174 CHL players listed in NHL Central Scouting's Midterm Rankings ahead of 2025 NHL Draft
01/14/2025 02:26 PM
The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) announced today that a total of 174 CHL players have been listed in the NHL Central Scouting's Midterm Rankings ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft (see the full list below). The 174 CHL players ranked Tuesday were the most of any development hockey league in the world.Of the CHL players ranked, the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) had the most with 67 players including 58 skaters and nine goaltenders. They were followed by a total of 66 players from the Western Hockey League (WHL), who counted 57 skaters and seven netminders from North America, along with two skaters among the listed international players by NHL Central Scouting. Meanwhile, the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) rounded out the CHL contingent with 41 players ranked, including 35 skaters and six goalies.Specifically, the rankings list a total of 226 North American skaters, including 150 that currently compete in the CHL, representing roughly two-thirds of the skaters listed. Similarly, NHL Central Scouting identified 32 North American goaltenders highlighted by 22 from the CHL.Leading the way among the skaters was Erie Otters defenceman Matthew Schaefer (7G-15A in 17 GP), who was ranked No. 1 ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft by NHL Central Scouting. Having recently become the third youngest defenceman to play for Team Canada at a World Juniors, Schaefer has averaged a 1.29 point-per-game rate in 17 games this season, which is the fourth-highest average among OHL defencemen and the best mark among draft-eligible blueliners from the CHL. Schaefer could become the second Erie player to be selected with the first-overall pick after Connor McDavid (2015) a decade earlier.The other eight defencemen from the CHL joining Schaefer in the top 30 include Radim Mrtka of the Seattle Thunderbirds (6th), Jackson Smith of the Tri-City Americans (9th), Kashawn Aitcheson of the Barrie Colts (15th), Henry Brzustewicz of the London Knights (19th), Simon Wang of the Oshawa Generals (23th), Blake Fiddler of the Edmonton Oil Kings (24th), Peyton Kettles of the Swift Current Broncos (26th), and Cameron Reid of the Kitchener Rangers (27th).In terms of forwards, there are 13 from the CHL ranked in the top 25, led by Saginaw Spirit forward Michael Misa (35G-37A in 37 GP) at No. 3, who shares both the OHL and CHL scoring lead with 72 points this season. The other dozen from the CHL ranked within the top-25 skaters from North America were Porter Martone of the Brampton Steelheads (4th), Roger McQueen of the