Spotlight to shine on CHL stars in Florida
Friday June 26, 2015
By Paul Krotz/CHL
After a whirlwind 2014-15 season where the puck dropped 2,328 times across the Canadian Hockey League between regular season, playoffs, and MasterCard Memorial Cup competition, the spotlight now shines on Florida and the 2015 NHL Draft.
All 30 NHL organizations will map out the future of their teams, while hundreds of top prospects from across the CHL and beyond will assemble with their family and friends ready to celebrate a lifelong dream and take the next step towards their professional goals.
CHL Player of the Year and two-time Scholastic Player Connor McDavid of the Erie Otters headlines the list of 156 CHL players who were listed in NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings which includes an impressive 23 of the top 30 picks.
“It’s been an exciting week, the buzz has only gotten crazier,” McDavid told media during his final pre-draft availability on Thursday. “I was here on Tuesday just hanging out on the beach, then Wednesday it kind of picked up and we went to a Marlins game, and here we are today. It’s been a lot of fun and a lot of excitement leading up to the draft.”
Should the rankings hold true and the Edmonton Oilers select McDavid with the first overall pick, it would mark the ninth straight season a player from the CHL would hold the distinguished honour of taking the draft stage at number one.
The impressive streak began with the London Knights’ Patrick Kane in 2007, followed by the Sarnia Sting’s Steven Stamkos, the Knights’ John Tavares, Windsor Spitfires’ star Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Red Deer Rebels, the Sting’s Nail Yakupov, Nathan MacKinnon of the Halifax Mooseheads, and last season with Aaron Ekblad of the Barrie Colts.
Ekblad is the latest example of how well CHL players can successfully make the transition to pro. The Florida Panthers defenceman earned NHL Rookie of the Year honours this week at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas becoming the eighth straight CHL graduate to earn the Calder Trophy.
Following McDavid in the rankings is his Otters teammate and CHL Top Scorer Dylan Strome listed at fourth overall among North American skaters. He’s proof that the draft is truly a family affair.
“My mom, dad, both sets of grandparents, my two best friends, both my brothers, and my billet parents are all here,” Strome said on Thursday. “It makes for a fun time, and I know they’re all excited and just as nervous as I am.”
Strome’s older brother Ryan, currently a member of the New York Islanders, was chosen fifth overall in 2011. Should Dylan hear his name called on Friday night, the Strome’s would be the 18th set of brothers to be first round NHL Draft picks just one year after Sam Reinhart joined older brother Griffin with the same distinction.
The 156 CHL players ranked by NHL Central Scouting includes 56 players from the Western Hockey League, 52 from the Ontario Hockey League, and 48 from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League setting the stage for an exciting week in the sunshine state.
Last year, a total of 95 CHL players were chosen at the 2014 NHL Draft in Philadelphia including 20 first round picks further cementing the CHL as the number one supplier of talent to the NHL.
Since 1969, 50% of all players selected have been from the CHL with a total of 5,181 players including 2,198 (21.2%) from the OHL, 1,897 (18.3%) from the WHL, and 1,086 (10.5%) from the QMJHL.
Check out the CHL’s three-part series previewing the 2015 NHL Draft with individual features on top prospects from the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL.