NHL Central Scouting includes 67 WHL players in final 2025 NHL Draft rankings

Calgary, Alta.- Sixty-seven Western Hockey League players have been listed by NHL Central Scouting in the agency’s final rankings ahead of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.

Towering Seattle defenceman Radim Mrtka (Havlickuv, Cze. / Seattle Thunderbirds) is the top-ranked WHL skater at fifth overall.

Mrtka is the first WHL import player ranked in the top five since Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl (Cologne, Ger. / Kelowna Rockets) slotted in at fourth in 2019. He’s also the first WHL defenceman listed in the top five since Buffalo Sabres blueliner Bowen Byram (Cranbrook, B.C. / Vancouver Giants) was tagged at second overall in 2019.

Prince George Cougars fan-favourite and nominee for WHL Goaltender of the Year Joshua Ravensbergen is ranked first among all North American netminders after his sophomore season in the Northern Capital.

The North Vancouver, B.C. product, who has been projected as a potential first-round pick, is the first WHL goalie ranked first since Philadelphia Flyers prospect and fellow Goaltender of the Year finalist Carson Bjarnason (Carberry, Man. / Brandon Wheat Kings).

The final rankings were announced by NHL Central Scouting on Tuesday morning.

Nine WHL skaters were included in the first round of North American skaters, including Mrtka, Roger McQueen (Saskatoon, Sask. / Brandon Wheat Kings), Carter Bear (West St. Paul, Man. / Everett Silvertips), Jackson Smith (Calgary, Alta. / Tri-City Americans), 2024 WHL Champion Lynden Lakovic (Moose Jaw Warriors), Braeden Cootes (Sherwood Park, Alta. / Seattle Thunderbirds), Benjamin Kindel (Coquitlam, B.C. / Calgary Hitmen), Cole Reschny (Macklin, Sask. / Victoria Royals) and Blake Fiddler (Frisco, Texas / Edmonton Oil Kings).

Ravensbergen stands tall as the top North American goaltender, while Ondrej Stebetak (Jihlava, Cze. / Portland Winterhawks) clocks in at eighth.

In addition to Ravensbergen’s Del Wilson Memorial Trophy nomination, six more ranked skaters have been honoured as prestigious award nominees or conference All-Stars. Bear and Ravensbergen are members of the 2025 WHL Western Conference Second All-Star team, while Vancouver Giants Captain Mazden Leslie is a 2025 WHL Western Conference First All-Star Team member and finalist for the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy for the WHL Defenceman of the Year. Kindel is a WHL Eastern Conference First Team All-Star member. Edmonton Oil Kings standout Lukas Sawchyn is up for the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy for WHL Rookie of the Year, while Victoria Royals netminder Jayden Kraus is among the finalists for the Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy for WHL Humanitarian of the Year. Finally, top Red Deer Rebels blueliner Luke Vlooswyk is a top candidate for the Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Trophy for Scholastic Player of the Year.

Twenty-one of 22 WHL clubs are represented in the final rankings.

The Edmonton Oil Kings lead the way with five ranked players each, while the Calgary Hitmen, Medicine Hat Tigers, Portland Winterhawks, Red Deer Rebels, Seattle Thunderbirds, Swift Current Broncos, Tri-City Americans and Vancouver Giants all have four. The Brandon Wheat Kings, 2025 WHL regular season Champion Everett Silvertips, Kelowna Rockets, Moose Jaw Warriors, Prince George Cougars, Spokane Chiefs and Victoria Royals all have three players ranked.

NHL Central Scouting’s list features 11 WHL players invited to compete at the first-ever CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Kubota Canada in November of 2024. Roger McQueen was invited but was 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. Reschny snagged the late game-winner in Game 2, while Kindel and Ravensbergen each added an assist at the event.

Across the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL leads the way with 67 players. The Ontario Hockey League is a close second with 64, while the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League has 39.

The NHL Scouting Combine will be held in Buffalo, N.Y. from June 1-8, 2025, before top players descend on the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, Calif. for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft on June 27 and 28.

Twenty-two ranked skaters are in the midst of the chase for the Ed Chynoweth Cup with the 2025 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien with four second-round series underway.

Fans can watch the NHL’s stars of tomorrow for free on Victory+.