Brandon Wheat Kings (5th), Caleb Desnoyers of the Moncton Wildcats (7th), Jake O'Brien of the Brantford Bulldogs (8th), Carter Bear of the Everett Silvertips (11th), Lynden Lakovic of the Moose Jaw Warriors (12th), Justin Carbonneau of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (13th), Malcolm Spence of the Erie Otters (14th), Jack Nesbitt of the Windsor Spitfires (16th), Brady Martin of the Soo Greyhounds (17th), Ben Kindel of the Calgary Hitmen (20th), and Braeden Cootes of the Seattle Thunderbirds (21st). Ranked third in QMJHL scoring with 56 points in 2024-25, Desnoyers (23G-33A in 34 GP) was the highest-ranked skater from the QMJHL at No. 7, while despite missing 29 games this season with an injury, McQueen (8G-3A in 8 GP) is the top WHL skater at No. 5. Additionally, of the 22 North American goalies from the CHL ranked by NHL Central Scouting, Prince George Cougars netminder Joshua Ravensbergen (20-6-3-1 record, 3.01 GAA & .901 SV% in 30 GP) was at the top of their list. Ravensbergen is currently tied for the most wins (20) across the WHL with a 20-6-3-1 record. He also sits ninth in goals-against average (3.01) and 10th in save percentage (.901). After Ravensbergen, rounding out the top five was Aleksei Medvedev of the London Knights (2nd), Lucas Beckman of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar (3rd), Samuel Meloche of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (4th), and Jack Ivankovic of the Brampton Steelheads (5th). With the third-best save percentage (.921) in the OHL this season, Medvedev (14-4-1-0 record, 2.56 GAA, .921 SV% & 1 SO in 21 GP) was the top-ranked OHL netminder, while Beckman (19-11-0-0 record, 2.43 GAA, .919 SV% & 3 SO in 30 GP) was the highest QMJHL goalie on the list.In addition to these North American skaters and goalies listed, the CHL had two players ranked among the list of international skaters produced by NHL Central Scouting. Sitting at No. 8 was Czech forward Max Pšenička, who signed a WHL Scholarship & Development Agreement with the Portland Winterhawks (WHL) last Friday. Additionally, ranked 60th among the international list of skaters, Czech forward Dominik Pavlik signed his WHL Scholarship & Development Agreement with the Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL) a little over a week before Christmas.54 of the CHL's 60 clubs are represented on the list. The Owen Sound Attack (OHL) led all CHL teams with six players included in the rankings, while the Red Deer Rebels (WHL), Kelowna Rockets (WHL), Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL), Saginaw Spirit (OHL), Guelph Storm (OHL), Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL), Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (QMJHL), and