78 players developed in WHL named to NHL Central Scouting Midterm Rankings

REPRESENTS 18 PER CENT INCREASE VERSUS 2025 MIDTERM RANKINGS

Calgary, Alta. – Seventy-eight players developed in the Western Hockey League have been named to NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Rankings ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft.

NHL Central Scouting unveiled its Midterm Rankings for the 2026 NHL Draft on Monday evening, in conjunction with announcing Buffalo, N.Y., as the host for the 2026 NHL Draft.

A total of 10 current WHL players are ranked among the top 32 skaters in North America, including defencemen Carson Carels of the Prince George Cougars, Daxon Rudolph of the Prince Albert Raiders, Ryan Lin of the Vancouver Giants, Ben MacBeath of the Calgary Hitmen, and Jakub Vanecek of the Tri-City Americans, and forwards JP Hurlbert of the Kamloops Blazers, Mathis Preston of the Vancouver Giants, Liam Ruck of the Medicine Hat Tigers, Markus Ruck of the Medicine Hat Tigers, and Chase Harrington of the Spokane Chiefs.

Also among the top 32 skaters in North America are former WHL Player of the Year Gavin McKenna, who spent three seasons with the Medicine Hat Tigers and won a WHL Championship in 2025, as well as former Victoria Royals defenceman Keaton Verhoeff.

Four WHL netminders rank among the top 10 goaltenders in North America, including Michal Orsulak of the Prince Albert Raiders, Tobias Tvrznik of the Wenatchee Wild, Harrison Boettiger of the Kelowna Rockets, and Marek Sklenicka of the Seattle Thunderbirds.

Of the 78 players developed in the WHL to be identified by NHL Central Scouting, 44 are forwards, 25 are defencemen, and nine are goaltenders.

In total, NHL Central Scouting has identified 224 skaters and 37 goaltenders from North America, with 76.6 per cent of the list having spent time developing in the member Leagues of the CHL. The WHL accounts for 30 per cent of the North American list, while the OHL leads the way at 31 per cent and the QMJHL contributes 17 per cent.

In 2025, the WHL accounted for 66 players on NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Rankings. The rise from 66 players in 2025 to 78 players in 2026 represents an increase of 18.2 per cent.

Of the WHL’s 23 Clubs, 22 are represented in NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Rankings, led by the Medicine Hat Tigers and Prince Albert Raiders with seven players each. The Edmonton Oil Kings and Prince George Cougars each boast six players, while the Portland Winterhawks, Red Deer Rebels, and Vancouver Giants each have five players listed.

NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Rankings features 200 players developed in the member Leagues of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), including 80 from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and 44 from the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).

Currently in its 51st year of operation, NHL Central Scouting provides evaluation and scouting of draft-eligible players to NHL member clubs. Headed by Group Vice President Dan Marr, NHL Central Scouting employs eight full-time scouts throughout North America.

Full rankings are available on NHL.com.

