Stefan, Alscher recognized on NHL Central Scouting final rankings
Portland, Ore. – The Portland Winterhawks, proud member club of the Western Hockey League, are proud to share that two current players have been named to NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings ahead of the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal. The draft will take place on July 7 and 8 at Bell Centre in Montreal.
Forward James Stefan, 18, and defenseman Marek Alscher, 17, were recognized on today’s list after strong regular seasons in the Rose City.
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Stefan, ranked #157 on the list, led the Winterhawks in goal scoring during the 2021-22 regular season en route to career-high totals in goals (34), assists (45) and points (79). The Laguna Beach, Calif. native’s 79 points ranked second behind Detroit Red Wings prospect Cross Hanas (86). In 2019-20, Stefan tallied five goals and four assists in a 49-game rookie campaign, then spent the majority of the 2020-21 season with the Lincoln Stars of the USHL ahead of the WHL’s abbreviated season. There, he recorded 28 points in 41 games before returning to the Winterhawks for six games, during which he posted three assists.
Alscher, ranked #177 on the list, recorded seven goals and nine assists for 16 points to go with a +20 rating during his rookie season. Alscher operated on the Winterhawks’ top defensive pairing alongside captain Clay Hanus for much of the year, serving as a defensive stalwart throughout the campaign. Originally selected by the Winterhawks with the 26th pick in the 2021 CHL Import Draft, the Kladno, Czechia native arrived in Portland after a strong 2020-21 season with the Pelicans U18 program in Finland where he posted 14 points in 27 games. Alscher also recently competed for his country at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
In total, 53 WHL players were named to the final rankings list. The full list of ranked WHL skaters and goalies follows below.
2021-22 NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings – WHL Players
North American Skaters
| Rank | Last Name | First Name | Hometown | Team | Height | Weight | Position |
| 4 | Savoie | Matthew | St. Albert, Alta. | Winnipeg ICE | 5’9” | 175 | C |
| 5 | Geekie | Conor | Strathclair, Man. | Winnipeg ICE | 6’3” | 196 | C |
| 7 | Korchinski | Kevin | Saskatoon, Sask. | Seattle Thunderbirds | 6’2” | 185 | D |
| 12 | Firkus | Jagger | Irma, Alta. | Moose Jaw Warriors | 5’10” | 153 | RW |
| 14 | Mateychuk | Denton | Dominion City, Man. | Moose Jaw Warriors | 5’11” | 188 | D |
| 15 | Pickering | Owen | St. Adolphe, Man. | Swift Current Broncos | 6’4” | 178 | D |
| 28 | Minten | Fraser | Vancouver, B.C. | Kamloops Blazers | 6’1” | 185 | C |
| 31 | Schaefer | Reid | Spruce Grove, Alta. | Seattle Thunderbirds | 6’3” | 213 | LW |
| 38 | Filmon | Josh | Winnipeg, Man. | Swift Current Broncos | 6’2” | 160 | LW |
| 43 | Gustafson | Jordan | Ardrossan, Alta. | Seattle Thunderbirds | 5’11” | 178 | C |
| 47 | Lindgren | Mats | North Vancouver, B.C. | Kamloops Blazers | 5’11” | 173 | D |
| 56 | Weir | Jace | Coldstream, B.C. | Red Deer Rebels | 6’2” | 183 | D |
| 69 | Davies | Josh | Airdrie, Alta. | Swift Current Broncos | 5’9” | 197 | LW |
| 72 | Seminoff | Matthew | Coquitlam, B.C. | Kamloops Blazers | 5’11” | 180 | RW |
| 74 | Lisowsky | Brandon | Port Coquitlam, B.C. | Saskatoon Blades | 5’8” | 171 | LW |
| 76 | Schuurman | Brayden | Abbotsford, B.C. | Victoria Royals | 5’9” | 191 | C |
| 79 | Siepmann | Grayden | Abbotsford, B.C. | Calgary Hitmen | 5’10” | 175 | D |
| 86 | Hemmerling | Ben | Sherwood Park, Alta. | Everett Silvertips | 5’10” | 159 | RW |
