WHL ENTERS 2026 NHL DRAFT WITH FOUR OF TOP FIVE NORTH AMERICAN SKATERS

WHL TOTALS 80 PLAYERS; CHL BOASTS 76 PER CENT OF NORTH AMERICAN PLAYERS RANKED BY NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2026

Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League heads into the 2026 NHL Draft as the No. 1 development league in North America, with four of the top five skaters and 80 total players ranked by NHL Central Scouting.

NHL Central Scouting unveiled its Final Rankings for the 2026 NHL Draft on Thursday morning. The 2026 NHL Draft is scheduled to be held June 26-27 in Buffalo, N.Y.

“While a lot has changed in hockey’s development landscape, the WHL has further solidified itself as the best environment for players to be developed, scouted, and then drafted to the NHL,” commented WHL Commissioner Dan Near. “With four of the top five skaters having developed in the WHL, and nearly a 20-per-cent increase in the players ranked by NHL Central Scouting, the WHL is once again reinforced as an exceptional path to professional hockey.”

Across the member Leagues of the Canadian Hockey League, including the WHL, Ontario Hockey League, and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, a total of 197 players are ranked among the 261 players identified by NHL Central Scouting. This reinforces the CHL Member Leagues as the top development path for junior hockey players, with 75.5 per cent of North American-ranked players coming from the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL.

Four of the top five ranked North American skaters developed in the WHL, including Medicine Hat Tigers alumnus Gavin McKenna (first) and Prince George Cougars defenceman Carson Carels (third), Victoria Royals alumnus Keaton Verhoeff (fourth), and Prince Albert Raiders defenceman Daxon Rudolph (fifth).

NHL Central Scouting’s top 32 North American skaters features 12 players developed in the WHL, including JP Hurlbert of the Kamloops Blazers, Ryan Lin of the Vancouver Giants, Liam Ruck of the Medicine Hat Tigers, Ben MacBeath of the Calgary Hitmen, Markus Ruck of the Medicine Hat Tigers, Chase Harrington of the Spokane Chiefs, Jakub Vanecek of the Tri-City Americans, and Mathis Preston of the Vancouver Giants.

Five WHL netminders rank among the top 10 goaltenders in North America, including Michal Orsulak of the Prince Albert Raiders, Filip Ruzicka of the Brandon Wheat Kings, Marek Sklenicka of the Seattle Thunderbirds, Tobias Tvrznik of the Wenatchee Wild, and Harrison Boettiger of the Kelowna Rockets.

Of the 80 players developed in the WHL to be identified by NHL Central Scouting, 47 are forwards, 24 are defencemen, and nine are goaltenders.

In total, NHL Central Scouting has identified 224 skaters and 37 goaltenders from North America, with 75.5 per cent of the list having spent time developing in the member Leagues of the CHL. The WHL accounts for 30.7 per cent of the North American list, while the OHL follows at 29.1 per cent and the QMJHL contributes 15.7 per cent.

In 2025, the WHL accounted for 67 players on NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings. The rise from 67 players in 2025 to 80 players in 2026 represents an increase of 19.4 per cent.

Of the WHL’s 23 Clubs, 22 are represented in NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Rankings, led by the Medicine Hat Tigers, who boast nine players. The Prince Albert Raiders follow closely with seven players ranked by NHL Central Scouting. The Edmonton Oil Kings and Portland Winterhawks both boast six players, while the Calgary Hitmen, Prince George Cougars, and Vancouver Giants all have five players ranked by NHL Central Scouting.

NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Rankings features 197 players developed in the member Leagues of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), including 76 from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and 41 from the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).

Currently in its 51st year of operation, NHL Central Scouting provides evaluation and scouting of draft-eligible players to NHL member clubs. Headed by Group Vice President Dan Marr, NHL Central Scouting employs eight full-time scouts throughout North America.

Full rankings are available on NHL.com.

2025-26 NHL Central Scouting – Final Rankings – WHL Skaters

* = Played 2025-26 in NCAA

2025-26 NHL Central Scouting – Final Rankings – WHL Goaltenders

197 players developed across the CHL listed in NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings ahead of 2026 NHL Draft

TORONTO, ON – The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) announced today that 197 players developed through the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) have been named to NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft (click here to view the full list) — the highest total of CHL-developed players featured in the Final Rankings in more than 17 years. It also marks the largest representation of any development league in the world, further reinforcing the CHL’s position as the leading supplier and developer of NHL talent.

The Western Hockey League (WHL) led the CHL with 80 ranked players, including 71 skaters and nine goaltenders. The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) followed with 76 players, made up of 65 skaters and 11 goaltenders, while the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) rounded out the CHL total with 41 players, including 35 skaters and six goaltenders.

In total, the rankings feature 224 North American skaters, including 171 developed through the CHL, accounting for more than three-quarters of all skaters listed. Among North American goaltenders, 26 of the 37 ranked are currently playing in the CHL.