2025-26 NHL Central Scouting – Midterm Rankings – WHL Skaters

RK	Last Name	First Name	Hometown	WHL Team	Ht	Wt	Pos
1	McKenna	Gavin	Whitehorse, Yukon	Medicine Hat Tigers	5’11”	170	LW
2	Verhoeff	Keaton	Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.	Victoria Royals	6’4”	208	D
3	Carels	Carson	Cypress River, Man.	Prince George Cougars	6’2”	202	D
6	Rudolph	Daxon	Lacombe, Alta.	Prince Albert Raiders	6’2”	206	D
10	Hurlbert	JP	Allen, Texas	Kamloops Blazers	6’0”	185	LW
13	Lin	Ryan	Richmond, B.C.	Vancouver Giants	5’11”	177	D
20	MacBeath	Ben	Calgary, Alta.	Calgary Hitmen	6’2”	184	D
21	Vanecek	Jakub	Humpolec, Czechia	Tri-City Americans	6’2”	191	D
24	Preston	Mathis	Penticton, B.C.	Vancouver Giants	5’11”	177	RW
26	Ruck	Liam	Osoyoos, B.C.	Medicine Hat Tigers	6’0”	176	RW
31	Ruck	Markus	Osoyoos, B.C.	Medicine Hat Tigers	6’0”	167	C
32	Harrington	Chase	Prince George, B.C.	Spokane Chiefs	6’1”	195	LW
34	Liske	Brek	Beausejour, Man.	Everett Silvertips	6’1”	190	D
42	Williams	Cooper	Calgary, Alta.	Saskatoon Blades	6’0”	166	C
43	Olsen	Zach	Calgary, Alta.	Saskatoon Blades	6’1”	198	RW
52	Gustafson	Jake	San Jose, Calif.	Portland Winterhawks	6’4”	179	C
53	Runtso	Timofei	Marina del Rey, Calif.	Victoria Royals	6’2”	185	D
55	Kosick	Noah	Victoria, B.C.	Seattle Thunderbirds	5’11”	165	C
58	Pantelas	Giorgos	Victoria, B.C.	Brandon Wheat Kings	6’2”	214	D
63	Sparks	Tyus	Meridian, Idaho	Spokane Chiefs	5’11”	182	C
64	Lemire	Kayden	Edmonton, Alta.	Prince George Cougars	6’4”	194	RW
67	Heger	Kyle	Eagan, Minn.	Lethbridge Hurricanes	6’1”	193	D
72	Lansard	Zachary	Ste. Anne, Man.	Regina Pats	6’0”	175	RW
73	Duguay	Jordan	Edmonton, Alta.	Portland Winterhawks	5’10”	174	LW
74	Mackenzie	Ethan	Peachland, B.C.	Edmonton Oil Kings	6’1”	189	D
75	Hamilton	Beckett	Saskatoon, Sask.	Red Deer Rebels	5’11”	173	C
76	Vanhanen	Matias	Nokia, Finland	Everett Silvertips	5’11”	174	LW
79	Klimpke	Brayden	Calgary, Alta.	Saskatoon Blades	5’11”	165	D
85	Amrhein	Landon	Celina, Texas	Calgary Hitmen	6’5”	190	LW
88	Sivertson	Jonah	Regina, Sask.	Prince Albert Raiders	6’3”	194	RW
91	McLaughlin	Will	Canmore, Alta.	Portland Winterhawks	6’2”	169	D
94	Ta’amu	Alofa Tunoa	San Diego, Calif.	Edmonton Oil Kings	6’2”	233	D
96	Dean	Dylan	Maple Grove, Minn.	Edmonton Oil Kings	6’0”	180	C
99	Bryzgalov	Yaroslav	Minsk, Belarus	Medicine Hat Tigers	6’4”	216	LW
100	Dingman	Sawyer	Edmonton, Alta.	Swift Current Broncos	6’4”	224	LW
101	Joudrey	Caelan	Airdrie, Alta.	Wenatchee Wild	6’4”	179	C
119	Burick	Sean	San Clemente, Calif.	Penticton Vees	6’8”	209	D
124	Iginla	Joe	Lake Country, B.C.	Vancouver Giants	5’10”	175	RW
126	O’Neill	Andrew	Fargo, N.D.	Edmonton Oil Kings	6’2”	195	C
128	Kamas	Jiri	Plzen, Czechia	Red Deer Rebels	6’1”	187	D
137	Olson	Brett	Spruce Grove, Alta.	Vancouver Giants	6’2”	190	C
