The Western Hockey League announced today that 50 WHL players have been listed by NHL Central Scouting in its final rankings in advance of the 2019 NHL Draft, scheduled for June 21-22 in Vancouver, B.C.

Headlining the list are three WHL players among the top four skaters in North America, led by defenceman Bowen Byram (Cranbrook, B.C. / Vancouver Giants) who is ranked second. Forwards Kirby Dach (Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. / Saskatoon Blades) and Dylan Cozens (Whitehorse, Yukon / Lethbridge Hurricanes) rank third and fifth respectively.

Joining Byram, Dach, and Cozens in the Top 10 North American skaters is Winnipeg ICE captain Peyton Krebs (Okotoks, Alta. / Winnipeg ICE). Mads Søgaard (Aalborg, Denmark / Medicine Hat Tigers) is ranked second among goaltenders in North America, leading all WHL net minders.

Including, the aforementioned four skaters, eight WHL players are ranked inside the Top 31, including defenceman Lassi Thomson (15th – Tempere, Finland / Kelowna Rockets), forward Brayden Tracey (21st – Calgary, Alta. / Moose Jaw Warriors), forward Brett Leason (25th – Calgary, Alta. / Prince Albert Raiders), and defenceman Matthew Robertson (26th – Sherwood Park, Alta. / Edmonton Oil Kings).

Notable risers on the final rankings, include Tracey, who led all WHL rookies in scoring with 81 points (36G-45A). He rose 52 spots from the midterm ranking to rank 21st. Adam Beckman (Saskatoon, Sask. / Spokane Chiefs), who ranked second in rookie scoring, rose 10 spots to rank 34th. On defence, Gianni Fairbrother (North Vancouver, B.C. / Everett Silvertips) moved up 35 spots to rank inside the top 50.

Overall the list includes 26 forwards, 14 defencemen, and 10 goaltenders from the WHL, representing all 22 WHL member Clubs. The East, Central, and U.S. Division each have 13 players on the list while 11 come from the B.C. Division. The Eastern Conference holds a slight edge with 26 players on the list to 24 from the Western Conference.

Of the 50 players identified by NHL Central Scouting, five are currently competing with Canada at the 2019 IIHF Under-18 World Championship. The team’s leadership group features Krebs as the captain and Cozens as an alternate captain.

2019 NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING FINAL RANKINGS (NORTH AMERICA) – WHL SKATERS

Final RankPlayerHeightWeightPositionAmateur Club
2Bowen Byram6’0”193DefencemanVancouver
3Kirby Dach6’4”197CentreSaskatoon
5Dylan Cozens6’3”180CentreLethbridge
10Peyton Krebs5’11”180CentreWinnipeg
15Lassi Thomson6’0”190DefencemanKelowna
21Brayden Tracey6’0”177Left WingMoose Jaw
25Brett Leason6’4”200Right WingPrince Albert
26Matthew Robertson6’3”201DefencemanEdmonton
32Kaedan Korczak6’2”192DefencemanKelowna
34Adam Beckman6’0”168Left WingSpokane
37Nolan Foote6’3”190Left WingKelowna
44Aliaksei Protas6’5”205CentrePrince Albert
50Gianni Fairbrother6’0”194DefencemanEverett
66Oleg Zaytsev6’1”180CentreRed Deer
79Sasha Mutala6’0”200Right WingTri-City
81Reece Newkirk5’11”172CentrePortland
94Quinn Schmiemann6’2”185DefencemanKamloops
100Luke Toporowski5’11”179CentreSpokane
117Ben McCartney6’0”182Left WingBrandon
118Vladimir Alistrov6’2”175Left WingEdmonton
123Henrik Rybinski6’0”176Right WingSeattle
126Luka Burzan6’0”184Right WingBrandon
128John Ludvig6’0”196DefencemanPortland
132Mark Kastelic6’4”213CentreCalgary
136Cole Moberg6’2”187DefencemanPrince George
138Jackson van de Leest6’6”222DefencemanCalgary
142Krystof Hrabik6’4”218CentreTri-City
145Josh Williams6’1”190Right WingEdmonton
146Jake Lee6’1”214DefencemanSeattle
164Connor Horning6’3”188DefencemanSwift Current
168Mitchell Brown6’3”205DefencemanTri-City
170Bryce Kindopp6’2”185Right WingEverett
171Brett Kemp6’0”162CentreMedicine Hat
175Alex Swetlikoff6’2”188CentreKelowna
186Nikita Sedov6’1”186DefencemanRegina
188Logan Barlage6’4”202CentreLethbridge
192Emil Malysjev6’3”187DefencemanSaskatoon
199Tarun Fizer5’10”163CentreVictoria
202David Kope6’4”170Right WingEdmonton
206Cole Muir6’2”205CentreWinnipeg

For the complete list, CLICK HERE.

2019 NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING FINAL RANKINGS (NORTH AMERICA) – WHL GOALTENDERS

Midterm RankPlayerHeightWeightPositionAmateur Club
2Mads Sogaard6’7”196GoaltenderMedicine Hat
6Trent Miner6’0”182GoaltenderVancouver
7Taylor Gauthier6’1”195GoaltenderPrince George
12Dustin Wolf6’0”156GoaltenderEverett
17Roddy Ross6’2”180GoaltenderSeattle
18Roman Basran6’2”195GoaltenderKelowna
21Ethan Anders6’1”172GoaltenderRed Deer
22Nolan Maier6’0”173GoaltenderSaskatoon
27Jesse Makaj6’3”209GoaltenderWinnipeg
30Max Paddock6’2”162GoaltenderRegina

For the complete list, CLICK HERE.