| 87 | Roersma | Rylen | Lethbridge, Alta. | Brandon Wheat Kings | 5’10” | 161 | C |
| 93 | Sward | Graham | Abbotsford, B.C. | Spokane Chiefs | 6’2” | 180 | D |
| 95 | Sidorov | Egor | Vitebsk, Belarus | Saskatoon Blades | 5’10” | 154 | RW |
| 96 | King | Ben | Vernon, B.C. | Red Deer Rebels | 6’3” | 205 | C |
| 107 | Hvidston | Connor | Tisdale, Sask. | Swift Current Broncos | 6’2” | 164 | LW |
| 109 | Thornton | Hudson | Winnipeg, Man. | Prince George Cougars | 5’11” | 178 | D |
| 111 | Sloan | Jake | Leduc, Alta. | Tri-City Americans | 6’3” | 207 | RW |
| 112 | Bell | Parker | Campbell River, B.C. | Tri-City Americans | 6’4” | 192 | LW |
| 119 | Milne | Mikey | Abbotsford, B.C. | Winnipeg ICE | 5’10” | 185 | LW |
| 120 | Dowhaniuk | Keaton | Sherwood Park, Alta. | Prince George Cougars | 6’0” | 165 | D |
| 137 | Ward | Mathew | Kamloops, B.C. | Swift Current Broncos | 5’8” | 156 | C |
| 142 | Wright | Charlie | Olds, Alta. | Saskatoon Blades | 6’0” | 175 | D |
| 156 | Graham | Max | Kelowna, B.C. | Kelowna Rockets | 6’2” | 181 | C |
| 157 | Stefan | James | Laguna Beach, Calif. | Portland Winterhawks | 6’0” | 173 | RW |
| 177 | Alscher | Marek | Kladno, Czechia | Portland Winterhawks | 6’3” | 196 | D |
| 180 | Roest | Austin | Coldstream, B.C. | Everett Silvertips | 5’9” | 169 | C |
| 181 | Hodass | Bogdans | Jelgava, Latvia | Medicine Hat Tigers | 6’3” | 202 | D |
| 185 | Bocharov | Pavel | Escondido, Calif. | Medicine Hat Tigers | 6’0” | 184 | D |
| 186 | Kmec | Viliam | Kosice, Slovakia | Prince George Cougars | 6’2” | 198 | D |
| 188 | Bettahar | Rayan | Rodgau, Germany | Swift Current Broncos | 6’1” | 198 | D |
| 197 | Muranov | Maxim | Moscow, Russia | Calgary Hitmen | 6’0” | 158 | LW |
| 210 | Lies | Justin | Flin Flon, Man. | Vancouver Giants | 6’1” | 205 | RW |
| 212 | Feist | Layton | Dawson Creek, B.C. | Regina Pats | 5’10” | 167 | D |
| 217 | Polshakov | Zakhar | Minsk, Belarus | Brandon Wheat Kings | 5’10” | 180 | LW |
| 218 | Flamand | Nolan | Saskatoon, Sask. | Kelowna Rockets | 5’9” | 171 | C |
North American Goaltenders
| Rank | Last Name | First Name | Hometown | Team | Height | Weight | Position |
| 1 | Brennan | Tyler | Winnipeg, Man. | Prince George Cougars | 6’4” | 184 | G |
| 5 | Beaupit | Mason | Surrey, B.C. | Spokane Chiefs | 6’5” | 188 | G |
| 6 | Young | Ty | Coaldale, Alta. | Prince George Cougars | 6’3” | 181 | G |
| 8 | Dyck | Reid | Winkler, Man. | Swift Current Broncos | 6’3” | 190 | G |
| 11 | Holt | Braden | Bozeman, Mont. | Everett Silvertips | 6’1” | 160 | G |
| 12 | Suchanek | Tomas | Olomouc, Czechia | Tri-City Americans | 6’0” | 171 | G |
| 20 | Hay | Kolby | Monte Creek, B.C. | Edmonton Oil Kings | 6’4” | 186 | G |
| 25 | Kieper | Matthew | Winnipeg, Man. | Regina Pats | 6’2” | 178 | G |
| 28 | Milic | Thomas | Coquitlam, B.C. | Seattle Thunderbirds | 6’0” | 175 | G |
| 30 | Ernst | Dylan | Weyburn, Sask. | Kamloops Blazers | 6’2” | 196 | G |
Additionally, five unsigned Portland prospects appeared on the list, highlighted by Winterhawks 2019 WHL Draft selection Jimmy Snuggerud.
2021-22 NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings – Winterhawks Prospects
| Rank | Last Name | First Name | Hometown | Team | Height | Weight | Position |
| 11 | Snuggerud | Jimmy | Chaska, MN | USNTDP U18 | 6’1” | 186 | RW |
| 63 | Bump | Alex | Prior Lake, MN | Prior Lake (MN-HS) | 6’0” | 195 | LW |
| 159 | Hejduk | Marek | Parker, CO | USNTDP U18 | 5’11” | 184 | RW |
| 200 | Fleming | Maddox | Rochester, MN | Sioux Falls (USHL) | 5’11” | 182 | C |
| 208 | Haskins | Tyler | Rochester, MN | Madison (USHL) | 6’0” | 168 | LW |
