
ERNST AND LEVIS RANKED BY NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING – Kamloops Blazers
Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League is proud to announce 54 WHL players have been named to NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings ahead of the 2023 NHL Draft. The Final Rankings were issued Tuesday by the NHL Central Scouting Service.
Regina Pats captain Connor Bedard tops the list as the number-one rated North American Skater. He is joined by 11 other WHL skaters among the top 28 of the North American Skaters rankings, including Winnipeg ICE forward Zach Benson (sixth), Brandon Wheat Kings forward Nate Danielson (seventh) and Vancouver Giants forward Samuel Honzek (ninth).
For the third consecutive season, the WHL boasts the top North American Goaltender in the NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings. Brandon Wheat Kings netminder Carson Bjarnason is the top-ranked North American Goaltender. The product of Carberry, Man. is followed by Seattle Thunderbirds puck-stopper Scott Ratzlaff (fourth), Tri-City Americans goaltender Tomas Suchanek (ninth) and Portland Winterhawks netminder Jan Spunar (10th) in the top 10 among North American Goaltenders.
Overall, 20 of 22 WHL Clubs are represented in the Final Rankings. The Seattle Thunderbirds lead the way with six players on the list, while the Vancouver Giants are represented by five players. The Red Deer Rebels have four players named to the NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings, while the Brandon Wheat Kings, Everett Silvertips, Kelowna Rockets, Portland Winterhawks, Prince George Cougars, Saskatoon Blades, Spokane Chiefs and Tri-City Americans each have three players on the Final Rankings. Six WHL Clubs are represented with two players on the lists, while three further WHL Clubs have a single player on NHL Central Scouting’s lists.
A total of 26 WHL forwards find themselves on the Final Rankings, joined by 19 WHL defencemen and nine WHL goaltenders.
2022-23 NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings – WHL Players
North American Skaters
Rank | Last Name | First Name | Hometown | Team | Height | Weight | Position |
1 | Bedard | Connor | North Vancouver, B.C. | Regina Pats | 5’10” | 185 | C |
6 | Benson | Zach | Chilliwack, B.C. | Winnipeg ICE | 5’9” | 163 | C |
7 | Danielson | Nate | Red Deer, Alta. | Brandon Wheat Kings | 6’2” | 185 | C |
9 | Honzek | Samuel | Trencin, Slovakia | Vancouver Giants | 6’4” | 186 | LW |
11 | Yager | Brayden | Saskatoon, Sask. | Moose Jaw Warriors | 5’11” | 166 | C |
15 | Cristall | Andrew | Burnaby, B.C. | Kelowna Rockets | 5’10” | 167 | LW |
18 | Dragicevic | Lukas | Richmond, B.C. | Tri-City Americans | 6’1” | 190 | D |
21 | Heidt | Riley | Saskatoon, Sask. | Prince George Cougars | 5’10” | 178 | C |
24 | Sawchyn | Gracyn | Grande Prairie, Alta. | Seattle Thunderbirds | 5’11” | 157 | C |
25 | Ziemmer | Koehn | Mayerthorpe, Alta. | Prince George Cougars | 6’0” | 202 | RW |
26 | Myatovic | Nico | Prince George, B.C. | Seattle Thunderbirds | 6’2” | 182 | LW |
28 | Molendyk | Tanner | McBride, B.C. | Saskatoon Blades | 6’0” | 182 | D |
35 | Cagnoni | Luca | Burnaby, B.C. | Portland Winterhawks | 5’9” | 180 | D |
39 | Lind | Kalan | Shaunavon, Sask. | Red Deer Rebels | 6’0” | 158 | LW |
47 | Price | Caden | Saskatoon, Sask. | Kelowna Rockets | 6’1” | 185 | D |
49 | Lipinski | Jaden | Scottsdale, Ariz. | Vancouver Giants | 6’4” | 204 | C |
