4 Wheat Kings named to 2025 NHL Central Scouting Midterm Rankings
Brandon, MB- Four Brandon Wheat Kings, and a total of Sixty-six Western Hockey League players have been listed by NHL Central Scouting in the agency’s Midterm Rankings ahead of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.
The latest rankings were released on Tuesday morning.
Brandon Wheat Kings forward Roger McQueen was the highest ranking Wheat King, listed as #5. Carter Klippenstein was next at #121, closely followed by one of the newest Wheat Kings, Jordan Gavin at #123. Joby Baumuller rounded out the Wheat Kings portion of the list at #146.
Six WHL skaters were ranked in the top 20 among North American skaters, including Roger McQueen (Brandon Wheat Kings), Radim Mrtka (Seattle Thunderbirds), Jackson Smith (Tri-City Americans), Carter Bear (Everett Silvertips), 2024 WHL Champion Lynden Lakovic (Moose Jaw Warriors) and Benjamin Kindel (Calgary Hitmen).
Prince George Cougars standout Joshua Ravensbergen has been ranked the top North American goaltender, while Ondrej Stebetak (Portland Winterhawks) is sixth.
Recent WHL signees Dominik Pavlik (Moose Jaw Warriors) and Max Psenicka (Portland Winterhawks) are listed among the top International Skaters ahead of their WHL debuts.
Twenty WHL clubs are represented in the Midterm Rankings. The Kelowna Rockets, Moose Jaw Warriors and Red Deer Rebels lead the pack with five ranked players each, while the Brandon Wheat Kings, Portland Winterhawks, Prince George Cougars, Swift Current Broncos, Tri-City Americans and Vancouver Giants all have four. Six WHL teams have three players ranked- the Calgary Hitmen, Edmonton Oil Kings, Everett Silvertips, Medicine Hat Tigers, Seattle Thunderbirds and the Spokane Chiefs.
The list includes 11 WHL players invited to compete at the first-ever CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Kubota Canada (Roger McQueen was invited but unable to participate due to injury). Lakovic and Cameron Schmidt (Vancouver Giants) each scored a goal and an assist in the two-game series, which the CHL swept. Cole Reschny (Victoria Royals) scored the game-winner in Game 2 and Kindel and Ravensbergen added an assist each at the event.
A total of 38 WHL forwards are listed, in addition to 21 defencemen and seven goaltenders.
Across the Canadian Hockey League, 174 players are listed, narrowly led by the Ontario Hockey League with 67, the WHL with 66 and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League with 41.
WHEAT KINGS LISTED IN BOLD
MANITOBANS LISTED IN ITALICS
2024-25 NHL Central Scouting Midterm Rankings- WHL Skaters
Rank | Last Name | First Name | Hometown | Team | Height | Weight | Position |
5 | McQueen | Roger | Saskatoon, Sask. | Brandon | 6’5.25 | 197 | C |
6 | Mrtka | Radim | Havlickuv, Cze. | Seattle | 6’5.75 | 207 | D |
9 | Smith | Jackson | Calgary, Alta. | Tri-City | 6’3.25 | 195 | D |
11 | Bear | Carter | West St. Paul, Man. | Everett | 6’0 | 179 | LW |
12 | Lakovic | Lynden | West Kelowna, B.C. | Moose Jaw | 6’4.25 | 190 | LW |
20 | Kindel | Benjamin | Coquitlam, B.C. | Calgary | 5’10 | 176 | C |
21 | Cootes | Braeden | Sherwood Park, Alta. | Seattle | 5’11.25 | 183 | C |
24 | Fiddler | Blake | Frisco, Tex. | Edmonton | 6’4 | 209 | D |
26 | Kettles | Peyton | Winnipeg, Man. | Swift Current | 6’5.25 | 190 | D |
30 | Schmidt | Cameron | Prince George, B.C. | Vancouver | 5’7.25 | 161 | RW |
31 | Behm | Nathan | Calgary, Alta. | Kamloops | 6’1.5 | 192 | RW |
34 | Reschny | Cole | Macklin, Sask. | Victoria | 5’10.5 | 183 | C |
42 | Gard | Matthew | Winnipeg, Man. | Red Deer | 6’4.75 | 192 | C |
48 | Paupanekis | Hayden | Winnipeg, Man. | Kelowna | 6’4.25 | 196 | C |
52 | Lewandowski | David | Dusseldorf, Ger. | Saskatoon | 6’1.25 | 177 | LW |
65 | Sharpe | Will | Ladner, B.C. | Kelowna | 6’0 | 195 | D |
69 | Martin | Owen | Oakbank, Man. | Spokane | 5’11.75 | 185 | C |
70 | Lajoie | Jett | Winnipeg, Man. | Prince George | 5’11.5 | 178 | RW |
72 | Mistelbacher | Luke | Steinbach, Man. | Swift Current | 5’11.75 | 196 | RW |
73 | Pickford | Bryce | Chauvin, Alta. | Medicine Hat | 6’0.25 | 183 | D |
