL skaters ranked among the top 32 North American prospects, highlighting strong first-round potential across the league. Defenceman Chase Reid of the Soo Greyhounds leads all OHL skaters at fourth overall, followed by Caleb Malhotra of the Brantford Bulldogs at fifth and Ethan Belchetz of the Windsor Spitfires at ninth.

Of the 80 OHL players listed, 40 are competing in the 2026 Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game presented by Enbridge Gas, set for Wednesday, January 14, in Peterborough, ON.

The Guelph Storm, London Knights, Oshawa Generals, Ottawa 67’s and Owen Sound Attack lead the OHL, each with six players listed.

The 2026 NHL Draft will be held June 26–27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, marking the fourth time the Buffalo Sabres have hosted the event. The NHL will again use a decentralized format, with prospects and their families attending the draft while team executives make selections remotely from their home markets. Buffalo has also served as host of the NHL’s annual scouting combine since 2015 and will welcome the league’s top draft-eligible prospects again this spring.

2026 NHL Central Scouting Midseason Rankings – OHL

Players marked with an asterisk (*) are competing in the 2026 Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game.*

SKATERS (North American)

RANK	PLAYER	POS.	TEAM
4	Chase Reid*	D	Soo Greyhounds
5	Caleb Malhotra*	C	Brantford Bulldogs
9	Ethan Belchetz*	LW	Windsor Spitfires
12	Adam Novotny*	LW	Peterborough Petes
14	Brooks Rogowski*	C	Oshawa Generals
16	Nikita Klepov*	RW	Saginaw Spirit
19	Alessandro Di Iorio*	C	Sarnia Sting
22	Ryder Cali*	C	North Bay Battalion
25	Thomas Vandenberg*	C	Ottawa 67’s
27	Ryan Roobroeck*	LW	Niagara IceDogs
38	Alexander Bilecki*	D	Kitchener Rangers
39	Egor Barabanov*	C	Saginaw Spirit
40	Vladimir Dravecky*	D	Brantford Bulldogs
41	Colin Fitzgerald*	C	Soo Greyhounds
44	Pierce Mbuyi*	LW	Owen Sound Attack
45	Jaxon Cover*	RW	London Knights
46	Beckham Edwards*	C	Sarnia Sting
47	Cole Zurawski*	RW	Owen Sound Attack
50	Braidy Wassilyn*	LW	London Knights
51	Wesley Royston	RW	Owen Sound Attack
54	Carter Stevens	RW	Guelph Storm
59	Callum Croskery*	D	Soo Greyhounds
62	Layne Gallacher*	C	Guelph Storm
82	Lucas Ambrosio*	D	Erie Otters
84	Aiden O’Donnell	LW	Oshawa Generals
87	Nathan Amidovski*	LW	Brampton Steelheads
89	Adam Levac*	C	Peterborough Petes
93	Jasper Kuhta	C	Ottawa 67’s
105	Ondrej Ruml*	D	Ottawa 67’s
110	Brody Pepoy	RW	Saginaw Spirit
112	Jacob Xu*	D	London Knights
117	Alex Kostov*	RW	Flint Firebirds
125	Cohen Bidgood	RW	London Knights
127	Elliot Arnett	D	Owen Sound Attack
130	Ben Reisnecker*	D	Niagara IceDogs
132	Maksim Sokolovskii	D	London Knights
134	Andre Mondoux	D	Kingston Frontenacs
135	Brady Murnane*	D	Oshawa Generals
141	Parker Vaughan	RW	North Bay Battalion
144	Rylan Singh*	D	Guelph Storm
151	Eric Frossard	D	Guelph Storm
152	Harris Pangretitsch	D	Soo Greyhounds
156	Colin Feeley	D	Oshawa Generals
157	Leo Laschon*	D	Oshawa Generals
160	Joseph Salandra*	RW	Barrie Colts
162	Leon Kolarik*	LW	Peterborough Petes
165	Benjamin Wilmott	C	Barrie Colts
170	Shaan Kingwell	LW	Ottawa 67’s
172	Matej Stankoven*	C	Brampton Steelheads
178	Caden Harvey	C	Windsor Spitfires
179	Cody Wood	D	London Knights
184	Jean-Christoph Lemieux	LW	Sudbury Wolves
185	Illia Shybinskyi	LW	Guelph Storm
187	Alex McLean	C	Kingston Frontenacs
189	Dryden Allen	D	Flint Firebirds
191	Rowan Henderson*	LW	Sudbury Wolves
193	Aiden Young	LW	Peterborough Petes
194	Alexander Karmanov	D	North Bay Battalion
197	Julian Brown	D	Owen Sound Attack
202	Cooper Dennis	RW	Brantford Bulldogs
203	Justin Handsor*	D	Barrie Colts
208	Kase Kamzik	LW	Erie Otters
212	Ryder Carey	C	North Bay Battalion
214	Arseny Pronin	RW	North Bay Battalion
217	Carson Woodall	D	Windsor Spitfires
221	Nicholas Sykora	LW	Owen Sound Attack

GOALTENDERS

RANK	GOALTENDER	TEAM
10	Zachary Jovanovski*	Guelph Storm
11	Matthew Minchak*	Kingston Frontenacs
14	Vladislav Yermolenko	Niagara IceDogs
16	Ryder Fetterolf*	Ottawa 67’s
17	Stepan Shurygin*	Saginaw Spirit
19	Ben Hrebik	Barrie Colts
23	Arvin Jaswal	Barrie Colts
24	Maksim Corovic	Brantford Bulldogs
26	Gavin Betts	Kingston Frontenacs
29	Jason Schaubel	Kitchener Rangers
32	Michael Newlove	Windsor Spitfires
34	Matthew Humphries	Oshawa Generals
35	Jaeden Nelson	Ottawa 67’s

INTERNATIONAL SKATERS

RANK	PLAYER	POS.	TEAM
29	Adam Nemec	LW	Sudbury Wolves

For the full NHL Central Scouting Midseason Rankings, visit nhl.com.

NHL Central Scouting Midseason Rankings FAQ

What are the NHL Central Scouting Midseason Rankings?
The NHL Central Scouting Midseason Rankings are an evaluation of draft-eligible players released midway through the season, ranking North American and International skaters and goaltenders ahead of the NHL Draft.

How many OHL players were included in this year’s rankings?
A total of 80 Ontario Hockey League players were included in the NHL Central Scouting Midseason Rankings.

How many OHL skaters were ranked?
The rankings include 67 OHL skaters, made up of 66 North American skaters and one International skater currently playing in the OHL.

How many OHL goaltenders were ranked?
A total of 13 OHL goaltenders were included in the midseason rankings.

What do the rankings mean for the NHL Draft?
The rankings serve as a reference point for NHL teams but do not determine draft order. Player performance in the second half of the season, playoffs, and team interviews can influence final draft positioning.

Where and when is the 2026 NHL Draft being held?
The 2026 NHL Draft will take place June 26–27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.

How many ranked OHL players are competing in the Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game?
40 ranked OHL players are competing in the 2026 Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game.

Where can fans find the complete NHL Central Scouting rankings?
The full NHL Central Scouting Midseason Rankings are available at nhl.com.