Despite Patrick’s injury issues, he is the first WHL forward since
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Red Deer Rebels in 2011 to be No. 1 on
Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters, and the
first WHL player since defenseman Seth Jones of Portland in 2013.
If he’s taken No. 1 in the June Draft at United Centre in Chicago,
he’ll be the first Wheat Kings player and the first Manitobans to be
selected No. 1 overall.
Interestingly, the No. 1 skater on Central Scouting’s international
list is forward Klim Kostin (6-foot-3, 196 pounds) of Dynamo Moscow
in the Kontinental Hockey League. Kostin had shoulder surgery in
January and hasn’t played since. However, Central Scouting’s ex-
Steve Patrick and former Canadian National Team volleyball player
Carrie (Chernomaz) Patrick. He is the nephew of two former NHL
players -- James Patrick and Rich Chernomaz. If you watch him play
for any extended period, there is no one in Canadian junior hockey
who can do what he does: he is big, can skate, can score, plays well
without the puck, plays a 200-foot game and can even fight if he’s
asked.
“He has more than proven over the last three years that he is the
real deal,” said Dan Marr, director of NHL Central Scouting. “And he
will be an impact NHL player,”
There are a lot of guys
who don’t seem to have that
understanding of the effort it takes
to play at a high level with and
without the puck. Patrick does
perts believe, like Patrick, Kostin has already proved his ability to
excel at the NHL level.
Center Nico Hischier of Halifax in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey
League is No. 2 among North American skaters, followed by center
Casey Mittelstadt of Eden Prairie High School in Minnesota.
Meanwhile, the No. 6 player on the list is Winnipeg’s Cody Glass.
Glass has had a remarkable season. The Portland Winter Hawks cen-
tre moved from a C rating in August to an A rating in November and
also jumped from 20th in November to sixth overall among North
American skaters on the final Central Scouting list.
Glass is a 6-foot-1, 175 pound centre who finished the 2016-17 WHL
season with 32 goals and 94 points in 69 games. The former Hawks’
Bantam and Thrashers’ Midget can skate, score and has tremendous
skill and finished seventh in WHL scoring this season.
Nick Henry of Portage la Prairie rounds out the Manitobans listed
2017 CHAMPIONS EDITION
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