Of the 197 players developed through the CHL, 195 are actively playing in the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL — surpassing the combined 37 players ranked from the USHL and the U.S. National Team Development Program (NTDP). That margin underscores that more draft-eligible players currently competing in the CHL are recognized among North America’s top talent than from any other league or program.

Leading the way among current CHL skaters is Soo Greyhounds (OHL) defenceman Chase Reid (18G-30A in 45 GP), who was ranked No. 2 for the 2026 NHL Draft among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. Reid was the only first-year draft-eligible defenceman in the OHL — and one of just six across the CHL — to average at least a point per game in 2025-26. Although he missed the final 17 games of the regular season due to injury, Reid has made an impact since returning, recording six points (3G-3A) in eight playoff appearances. He was also one of seven defencemen from across the CHL — and the only one from the OHL — selected to represent Team CHL at the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge in Calgary and Lethbridge, Alta., where he scored once in two games.

On defence, Reid is one of seven active CHL blueliners ranked among the top 25 North American skaters, along with Carson Carels (Prince George Cougars / WHL, 3rd), Daxon Rudolph (Prince Albert Raiders / WHL, 5th), Ryan Lin (Vancouver Giants / WHL, 16th), Tommy Bleyl (Moncton Wildcats / QMJHL, 17th), Xavier Villeneuve (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada / QMJHL, 18th), Ben MacBeath (Calgary Hitmen / WHL, 22nd). Also ranked near the very top of the list is Victoria Royals (WHL) product Keaton Verhoeff, who sits No. 4 overall among North American skaters.

Among forwards, 11 current CHL players rank in the top 25 among North American skaters, led by Brantford Bulldogs (OHL) forward Caleb Malhotra, who sits No. 6 after tallying 29 goals and 55 assists in 67 games. Entering Thursday, Malhotra is tied for the 2026 OHL Playoffs lead with eight goals in eight games, while his five power-play markers are the most among all OHL skaters this postseason. In the regular season, he set new Bulldogs rookie records for points (84) and assists (55), eclipsing the previous marks held by Brantford captain and Seattle Kraken prospect Jake O’Brien, while also posting a plus-33 rating, eight game-winning goals, and 30 power-play points. Malhotra was also one of 13 forwards from across the CHL — and one of seven from the OHL — selected to represent Team CHL at the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge in Calgary and Lethbridge, Alta., where he registered a goal and an assist in two games

The other CHL forwards featured in the top 25 are Nikita Klepov (Saginaw Spirit / OHL, 8th), Ethan Belchetz (Windsor Spitfires / OHL, 9th), JP Hurlbert (Kamloops Blazers / WHL, 12th), Adam Novotny (Peterborough Petes / OHL, 14th), Maddox Dagenais (Québec Remparts / QMJHL, 15th), Egor Shilov (Victoriaville Tigres / QMJHL, 19th), Liam Ruck (Medicine Hat Tigers / WHL, 20th), Brooks Rogowski (Oshawa Generals / OHL, 21st), Markus Ruck (Medicine Hat Tigers / WHL, 23rd) and Ryder Cali (North Bay Battalion / OHL, 25th). Sitting atop the rankings is Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) product Gavin McKenna, who was named both the CHL Player of the Year and WHL Player of the Year in 2024-25.

Additionally, among the 26 CHL goaltenders included in NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Rankings, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) netminder Michal Orsulak is ranked No. 2 among North American goalies. Orsulak led the WHL with a 2.22 goals-against average during the 2025-26 regular season, a mark that ranked third across the CHL, while also finishing among the WHL’s top five in save percentage (.907, fifth), wins (28, fifth), and shutouts (4, tied for second). Entering Thursday, he owns the best goals-against average among WHL goaltenders in the 2026 playoffs at 1.55, which ranks second across the CHL. Rounding out the top five behind Orsulak are Filip Ruzicka (Brandon Wheat Kings / WHL, 4th) and Jan Larys (Drummondville Voltigeurs / QMJHL, 5th)

56 of the CHL’s 61 clubs are represented in the rankings. The Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) led all CHL clubs with nine players on the list, followed by the Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) and London Knights (OHL) with seven each. The Guelph Storm (OHL), Oshawa Generals (OHL), Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL), and Portland Winterhawks (WHL) each had six players ranked, while the Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL) paced all QMJHL clubs with five.

The CHL remains the leading supplier of talent to the NHL. In 2025, 170 CHL players were included in NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings, and 90 were ultimately selected at the NHL Draft in Los Angeles — more than 40% of all picks. That group included 21 first-round selections from CHL clubs, marking just the fifth time since 1969 — and the first time in more than a decade — that the CHL reached that total in the opening round. Since 1969, the CHL has also produced at least 10 first-round picks in 57 straight NHL Drafts.

Over the course of the 2025-26 season, 477 alumni from the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL played at least one NHL game, accounting for 46.2% of the 1,033 players who appeared in the league — the highest share of any development league in the world. That followed an Opening Night snapshot that saw 402 CHL graduates named to NHL rosters at the start of the 2025-26 campaign, representing nearly half of the players across the league’s 32 teams.