Québec Remparts (QMJHL) trail close behind with five players each.The CHL is the top supplier of talent to the NHL. Last year, 147 CHL players appeared in NHL Central Scouting's Midterm Rankings before 88 CHL players were selected (accounting for nearly 40% of all draft picks) at the 2024 NHL Draft in Vegas. The latter included 14 first-round selections from the CHL, the most of any development hockey league in the world. Dating back to 1969, the CHL has seen 10 or more of its players taken in the first round of the NHL Draft – a streak now running at 56 consecutive drafts.At the beginning of the 2024-25 season, a total of 390 CHL graduates from its member leagues (WHL, OHL & QMJHL) were among those named to the NHL's Opening Night rosters, representing just close to 50% of the players on the NHL's 32 teams.CHL North American Skaters - NHL Central Scouting Midterm Rankings (January 2025)17 CHL players are ranked by NHL Central Scouting among the top-20 North American skaters, while all North American goalies ranked in the top 12 are from the CHL
| Rank | Last Name | First Name | DOB | Team | League |
| 1 | SCHAEFER | MATTHEW | 5-Sep-07 | ERIE | OHL |
| 3 | MISA | MICHAEL | 16-Feb-07 | SAGINAW | OHL |
| 4 | MARTONE | PORTER | 26-Oct-06 | BRAMPTON | OHL |
| 5 | MCQUEEN | ROGER | 2-Oct-06 | BRANDON | WHL |
| 6 | MRTKA | RADIM | 9-Jun-07 | SEATTLE | WHL |
| 7 | DESNOYERS | CALEB | 11-Apr-07 | MONCTON | QMJHL |
| 8 | O'BRIEN | JAKE | 16-Jun-07 | BRANTFORD | OHL |
| 9 | SMITH | JACKSON | 13-May-07 | TRI-CITY | WHL |
| 11 | BEAR | CARTER | 4-Nov-06 | EVERETT | WHL |
| 12 | LAKOVIC | LYNDEN | 12-Dec-06 | MOOSE JAW | WHL |
| 13 | CARBONNEAU | JUSTIN | 25-Nov-06 | BLAINVILLE-BOISBRIAND | QMJHL |
| 14 | SPENCE | MALCOLM | 22-Sep-06 | ERIE | OHL |
| 15 | AITCHESON | KASHAWN | 21-Sep-06 | BARRIE | OHL |
| 16 | NESBITT | JACK | 12-Jan-07 | WINDSOR | OHL |
| 17 | MARTIN | BRADY | 16-Mar-07 | SAULT STE. MARIE | OHL |
| 19 | BRZUSTEWICZ | HENRY | 9-Feb-07 | LONDON | OHL |
| 20 | KINDEL | BENJAMIN | 19-Apr-07 | CALGARY | WHL |
| 21 | COOTES | BRAEDEN | 9-Feb-07 | SEATTLE | WHL |
| 23 | WANG | SIMON (HAOXI) | 27-Jul-07 | OSHAWA | OHL |
| 24 | FIDDLER | BLAKE | 9-Jul-07 | EDMONTON | WHL |
| 26 | KETTLES | PEYTON | 1-Sep-07 | SWIFT CURRENT | WHL |
| 27 | REID | CAMERON | 8-Apr-07 | KITCHENER | OHL |
| 29 | ZONNON | BILL | 3-Oct-06 | ROUYN-NORANDA | QMJHL |
| 30 | SCHMIDT | CAMERON | 19-Jan-07 | VANCOUVER | WHL |
| 31 | BEHM | NATHAN | 18-Apr-07 | KAMLOOPS | WHL |
| 34 | RESCHNY | COLE | 6-Apr-07 | VICTORIA | WHL |
| 35 | ROMANO | LUCA | 25-Jun-07 | KITCHENER | OHL |
| 38 | BEDKOWSKI | DAVID | 7-Dec-06 | OWEN SOUND | OHL |
| 41 | CZATA | ETHAN | 29-May-07 | NIAGARA | OHL |
| 42 | GARD | MATTHEW | 7-Apr-07 | RED DEER | WHL |