62 | Mynio | Sawyer | Kamloops, B.C. | Seattle Thunderbirds | 6’1” | 173 | D |
71 | Sotheran | Carter | Sanford, Man. | Portland Winterhawks | 6’3” | 197 | D |
75 | Levis | Connor | Vancouver, B.C. | Kamloops Blazers | 6’1” | 187 | RW |
81 | Sidorov | Egor | Vitebsk, Belarus | Saskatoon Blades | 6’0” | 182 | RW |
89 | Halaburda | Ty | Victoria, B.C. | Vancouver Giants | 5’11” | 178 | C |
93 | Parker | Kalem | Clavet, Sask. | Victoria Royals | 6’0” | 192 | D |
95 | Hammell | Kaden | Langley, B.C. | Everett Silvertips | 6’1” | 173 | D |
107 | Kipkie | Justin | Calgary, Alta. | Victoria Royals | 6’3” | 195 | D |
108 | McMillan | Deagan | Vernon, B.C. | Tri-City Americans | 6’2” | 196 | RW |
113 | Roest | Austin | Coldstream, B.C. | Everett Silvertips | 5’10” | 175 | C |
115 | Uchacz | Kai | De Winton, Alta. | Red Deer Rebels | 6’2” | 194 | RW |
124 | Hanzel | Jeremy | Coquitlam, B.C. | Seattle Thunderbirds | 6’1” | 196 | D |
125 | Leslie | Mazden | Lloydminster, Alta. | Vancouver Giants | 6’0” | 193 | D |
132 | Weinstein | Saige | Edmonton, Alta. | Spokane Chiefs | 6’0” | 179 | D |
138 | Mantei | Quinn | Weyburn, Sask. | Brandon Wheat Kings | 6’0” | 180 | D |
141 | Fabrizi | Matteo | St. Albert, Alta. | Red Deer Rebels | 6’5” | 238 | D |
152 | Valis | Borya | Denver, Colo. | Regina Pats | 6’1” | 182 | RW |
154 | Chadwick | Noah | Saskatoon, Sask. | Lethbridge Hurricanes | 6’4” | 187 | D |
156 | Wormald | Logan | Langley, B.C. | Lethbridge Hurricanes | 5’10” | 144 | LW |
158 | De Luca | Tommaso | Aosta, Italy | Spokane Chiefs | 5’11” | 178 | C |
172 | Port | Vojtech | Jihlava, Czechia | Edmonton Oil Kings | 6’2” | 168 | D |
180 | Goldsmith | Terrell | Fort St. James, B.C. | Prince Albert Raiders | 6’4” | 223 | D |
203 | Mayo | Hunter | Saskatoon, Sask. | Red Deer Rebels | 6’1” | 196 | D |
205 | Miller | Cole | Edmonton, Alta. | Edmonton Oil Kings | 6’4” | 174 | C |
206 | Thornton | Hudson | Winnipeg, Man. | Prince George Cougars | 5’11” | 180 | D |
210 | Watterodt | Vaughn | Rosetown, Sask. | Saskatoon Blades | 5’11” | 183 | LW |
215 | Tulk | Oliver | Gibsons, B.C. | Calgary Hitmen | 5’7” | 170 | C |
220 | Szturc | Gabriel | Cesky Tesin, Czechia | Kelowna Rockets | 5’11” | 186 | C |
223 | Thorpe | Tyler | Richmond, B.C. | Vancouver Giants | 6’4” | 194 | RW |
North American Goaltenders
Rank | Last Name | First Name | Hometown | Team | Height | Weight | Position |
1 | Bjarnason | Carson | Carberry, Man. | Brandon Wheat Kings | 6’3” | 186 | G |
4 | Ratzlaff | Scott | Irma, Alta. | Seattle Thunderbirds | 6’1” | 175 | G |
9 | Suchanek | Tomas | Olomouc, Czechia | Tri-City Americans | 6’1” | 180 | G |
10 | Spunar | Jan | Olomouc, Czechia | Portland Winterhawks | 6’3” | 185 | G |
19 | Unger | Jackson | Calgary, Alta. | Moose Jaw Warriors | 6’1” | 179 | G |
23 | Michaluk | Cooper | Edmonton, Alta. | Spokane Chiefs | 6’1” | 166 | G |
26 | Ernst | Dylan | Weyburn, Sask. | Kamloops Blazers | 6’2” | 196 | G |
28 | Milic | Thomas | Coquitlam, B.C. | Seattle Thunderbirds | 6’0” | 179 | G |
31 | Metzger | Tim | Zurich, Switzerland | Everett Silvertips | 6’5” | 192 | G |
In its 48th year of operation, NHL Central Scouting provides evaluation and scouting of draft-eligible players to NHL member clubs. Headed by Director of Central Scouting Dan Marr, NHL Central Scouting employs eight full-time scouts throughout North America.
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 22 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and five 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.