138	Gillespie	Brody	Vancouver, Wash.	Spokane Chiefs	6’1”	194	C
142	Klassen	Cohen	Martensville, Sask.	Regina Pats	6’0”	177	C
143	Kelly	Benett	Cochrane, Alta.	Prince Albert Raiders	6’1”	187	D
148	Yakutsenak	Dmitri	Yaroslavl, Russia	Prince George Cougars	6’1”	201	C
154	Tomik	Tobias	Ilava, Slovakia	Vancouver Giants	6’0”	194	LW
158	Rolsing	Darian	Speyer, Germany	Wenatchee Wild	6’6”	192	D
159	Boychuk	Riley	Cochrane, Alta.	Prince Albert Raiders	5’10”	170	C
164	Varga	Kalder	Geneva, Ill.	Red Deer Rebels	5’11”	178	RW
166	Souch	Brock	Edmonton, Alta.	Prince George Cougars	5’11”	168	C
167	Brown	Reed	Tempe, Ariz.	Portland Winterhawks	5’11”	161	C
168	Sawchyn	Lukas	Grande Prairie, Alta.	Edmonton Oil Kings	5’10”	173	C
169	Baumuller	Joby	Wilcox, Sask.	Brandon Wheat Kings	5’11”	191	RW
175	Sarkenov	Alisher	Astana, Kazakhstan	Prince Albert Raiders	6’0”	174	RW
177	Lesiuk	Gavin	Duncan, B.C.	Lethbridge Hurricanes	6’5”	221	LW
180	Man	Matyas	Ostrava, Czechia	Prince Albert Raiders	6’6”	202	D
188	Steen	Riley	Ladysmith, B.C.	Medicine Hat Tigers	6’1”	190	D
190	Allard	Cameron	Yorkton, Sask.	Brandon Wheat Kings	6’3”	185	D
192	Cahill	Phoenix	Cottage Grove, Minn.	Prince George Cougars	6’2”	211	D
195	Dillard	Cameron	Flower Mound, Texas	Red Deer Rebels	6’4”	211	D
198	Anisimov	Arsenii	Kazan, Russia	Prince George Cougars	5’11”	176	D
199	Molgachev	Andrei	Magnitogorsk, Russia	Calgary Hitmen	5’10”	185	C
200	Stewart	Nolan	Edmonton, Alta.	Victoria Royals	5’10”	168	RW
209	Pavao	Cruz	Calgary, Alta.	Tri-City Americans	5’11”	196	RW
210	Kuryachenkov	Stepan	Ufa, Russia	Swift Current Broncos	5’10”	143	C
211	Kuzma	Cameron	St. Albert, Alta.	Red Deer Rebels	6’2”	190	C
215	McCann	Kadon	Cochrane, Alta.	Medicine Hat Tigers	6’3”	200	C
216	Rudolph	Brendan	Calgary, Alta.	Swift Current Broncos	6’0”	192	LW
220	Maloney	Nathan	Strathmore, Alta.	Lethbridge Hurricanes	6’2”	182	D

2025-26 NHL Central Scouting – Midterm Rankings – WHL Goaltenders

RK	Last Name	First Name	Hometown	WHL Team	Ht	Wt	Pos
2	Orsulak	Michal	Tremosna, Czechia	Prince Albert Raiders	6’4”	220	G
5	Tvrznik	Tobias	Litomerice, Czechia	Wenatchee Wild	6’3”	180	G
7	Boettiger	Harrison	Wheat Ridge, Colo.	Kelowna Rockets	6’2”	189	G
8	Sklenicka	Marek	Litvinov, Czechia	Seattle Thunderbirds	6’4”	170	G
12	Casey	Carter	Grand Rapids, Minn.	Medicine Hat Tigers	6’1”	179	G
13	Ruzicka	Filip	Trinec, Czechia	Brandon Wheat Kings	6’7”	230	G
15	Wendt	Xavier	Plymouth, Minn.	Tri-City Americans	6’0”	179	G
21	Snell	Parker	St. Albert, Alta.	Edmonton Oil Kings	6’2”	176	G
22	Stebetak	Ondrej	Jihlava, Czechia	Portland Winterhawks	6’2”	176	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 consists of 23 member Clubs with 17 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 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.