| 45 | EPPERSON | KRISTIAN | 16-May-06 | SAGINAW | OHL |
| 47 | MORIN | ZACHARY | 25-Jan-07 | SAINT JOHN | QMJHL |
| 48 | PAUPANEKIS | HAYDEN | 4-Feb-07 | KELOWNA | WHL |
| 52 | LEWANDOWSKI | DAVID | 20-Feb-07 | SASKATOON | WHL |
| 53 | NOBERT | MATEO | 12-Aug-07 | BLAINVILLE-BOISBRIAND | QMJHL |
| 55 | PASSMORE | EVAN | 5-Dec-06 | BARRIE | OHL |
| 56 | QUINN | NATHAN | 29-Aug-07 | QUEBEC | QMJHL |
| 61 | GUITE | EMILE | 31-May-07 | CHICOUTIMI | QMJHL |
| 64 | LOMBARDI | JIMMY | 16-Feb-07 | FLINT | OHL |
| 65 | SHARPE | WILL | 7-Mar-07 | KELOWNA | WHL |
| 66 | HANDEL | CARLOS | 31-Mar-07 | HALIFAX | QMJHL |
| 68 | HOPKINS | TYLER | 23-Jan-07 | KINGSTON | OHL |
| 69 | MARTIN | OWEN | 11-May-07 | SPOKANE | WHL |
| 70 | LAJOIE | JETT | 5-Feb-07 | PRINCE GEORGE | WHL |
| 71 | MOSES | SHAMAR | 6-May-07 | NORTH BAY | OHL |
| 72 | MISTELBACHER | LUKE | 2-Nov-05 | SWIFT CURRENT | WHL |
| 73 | PICKFORD | BRYCE | 2-Apr-06 | MEDICINE HAT | WHL |
| 74 | HAMILTON | REESE | 26-Mar-07 | REGINA | WHL |
| 78 | REYNOLDS | WILL | 11-Aug-07 | ACADIE-BATHURST | QMJHL |
| 79 | SKVORTSOV | DANIIL | 13-Jan-07 | GUELPH | OHL |
| 81 | GORZYNSKI | BRANDON | 12-Mar-07 | CALGARY | WHL |
| 82 | STRAKA | ANDREAS | 4-Jul-07 | QUEBEC | QMJHL |
| 83 | KARMIRIS | LUCAS | 27-Sep-06 | BRAMPTON | OHL |
| 84 | BEAUCHESNE | QUINN | 1-Mar-07 | GUELPH | OHL |
| 85 | AMIDOVSKI | LIRIM | 22-Dec-06 | NORTH BAY | OHL |
| 86 | LAFRENIERE | TOMMY | 16-Jan-07 | KAMLOOPS | WHL |
| 87 | CAMERON | CARSON | 27-Jun-07 | PETERBOROUGH | OHL |
| 90 | HUANG | ALEX | 30-Jul-07 | CHICOUTIMI | QMJHL |
| 93 | MATHIEU | ALEXIS | 25-May-07 | BAIE-COMEAU | QMJHL |
| 94 | CONRAD | OWEN | 10-Mar-07 | CHARLOTTETOWN | QMJHL |
| 95 | DERVIN | KIEREN | 31-Mar-07 | KINGSTON | OHL |
| 96 | KILFOIL | LIAM | 21-Mar-07 | HALIFAX | QMJHL |
| 98 | CRAWFORD | JAKE | 5-May-07 | OWEN SOUND | OHL |
| 100 | SINIVUORI | LAURI | 28-Apr-06 | OSHAWA | OHL |
| 101 | MCCANN | KADON | 25-Mar-07 | MEDICINE HAT | WHL |
| 102 | ALLISON | DREW | 4-Jul-07 | BAIE-COMEAU | QMJHL |
| 103 | GLAVIN | JOSHUA | 24-Sep-06 | SAGINAW | OHL |
| 104 | JENKEN | NOAH | 8-Mar-07 | GUELPH | OHL |
| 106 | HARMER | CARSON | 13-Jan-07 | SAGINAW | OHL |
| 107 | KATZIN | LEV | 13-May-07 | GUELPH | OHL |
| 108 | SUMPF | JULIUS | 11-Jan-05 | MONCTON | QMJHL |
| 109 | VLOOSWYK | LUKE | 9-Jan-07 | RED DEER | WHL |
| 110 | BONDAR | EDUARD | 31-Jan-07 | VAL-D'OR | QMJHL |
| 111 | MCGREGOR | JOSH | 9-Jun-07 | SWIFT CURRENT | WHL |
| 112 | LABRE | MADDOX | 15-Jun-07 | VICTORIAVILLE | QMJHL |
| 113 | TAYLOR | CADEN | 31-Mar-07 | PETERBOROUGH | OHL |
| 114 | LANE | AIDEN | 4-Feb-07 | KINGSTON | OHL |
| 116 | NANSI | HARRY | 10-Sep-07 | OWEN SOUND | OHL |
| 117 | HAYES | TRAVIS | 3-Sep-07 | SAULT STE. MARIE | OHL |