74 | Hamilton | Reese | Whitewood, Sask. | Regina | 6’0 | 172 | D |
81 | Gorzynski | Brandon | Scottsdale, Ariz. | Calgary | 6’1.5 | 185 | C |
86 | Lafreniere | Tommy | Hornby Island, B.C. | Kamloops | 5’11 | 172 | RW |
101 | McCann | Kadon | Cochrane, Alta. | Medicine Hat | 6’3 | 200 | C |
109 | Vlooswyk | Luke | Calgary, Alta. | Red Deer | 6’4.5 | 200 | D |
111 | McGregor | Josh | Brandon, Man. | Swift Current | 6’1.25 | 170 | D |
118 | Miller | Ryan | Medicine Hat, Alta. | Portland | 5’11.75 | 177 | C |
119 | Sawchyn | Lukas | Grande Prairie, Alta. | Edmonton | 5’9.75 | 168 | LW |
121 | Klippenstein | Carter | Lethbridge, Alta. | Brandon | 6’2.5 | 180 | C |
122 | Garland | Gavin | Calgary, Alta. | Tri-City | 5’9.5 | 183 | RW |
123 | Gavin | Jordan | Surrey, B.C. | Brandon | 5’11 | 187 | LW |
125 | Sarkenov | Asanali | Astana, Kaz. | Spokane | 6’3.5 | 203 | RW |
130 | Burzynski | Grayson | Winnipeg, Man. | Swift Current | 6’3.5 | 212 | D |
131 | Schoettler | Owen | Edmonton, Alta. | Spokane | 6’0 | 181 | D |
134 | Foster | Aiden | Lloydminster, Alta. | Prince George | 6’2 | 182 | C |
135 | Gerwing | Dawson | Meadow Lake, Sask. | Kelowna | 6’3 | 225 | LW |
142 | Bridgeman | Kolten | Regina, Sask. | Regina | 6’4 | 216 | D |
143 | Degenstein | Noah | Airdrie, Alta. | Moose Jaw | 6’3.75 | 206 | C |
144 | Mayes | Sawyer | Salmon Arm, B.C. | Seattle | 6’4 | 188 | C |
146 | Baumuller | Joby | Wilcox, Sask. | Brandon | 5’11.25 | 188 | RW |
147 | Woo | Jonas | Winnipeg, Man. | Medicine Hat | 5’8.75 | 165 | D |
150 | Obobaifo | Aaron | Calgary, Alta. | Vancouver | 5’9.5 | 183 | LW |
160 | Koch | Cassius | Calgary, Alta. | Tri-City | 5’11.25 | 197 | LW |
163 | MacKenzie | Ethan | Peachland, B.C. | Edmonton | 6’0 | 174 | D |
169 | Busch | Shea | North Vancouver, B.C. | Everett | 6’1.75 | 208 | LW |
170 | Fuder | Jaxon | Cold Lake, Alta. | Red Deer | 6’0 | 166 | C |
173 | Temple | Cole | Brandon, Man. | Everett | 5’9.25 | 166 | C |
174 | Riche | Ben | Bethune, Sask. | Prince George | 5’9.5 | 179 | C |
191 | Buttazzoni | Diego | Langley, B.C. | Portland | 5’9 | 183 | LW |
192 | Thurston | Derek | Delta, B.C. | Red Deer | 6’0.75 | 190 | D |
195 | Coupland | Ty | North Vancouver, B.C. | Red Deer | 5’10.25 | 165 | C |
196 | Leslie | Mazden | Lloydminster, Alta. | Vancouver | 6’0.25 | 200 | D |
206 | Schmidt | Connor | Sturgeon County, Alta. | Moose Jaw | 5’11.25 | 180 | D |
214 | Gudelj | Jake | Vancouver, B.C. | Tri-City | 6’1.75 | 198 | C |
221 | Ziprick | Aiden | Russell, Man. | Moose Jaw | 6’0.5 | 190 | D |
223 | Corbet | Nate | Calgary, Alta. | Kelowna | 6’1 | 171 | D |
224 | Kachkowski | Jack | St. Albert, Alta. | Saskatoon | 5’11.75 | 176 | D |
2024-25 NHL Central Scouting Midterm Rankings – International Skaters
Rank | Last Name | First Name | Hometown | Team | Height | Weight | Position |
8 | Psenicka | Max | Prague, Cze. | Portland | 6’4 | 176 | D |
60 | Pavlik | Dominik | Trutnov, Cze. | Moose Jaw | 6’0.75 | 197 | C |
2024-25 NHL Central Scouting Midterm Rankings – WHL Goaltenders
Rank | Last Name | First Name | Hometown | Team | Height | Weight | Position |
1 | Ravensbergen | Joshua | North Vancouver, B.C. | Prince George | 6’5.25 | 190 | G |
6 | Stebetak | Ondrej | Jihlava, Cze. | Portland | 6’1.5 | 173 | G |
11 | Kraus | Jayden | Prince Albert, Sask. | Victoria | 6’1.5 | 201 | G |
16 | Cleaver | Koen | Port Alberni, B.C. | Lethbridge | 6’1.5 | 188 | G |
19 | Miller | Anders | Anchorage, Alaska | Calgary | 6’2 | 190 | G |
23 | Pilon | Jake | Calgary, Alta. | Kelowna | 6’4.25 | 210 | G |
25 | Hood | Burke | Brandon, Man. | Vancouver | 6’2.75 | 197 | G |
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 offers a world-class player experience featuring three key cornerstones: hockey development, education, and a safe and positive environment for all participants. A diverse and inclusive organization, the WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 16 located in Western Canada and six 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 close to 60 years. The WHL is also a 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.
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