WHL players impress with size, skill in Bob McKenzie’s Mid-season Draft Ranking
Calgary, Alta.- Top Western Hockey League prospects are continuing to impress ahead of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.
Seventeen WHL players have cracked the top 80 in Bob McKenzie’s Mid-Season 2025 NHL Draft Ranking.
The Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League combined for another 26 players on the list.
Towering Brandon Wheat Kings forward Roger McQueen still holds the top spot among WHL players in seventh.
The 6-foot-5.25, 197-pound centre hasn’t played since October due to an injury, but had eight goals and three assists in his eight previous games, with scouts praising his size, strength, skating and skill.
Tri-City Americans blueliner Jackson Smith snagged the 10th overall spot on the list (he was also listed ninth among all North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting last week).
“The 6-foot-3.25 Tri-City American defenceman is raw but athletic,” TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie wrote. “He’s an elite skater with an NHL frame and can play with some bite but it’s his physical tools and two-way approach that is attractive. Ultimately, though it’s his blend of speed, size and strength that has him in the top 10.”
Smith has 31 points (2G-29A) in 42 contests, highlighted by a four-assist night against the Seattle Thunderbirds on January 10.
Between the pipes, Prince George Cougars star Joshua Ravensbergen appears to be the consensus top goaltending prospect the 2025 Draft has to offer.
According to TSN, eight of 10 NHL scouts they surveyed projected Ravensbergen as a first-round pick.
The North Vancouver, B.C. product is 20-8-3-1 this season with a 3.09 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage while facing the seventh-most shots of any WHL netminder.
He’s also four wins away from his 50th career victory.
The 2023 WHL Champion Seattle Thunderbirds are the only team to feature multiple players in the upper echelon of the draft rankings, with defenceman Radim Mrtka and centreman Braeden Cootes both slotting into TSN’s first-round projection.
Mrtka, a 6-foot-5.75 defender from Czechia, has burst onto the scene with two goals and 16 assists for 18 points in his first 20 games.
He’s tied for fourth on the T-Birds in assists.
Cootes, who was one of 10 WHL players to participate in the 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Kubota Canada, is pacing his team with 41 points (19G-22A).
The 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold medalist has five goals and four assists in his last six outings.
The WHL has 11 players in TSN’s top 32.
A total of 66 Western League players were also recently named to NHL Central Scouting’s Midseason Ranking.
WHLers on TSN’s Mid-Season Draft Rankings
Rank | Last Name | First Name | Team | Hometown | Height | Weight | Position |
7 | McQueen | Roger | Brandon | Saskatoon, Sask. | 6’5.25 | 197 | C |
10 | Smith | Jackson | Tri-City | Calgary, Alta. | 6’3.25 | 195 | D |
12 | Mrtka | Radim | Seattle | Havlickuv, Cze. | 6’5.75 | 207 | D |
14 | Lakovic | Lynden | Moose Jaw | West Kelowna, B.C. | 6’4.25 | 190 | LW |
15 | Bear | Carter | Everett | West St. Paul, Man. | 6’0 | 179 | LW |
21 | Fiddler | Blake | Edmonton | Frisco, Tex. | 6’4 | 209 | D |
22 | Cootes | Braeden | Seattle | Sherwood Park, Alta. | 6’3 | 201 | C |
25 | Kindel | Ben | Calgary | Coquitlam, B.C. | 5’10 | 176 | C |
28 | Ravensbergen | Joshua | Prince George | North Vancouver, B.C. | 6’5.25 | 190 | G |
29 | Reschny | Cole | Victoria | Macklin, Sask. | 5’10.5 | 183 | C |
30 | Schmidt | Cameron | Vancouver | Prince George, B.C. | 5’7.25 | 161 | RW |
40 | Behm | Nathan | Kamloops | Calgary, Alta. | 6’1.5 | 192 | RW |
45 | Kettles | Peyton | Swift Current | Winnipeg, Man. | 6’5.25 | 190 | D |
52 | Gard | Matthew | Red Deer | Winnipeg, Man. | 6’4.75 | 192 | C |
55 | Psenicka | Max | Portland | Prague, Cze. | 6’4 | 181 | D |
62 | Hamilton | Reese | Regina | Whitewood, Sask. | 6’0 | 172 | D |
70 | Paupenekis | Hayden | Kelowna | Winnipeg Man. | 6’4.25 | 196 | C |
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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