| 118 | MILLER | RYAN | 3-May-07 | PORTLAND | WHL |
| 119 | SAWCHYN | LUKAS | 27-Feb-07 | EDMONTON | WHL |
| 121 | KLIPPENSTEIN | CARTER | 25-Nov-06 | BRANDON | WHL |
| 122 | GARLAND | GAVIN | 8-Feb-06 | TRI-CITY | WHL |
| 123 | GAVIN | JORDAN | 13-Nov-06 | BRANDON | WHL |
| 124 | GOSSELIN | ALONSO | 13-Aug-07 | CHICOUTIMI | QMJHL |
| 125 | SARKENOV | ASSANALI | 22-Jul-06 | SPOKANE | WHL |
| 126 | LABERGE | NOAH | 9-Oct-06 | ACADIE-BATHURST | QMJHL |
| 128 | CARBONNEAU | ALEXANDRE | 14-Apr-06 | BLAINVILLE-BOISBRIAND | QMJHL |
| 130 | BURZYNSKI | GRAYSON | 4-Jun-05 | SWIFT CURRENT | WHL |
| 131 | SCHOETTLER | OWEN | 23-Jan-07 | SPOKANE | WHL |
| 132 | TURNER | OLIVER | 18-Mar-07 | ERIE | OHL |
| 134 | FOSTER | AIDEN | 5-Feb-07 | PRINCE GEORGE | WHL |
| 135 | GERWING | DAWSON | 12-Jul-06 | KELOWNA | WHL |
| 136 | EKBERG | FILIP | 14-Apr-07 | OTTAWA | OHL |
| 137 | GROULX | OLIVIER | 25-Jul-07 | SAINT JOHN | QMJHL |
| 138 | CHARRON | JORDAN | 21-Jun-07 | SAULT STE. MARIE | OHL |
| 140 | CLOUTIER | RAFAEL | 22-Aug-07 | BLAINVILLE-BOISBRIAND | QMJHL |
| 141 | AVERY | JOSHUA | 30-Jan-07 | BRANTFORD | OHL |
| 142 | BRIDGEMAN | KOLTEN | 28-Oct-06 | REGINA | WHL |
| 143 | DEGENSTEIN | NOAH | 12-Feb-07 | MOOSE JAW | WHL |
| 144 | MAYES | SAWYER | 8-Jan-07 | SEATTLE | WHL |
| 145 | SEYMOUR | JABEZ | 27-Jul-07 | CHARLOTTETOWN | QMJHL |
| 146 | BAUMULLER | JOBY | 20-Jul-07 | BRANDON | WHL |
| 147 | WOO | JONAS | 19-Nov-06 | MEDICINE HAT | WHL |
| 150 | OBOBAIFO | AARON | 13-Feb-07 | VANCOUVER | WHL |
| 152 | HUGHES | CALLUM | 22-Jan-06 | ERIE | OHL |
| 153 | VERMETTE | EMMANUEL | 11-May-05 | CHICOUTIMI | QMJHL |
| 160 | KOCH | CASSIUS | 31-Mar-07 | TRI-CITY | WHL |
| 162 | HYNES | CARTER | 22-Dec-06 | QUEBEC | QMJHL |
| 163 | MACKENZIE | ETHAN | 2-Sep-06 | EDMONTON | WHL |
| 167 | MURPHY | WILL | 24-Aug-07 | CAPE BRETON | QMJHL |
| 169 | BUSCH | SHEA | 12-Jun-07 | EVERETT | WHL |
| 170 | FUDER | JAXON | 2-Apr-06 | RED DEER | WHL |
| 171 | DUBE | ELLIOT | 15-Mar-07 | SAINT JOHN | QMJHL |
| 172 | VEILLEUX | PHILIPPE | 26-Mar-07 | VAL-D'OR | QMJHL |
| 173 | TEMPLE | COLE | 20-Mar-07 | EVERETT | WHL |
| 174 | RICHE | BEN | 15-Mar-05 | PRINCE GEORGE | WHL |
| 175 | LAM | TANNER | 14-Jul-07 | KITCHENER | OHL |
| 177 | HOLMES | PARKER | 8-Mar-07 | BRANTFORD | OHL |
| 178 | KAPAGERIDIS | JONATHAN | 8-May-07 | NORTH BAY | OHL |
| 179 | SNELGROVE | PARKER | 20-Jan-07 | GUELPH | OHL |
| 182 | LEBEL | XAVIER | 25-Mar-07 | QUEBEC | QMJHL |
| 183 | YOUNG | AIDEN | 18-Apr-07 | PETERBOROUGH | OHL |
| 184 | LAMPRON | OLIVIER | 21-Mar-07 | SHERBROOKE | QMJHL |
| 186 | ARROWSMITH | BLAKE | 17-Apr-07 | NIAGARA | OHL |
| 187 | READ | NOAH | 6-Jan-07 | LONDON | OHL |
| 189 | DESJARDINS | VINCENT | 8-Sep-06 | BLAINVILLE-BOISBRIAND | QMJHL |