2024-25 NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings – WHL Skaters

Rank	Last Name	First Name	Hometown	Team	Height	Weight	Position
5	Mrtka	Radim	Havlickuv, Cze.	Seattle	6’5.75	207	D
8	McQueen	Roger	Saskatoon, Sask.	Brandon	6’5.25	197	C
10	Bear	Carter	West St. Paul, Man.	Everett	6’0	179	LW
13	Smith	Jackson	Calgary, Alta.	Tri-City	6’3.25	195	D
14	Lakovic	Lynden	West Kelowna, B.C.	Moose Jaw	6’4.25	190	LW
20	Cootes	Braeden	Sherwood Park, Alta.	Seattle	5’11.25	183	C
21	Kindel	Benjamin	Coquitlam, B.C.	Calgary	5’10	176	C
25	Reschny	Cole	Macklin, Sask.	Victoria	5’10.5	183	C
26	Fiddler	Blake	Frisco, Texas	Edmonton	6’4	209	D
37	Gard	Matthew	Winnipeg, Man.	Red Deer	6’4.75	192	C
38	Paupanekis	Hayden	Winnipeg, Man.	Kelowna	6’4.25	196	C
39	Kettles	Peyton	Winnipeg, Man.	Swift Current	6’5.25	190	D
40	Psenicka	Max	Prague, Cze.	Portland	6’5	177	D
43	Schmidt	Cameron	Prince George, B.C.	Vancouver	5’7.25	161	RW
44	Behm	Nathan	Calgary, Alta.	Kamloops	6’1.5	192	RW
50	Gorzynski	Brandon	Scottsdale, Ariz.	Calgary	6’1.5	185	C
51	Lewandowski	David	Dusseldorf, Ger.	Saskatoon	6’1.25	177	LW
54	Martin	Owen	Oakbank, Man.	Spokane	5’11.75	185	C
57	Lafreniere	Tommy	Hornby Island, B.C.	Kamloops	5’11	172	RW
60	Miller	Ryan	Medicine Hat, Alta.	Portland	5’11.75	177	C
69	Sawchyn	Lukas	Grande Prairie, Alta.	Edmonton	5’9.75	168	LW
72	Vlooswyk	Luke	Calgary, Alta.	Red Deer	6’4.5	200	D
76	Sharpe	Will	Ladner, B.C.	Kelowna	6’0	195	D
88	Klippenstein	Carter	Lethbridge, Alta.	Brandon	6’2.5	180	C
89	Foster	Aiden	Lloydminster, Alta.	Prince George	6’2	182	C
93	Mistelbacher	Luke	Steinbach, Man.	Swift Current	5’11.75	196	RW
99	Gerwing	Dawson	Meadow Lake, Sask.	Kelowna	6’3	225	LW
100	Pickford	Bryce	Chauvin, Alta.	Medicine Hat	6’0.25	183	D
111	McGregor	Josh	Brandon, Man.	Swift Current	6’1.25	170	D
113	Hamilton	Reese	Whitewood, Sask.	Regina	6’0	172	D
116	McCann	Kadon	Cochrane, Alta.	Medicine Hat	6’3	200	C
121	Virk	Savin	Surrey, B.C.	Tri-City	5;10.75	168	RW
125	Fuder	Jaxon	Cold Lake, Alta.	Red Deer	6’0	166	C
126	Busch	Shea	North Vancouver, B.C.	Everett	6’1.75	208	LW
133	Leslie	Mazden	Lloydminster, Alta.	Vancouver	6’0.25	200	D
134	MacKenzie	Ethan	Peachland, B.C.	Edmonton	6’0	174	D
136	Dach	Kale	Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.	Calgary	5’10	165	C
138	Schoettler	Owen	Edmonton, Alta.	Spokane	6’0	181	D
141	Buttazzoni	Diego	Langley, B.C.	Portland	5’9	183	LW
156	Woo	Jonas	Winnipeg, Man.	Medicine Hat	5’8.75	165	D
161	Andersen	Poul	St. Louis Park, Minn.	Edmonton	6’0.5	200	RW
162	Ziprick	Aiden	Russell, Man.	Moose Jaw	6’0.5	190	D
163	Thurston	Derek	Delta, B.C.	Red Deer	6’0.75	190	D
166	Lajoie	Jett	Winnipeg, Man.	Prince George	5’11.5	178	RW
167	Baumuller	Joby	Wilcox, Sask.	Brandon	5’11.25	188	RW
179	Pekar	Matej	Prerov, Cze.	Seattle	5’10	158	RW
181	Koch	Cassius	Calgary, Alta.	Tri-City	5’11.25	197	LW
187	Harsanyi	Hayden	Calgary, Alta.	Saskatoon	5’8.75	171	C
190	Bridgeman	Kolten	Regina, Sask.	Regina	6’4	216	D
191	Burzynski	Grayson	Winnipeg, Man.	Swift Current	6’3.5	212	D
194	Dunphy	Brendan	San Diego, Calif.	Wenatchee	6’5	207	D
201	Garland	Gavin	Calgary, Alta.	Tri-City	5’9.5	183	RW
203	Adair	Carsen	Clavet, Sask.	Lethbridge	6’2.5	188	D
213	Schmidt	Connor	Sturgeon County, Alta.	Moose Jaw	5’11.25	180	D
216	Mayes	Sawyer	Salmon Arm, B.C.	Seattle	6’4	188	C
217	Sarkenov	Assanali	Astana, Kaz.	Spokane	6’3.5	203	LW
220	Matthews	Caleb	Calgary, Alta.	Victoria	6’1.75	173	RW
LV	Obobaifo	Aaron	Calgary, Alta.	Vancouver	5’9.5	183	LW

 

2024-25 NHL Central Scouting Final 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
8	Stebetak	Ondrej	Jihlava, Cze.	Portland	6’1.5	173	G
12	Kraus	Jayden	Prince Albert, Sask.	Victoria	6’1.5	201	G
15	Hood	Burke	Brandon, Man.	Vancouver	6’2.75	197	G
20	Miller	Anders	Anchorage, Alaska	Calgary	6’1	198	G
24	Cleaver	Koen	Port Alberni, B.C.	Lethbridge	6’1.5	188	G
25	Switzer	Jordan	Edmonton, Alta.	Medicine Hat	6’0.25	186	G
27	Simcoe	Ethan	Lac du Bonnet, Man.	Edmonton	6’1	175	G
28	LeGall	Raiden	Morden, Man.	Everett	5’11.25	170	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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