The NHL Central Scouting Bureau has released its final player rankings for the upcoming 2022 NHL draft and a few Kelowna players made the North American list.
The highest-ranked player with a Kelowna connection hasn’t even played in the city yet. Forward Ben MacDonald, who is committed to the West Kelowna Warriors for the 2022-23 season, was ranked 50th on the list. The 18-year-old from Weston, Massachusetts is finishing up his current school year at Noble and Greenough, a U.S. prep school. He has also already committed to Harvard for the 2023-24 season.
Warriors defenseman Tyson Jugnaugh was ranked 66th on the list. He finished this season with 50 points (nine goals, 41 assists) in 52 games. The Kelowna native is committed to the University of Wisconsin for the 2022-23 season.
NEWS: Blue liner Tyson Jugnauth (#66) & incoming forward Ben MacDonald (#50) are a part of the final @NHLCentralScout rankings ahead of the 2022 NHL Draft.
— West Kelowna Warriors (@BCHLWarriors) May 5, 2022
DETAILS: https://t.co/OmFzuIZjNQ#BCHL pic.twitter.com/hfINN0G8SD
A couple of faceoff specialists are ranked for the upcoming #NHLDraft. Who do you want to see pick Grammer and Flams? pic.twitter.com/1LYUqAfBNr
— Kelowna Rockets (@Kelowna_Rockets) May 5, 2022
On the Rockets side of things, forward Max Graham was ranked 156th, moving up 12 spots from the mid-season rankings. In 64 games this season, the Kelowna native put up 33 points (10 goals, 23 assists) with a +10 rating and 43 penalty minutes.
Rockets forward Nolan Flamand made the list, sitting at 218th. He scored 40 points this season (10 goals, 30 assists) and a +19 rating in 60 games. Despite those numbers, he fell from 187th to 218th in the second half of the season because of an injury that caused him to be out for a month.
The 2022 NHL Draft will be on July 7 and 8 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec.
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