| 190 | BEAMISH | LIAM | 4-Jan-07 | SARNIA | OHL |
| 191 | BUTTAZZONI | DIEGO | 13-Jan-06 | PORTLAND | WHL |
| 192 | THURSTON | DEREK | 4-Jun-06 | RED DEER | WHL |
| 193 | CLOUTIER | JACOB | 22-Mar-07 | SAGINAW | OHL |
| 194 | CARRIER | SHAWN | 14-Mar-07 | HALIFAX | QMJHL |
| 195 | COUPLAND | TY | 6-May-07 | RED DEER | WHL |
| 196 | LESLIE | MAZDEN | 15-Apr-05 | VANCOUVER | WHL |
| 197 | GRIFFIN | OWEN | 8-Apr-07 | OSHAWA | OHL |
| 199 | CRISTOFORO | ANTHONY | 23-Feb-06 | WINDSOR | OHL |
| 201 | DELISLE | TRISTAN | 15-May-07 | OWEN SOUND | OHL |
| 204 | LECOMPTE | NATHAN | 19-Jan-07 | CHICOUTIMI | QMJHL |
| 205 | DIRRACOLO | MAXIM | 29-Jun-06 | KITCHENER | OHL |
| 206 | SCHMIDT | CONNOR | 20-Mar-07 | MOOSE JAW | WHL |
| 210 | LAVIGNE | MAEL | 11-Feb-05 | RIMOUSKI | QMJHL |
| 214 | GUDELJ | JACOB | 5-Dec-05 | TRI-CITY | WHL |
| 215 | VAN GORP | EVAN | 18-May-06 | LONDON | OHL |
| 216 | KARIMOV | RUSLAN | 27-Apr-07 | SARNIA | OHL |
| 219 | KINGWELL | SHAAN | 7-Feb-07 | OTTAWA | OHL |
| 220 | KOSTUCH | CARTER | 21-Apr-07 | SARNIA | OHL |
| 221 | ZIPRICK | AIDEN | 8-Dec-05 | MOOSE JAW | WHL |
| 223 | CORBET | NATE | 15-Mar-06 | KELOWNA | WHL |
| 224 | KACHKOWSKI | JACK | 14-Jan-07 | SASKATOON | WHL |
| LV | DRAGUSICA | LUKE | 16-Feb-07 | BRAMPTON | OHL |
| Rank | Last Name | First Name | Birthdate | Team | League |
| 8 | PSENICKA | MAX | 18-Jan-07 | PORTLAND | WHL |
| 60 | PAVLIK | DOMINIK | 27-Mar-07 | MOOSE JAW | WHL |
| Rank | Last Name | First Name | Birthdate | Team | League |
| 1 | RAVENSBERGEN | JOSHUA | 27-Nov-06 | PRINCE GEORGE | WHL |
| 2 | MEDVEDEV | ALEKSEI | 10-Sep-07 | LONDON | OHL |
| 3 | BECKMAN | LUCAS | 23-Aug-07 | BAIE-COMEAU | QMJHL |
| 4 | MELOCHE | SAMUEL | 22-Jul-07 | ROUYN-NORANDA | QMJHL |
| 5 | IVANKOVIC | JACK | 22-May-07 | BRAMPTON | OHL |
| 6 | STEBETAK | ONDREJ | 19-Jul-07 | PORTLAND | WHL |
| 7 | DENAULT | LOUIS-ANTOINE | 26-Sep-06 | QUEBEC | QMJHL |
| 8 | D'AIGLE | GABRIEL | 21-Nov-06 | VICTORIAVILLE | QMJHL |
| 9 | BENNETT | TRENTEN | 1-Apr-06 | OWEN SOUND | OHL |
| 10 | HREBIK | BEN | 4-Apr-06 | BARRIE | OHL |
| 11 | KRAUS | JAYDEN | 18-Nov-06 | VICTORIA | WHL |
| 12 | KOPROWSKI | MATTHEW | 5-Feb-07 | OWEN SOUND | OHL |
| 16 | CLEAVER | KOEN | 28-Mar-07 | LETHBRIDGE | WHL |
| 19 | MILLER | ANDERS | 4-Oct-06 | CALGARY | WHL |
| 20 | FELDBERGS | LINARDS | 16-Aug-05 | SHERBROOKE | QMJHL |
| 22 | MCIVOR | MICHAEL | 22-Mar-06 | NORTH BAY | OHL |
| 23 | PILON | JAKE | 12-Oct-06 | KELOWNA | WHL |
| 25 | HOOD | BURKE | 30-Apr-07 | VANCOUVER | WHL |
| 26 | NELSON | JAEDEN | 11-Apr-07 | OTTAWA | OHL |
| 27 | NEWLOVE | MICHAEL | 14-Jan-07 | WINDSOR | OHL |
| 31 | EGOROV | DAVID | 18-May-06 | BRANTFORD | OHL |
| 32 | LANGEVIN | MATHIS | 18-Jun-06 | RIMOUSKI | QMJHL |
