53 WHL players named to NHL Central Scouting Midterm Rankings
Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League is proud to announce 53 WHL players have been named to NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Rankings ahead of the 2022 NHL Draft. The Midterm Rankings were issued Wednesday by the NHL Central Scouting Service.
Giants forward Justin Lies (2003 – Flin Flon, MB) cracked the North American skaters list at #175.
CENTRAL SCOUTING’S MID-TERM NORTH AMERICAN RANKINGS LIST (SKATERS)
Lies (6’1”, 205-pounds) is currently in his third season with Vancouver. In 19 games this season he’s posted four goals and four assists for eight points along with 18 penalty minutes. Lies has added one power play goal and one game-winning goal. In 89 career games with the Giants, Lies has eight goals and 14 assists for 32 points. He was originally selected by the Giants in Round 3 (56th overall) in the 2018 WHL Prospects Draft.
Six WHL players are listed among the top 30 North American Skaters, led by Winnipeg ICE forwards Matthew Savoie and Conor Geekie, who are ranked third and fourth respectively. Denton Mateychuk of the Moose Jaw Warriors is the top-ranked defenceman (ninth). The East Division trio is joined by Seattle Thunderbirds blueliner Kevin Korchinski (20th), Swift Current Broncos rearguard Owen Pickering (21st) and Kamloops Blazers defenceman Mats Lindgren (30th) in the top 30 North American Skaters.
Prince George Cougars netminder Tyler Brennan is the top-ranked North American Goaltender. The product of Winnipeg, Man. is followed by Everett Silvertips puckstopper Braden Holt (sixth) and Spokane Chiefs goaltender Mason Beaupit (seventh) in the top 10 among North American Goaltenders.
Overall, 20 of 22 WHL Clubs are represented in the Midterm Rankings. The Swift Current Broncos boast six players to lead all WHL Clubs, while the Prince George Cougars are represented by five players. The Saskatoon Blades and Winnipeg ICE each have four players on the Midterm Rankings, while five other WHL Clubs have three players listed. Eight WHL Clubs are represented with two players on the lists, while three further WHL Clubs have a single player on NHL Central Scouting’s lists.
A total of 27 WHL forwards find themselves on the Midterm Rankings, joined by 17 WHL defencemen, and nine WHL goaltenders.
2021-22 NHL Central Scouting Midterm Rankings – WHL Players
North American Skaters
| Rank | Last Name | First Name | Hometown | Team | Height | Weight | Position |
| 3 | Savoie | Matthew | St. Albert, Alta. | Winnipeg ICE | 5’9” | 179 | C |
| 4 | Geekie | Conor | Strathclair, Man. | Winnipeg ICE | 6’3” | 193 | C |
| 9 | Mateychuk | Denton | Dominion City, Man. | Moose Jaw Warriors | 5’11” | 188 | D |
| 20 | Korchinski | Kevin | Saskatoon, Sask. | Seattle Thunderbirds | 6’1” | 185 | D |
| 21 | Pickering | Owen | St. Adolphe, Man. | Swift Current Broncos | 6’4” | 179 | D |
| 30 | Lindgren | Mats | North Vancouver, B.C. | Kamloops Blazers | 5’11” | 173 | D |
| 33 | Firkus | Jagger | Irma, Alta. | Moose Jaw Warriors | 5’10” | 153 | RW |
| 34 | Minten | Fraser | Vancouver, B.C. | Kamloops Blazers | 6’1” | 185 | C |
| 43 | Gustafson | Jordan | Ardrossan, Alta. | Seattle Thunderbirds | 5’11” | 178 | C |
| 50 | Seminoff | Matthew | Coquitlam, B.C. | Kamloops Blazers | 5’11” | 180 | RW |
| 51 | Filmon | Josh | Winnipeg, Man. | Swift Current Broncos | 6’2” | 158 | LW |
| 55 | Weir | Jace | Coldstream, B.C. | Red Deer Rebels | 6’2” | 183 | D |
| 58 | Schuurman | Brayden | Abbotsford, B.C. | Victoria Royals | 5’9” | 191 | C |
| 80 | Milne | Mikey | Abbotsford, B.C. | Winnipeg ICE | 5’10” | 185 | LW |
| 85 | Schaefer | Reid | Spruce Grove, Alta. | Seattle Thunderbirds | 6’3” | 215 | LW |
| 87 | Lisowsky | Brandon | Port Coquitlam, B.C. | Saskatoon Blades | 5’8” | 171 | LW |
| 92 | Kmec | Viliam | Kosice, Slovakia | Prince George Cougars | 6’2” | 198 | D |
| 93 | Bell | Parker | Campbell River, B.C. | Tri-City Americans | 6’4” | 192 | LW |
| 95 | Uchacz | Kai | De Winton, Alta. | Red Deer Rebels | 6’1” | 190 | RW |
| 96 | Polshakov | Zakhar | Minsk, Belarus | Brandon Wheat Kings | 5’10” | 170 | LW |
| 97 | Sloan | Jake | Leduc, Alta. | Tri-City Americans | 6’3” | 207 | RW |
| 99 | Roersma | Rylen | Lethbridge, Alta. | Brandon Wheat Kings | 5’10” | 161 | C |
| 112 | Sidorov | Egor | Vitebsk, Belarus | Saskatoon Blades | 5’10” | 154 | RW |
| 127 | Davies | Josh | Airdrie, Alta. | Swift Current Broncos | 5’9” | 197 | LW |
| 131 | Gronick | Kyren | Regina, Sask. | Saskatoon Blades | 5’10” | 185 | C |
| 136 | Dowhaniuk | Keaton | Sherwood Park, Alta. | Prince George Cougars | 6’0” | 165 | D |
| 139 | Siepmann | Grayden | Abbotsford, B.C. | Calgary Hitmen | 5’10” | 175 | D |
| 140 | Wright | Charlie | Olds, Alta. | Saskatoon Blades | 6’0” | 175 | D |
| 141 | Muranov | Maxim | Moscow, Russia | Calgary Hitmen | 6’0” | 158 | LW |
| 144 | Ward | Mathew | Kamloops, B.C. | Swift Current Broncos | 5’8” | 156 | C |
| 148 | Sward | Graham | Abbotsford, B.C. | Spokane Chiefs | 6’2” | 180 | D |
| 153 | Bettahar | Rayan | Rodgau, Germany | Swift Current Broncos | 6’1” | 198 | D |
| 154 | Hemmerling | Ben | Sherwood Park, Alta. | Everett Silvertips | 5’10” | 159 | RW |
| 157 | Bocharov | Pavel | Escondido, Calif. | Medicine Hat Tigers | 6’0” | 184 | D |
| 168 | Graham | Max | Kelowna, B.C. | Kelowna Rockets | 6’2” | 181 | C |
| 173 | Hodass | Bogdans | Jelgava, Latvia | Medicine Hat Tigers | 6’3” | 202 | D |
| 175 | Lies | Justin | Flin Flon, Man. | Vancouver Giants | 6’1” | 205 | RW |
| 177 | Alscher | Marek | Kladno, Czechia | Portland Winterhawks | 6’3” | 196 | D |
| 186 | Roest | Austin | Coldstream, B.C. | Everett Silvertips | 5’9” | 169 | C |
| 187 | Flamand | Nolan | Saskatoon, Sask. | Kelowna Rockets | 5’9” | 171 | C |
| 193 | Feist | Layton | Dawson Creek, B.C. | Regina Pats | 5’10” | 167 | D |
| 205 | Stefan | James | Laguna Beach, Calif. | Portland Winterhawks | 6’0” | 173 | RW |
| 211 | Thornton | Hudson | Winnipeg, Man. | Prince George Cougars | 5’11” | 178 | D |
| 214 | Streule | Maximilian | Zurich, Switzerland | Winnipeg ICE | 5’11” | 176 | D |
North American Goaltenders
| Rank | Last Name | First Name | Hometown | Team | Height | Weight | Position |
| 1 | Brennan | Tyler | Winnipeg, Man. | Prince George Cougars | 6’4” | 180 | G |
| 6 | Holt | Braden | Bozeman, Mont. | Everett Silvertips | 6’2” | 160 | G |
| 7 | Beaupit | Mason | Surrey, B.C. | Spokane Chiefs | 6’5” | 186 | G |
| 13 | Suchanek | Tomas | Olomouc, Czechia | Tri-City Americans | 6’0” | 171 | G |
| 17 | Kieper | Matthew | Winnipeg, Man. | Regina Pats | 6’2” | 178 | G |
| 21 | Young | Ty | Coaldale, Alta. | Prince George Cougars | 6’3” | 181 | G |
| 22 | Hay | Kolby | Monte Creek, B.C. | Edmonton Oil Kings | 6’4” | 186 | G |
| 26 | Dyck | Reid | Winkler, Man. | Swift Current Broncos | 6’3” | 187 | G |
| 30 | Coward | Chase | Swift Current, Sask. | Red Deer Rebels | 6’2” | 161 | G |
In its 47th year of operation, NHL Central Scouting provides evaluation and scouting of draft-eligible players to NHL member clubs. Headed by Director of Central Scouting Dan Marr, NHL Central Scouting employs eight full-time scouts throughout North America.
About the Western Hockey League
Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and five in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.
