Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League is proud to announce 43 WHL players have been named to NHL Central Scouting’s ‘Preliminary Players to Watch’ List ahead of the 2023 NHL Draft. The ‘Players to Watch’ list was issued Tuesday by the NHL Central Scouting Service.
NHL Central Scouting identifies players with a rating system that includes four categories. The ‘A’ rating indicates players projected to be first-round candidates. The ‘B’ rating indicates players projected to be second- or third-round candidates, and the ‘C’ rating indicates players projected to be fourth-, fifth-, or sixth-round candidates. The ‘LV’ rating represents a player who has not had sufficient viewings, due to injury.
Seven WHL players earned ‘A’ ratings: Regina Pats forward Connor Bedard, Winnipeg ICE forward Zach Benson, Brandon Wheat Kings teammates Carson Bjarnason and Noah Danielson, Prince George Cougars forward Riley Heidt, Vancouver Giants forward Samuel Honzek and Moose Jaw Warriors forward Brayden Yager. .
A further 12 WHL players were given ‘B’ ratings, including Kelowna Rockets teammates Andrew Cristall and Caden Price, Red Deer Rebels forward Kalan Lind and Seattle Thunderbirds pair Scott Ratzlaff and Gracyn Sawchyn. 23 WHL players earned ‘C’ ratings, while one WHL player received an ‘LV’ rating.
Overall, 21 of the 22 WHL Clubs are represented in the ‘Players to Watch’ List. The Vancouver Giants boast five players on the list to lead all WHL Clubs. The Brandon Wheat Kings, Kamloops Blazers, Moose Jaw Warriors, Portland Winterhawks and Saskatoon Blades have three players listed. Seven WHL Clubs are represented with two players on the list, while eight further WHL Clubs have a single player on NHL Central Scouting’s list.
A total of 25 WHL forwards find themselves on the list, joined by 12 WHL defensemen and six WHL goaltenders.
2022-23 NHL Central Scouting ‘Preliminary Players to Watch’ – WHL Players
| PTW | Last Name | First Name | Hometown | Team | Height | Weight | Position |
| A | Bedard | Connor | North Vancouver, BC | Regina Pats | 5’10” | 185 | C |
| A | Benson | Zach | Chilliwack, BC | Winnipeg ICE | 5’9″ | 160 | LW |
| A | Bjarnason | Carson | Carberry, Man. | Brandon Wheat Kings | 6’3″ | 186 | G |
| A | Danielson | Nate | Red Deer, Alta. | Brandon Wheat Kings | 6’1″ | 185 | C |
| A | Heidt | Riley | Saskatoon, Sask. | Prince George Cougars | 5’10” | 182 | C |
| A | Honzek | Samuel | Trencin, Slovakia | Vancouver Giants | 6’3″ | 186 | LW |
| A | Yager | Brayden | Saskatoon, Sask. | Moose Jaw Warriors | 5’10” | 166 | C |
| B | Cagnoni | Luca | Burnaby, BC | Portland Winterhawks | 5’9″ | 180 | D |
| B | Crystal | Andrew | Burnaby, BC | Kelowna Rockets | 5’9″ | 167 | LW |
| B | Dragicevic | Lukas | Richmond, BC | Tri-City Americans | 6’1″ | 192 | D |
| B | Halaburda | Ty | Victoria, BC | Vancouver Giants | 5’11” | 178 | C |
| B | Hammell | Kaden | Langley, BC | Kamloops Blazers | 6’1″ | 173 | D |
| B | Levis | Connor | Vancouver, BC | Kamloops Blazers | 6’1″ | 189 | RW |
| B | Lind | Kalan | Shaunavon, Sask. | Red Deer Rebels | 6’0” | 158 | LW |
| B | Molendyk | Tanner | McBride, BC | Saskatoon Blades | 5’11” | 184 | D |
| B | Price | Caden | Saskatoon, Sask. | Kelowna Rockets | 6’0” | 186 | D |
| B | Ratzlaff | Scott | Irma, Alta. | Seattle Thunderbirds | 6’0” | 175 | G |
| B | Sawchyn | Gracyn | Grande Prairie, Alta. | Seattle Thunderbirds | 5’11” | 157 | C |
| B | Ziemer | Cohen | Mayerthorpe, Alta. | Prince George Cougars | 6’0” | 204 | RW |
| C | Birnie | Brady | Regina, Sask. | Swift Current Broncos | 5’7″ | 154 | C |
| C | Chadwick | Noah | Saskatoon, Sask. | Lethbridge Hurricanes | 6’3″ | 187 | D |
| C | Ernst | Dylan | Weyburn, Sask. | Kamloops Blazers | 6’1″ | 196 | G |
| C | Goldsmith | Terrell | Fort St. James, BC | Prince Albert Raiders | 6’3″ | 218 | D |
| C | Leslie | Mazden | Lloydminster, Alta. | Vancouver Giants | 6’0” | 193 | D |
| C | Lipinski | Jaden | Scottsdale, Ariz. | Vancouver Giants | 6’3″ | 208 | C |
| C | Metzger | Tim | Zurich, Switzerland | Everett Silvertips | 6’5” | 192 | G |
| C | Miller | Cole | Edmonton, Alta. | Edmonton Oil Kings | 6’4″ | 174 | C |
| C | Myatovic | Nico | Prince George, BC | Seattle Thunderbirds | 6’2″ | 182 | C |
| C | Oremba | Sam | Regina, Sask. | Regina Pats | 6’1″ | 195 | C |
| C | Parker | Calem | Clavet, Sask. | Victoria Royals | 6’0” | 192 | D |
| C | Riche | Ben | Bethune, Sask. | Moose Jaw Warriors | 5’10” | 178 | C |
| C | Roersma | Rylen | Lethbridge, Alta. | Brandon Wheat Kings | 5’10” | 161 | C |
| C | Rost | Austin | Coldstream, BC | Everett Silvertips | 5’9″ | 175 | C |
| C | Seitz | Dawson | Medicine Hat, Alta. | Edmonton Oil Kings | 6’2″ | 185 | C |
| C | Semeniuk | Ethan | Fort St. John, BC | Vancouver Giants | 5’11” | 175 | C |
| C | Sidorov | Yegor | Vitebsk, Belarus | Saskatoon Blades | 5’11” | 182 | RW |
| C | Siepmann | Grayden | Abbotsford, BC | Calgary Hitmen | 5’10” | 185 | D |
| C | Sotheran | Carter | Sanford, Man. | Portland Winterhawks | 6’3″ | 197 | D |
| C | Spooner | Jan | Olomouc, Czechia | Portland Winterhawks | 6’3″ | 185 | G |
| C | Unger | Jackson | Calgary, Alta. | Moose Jaw Warriors | 6’1″ | 190 | G |
| C | Weinstein | Saige | Edmonton, Alta. | Spokane Chiefs | 6’0” | 179 | D |
| C | Wormald | Logan | Langley, BC | Lethbridge Hurricanes | 5’9″ | 144 | LW |
| LV | Schuurman | Brayden | Abbotsford, BC | Victoria Royals | 5’9″ | 198 | C |
About the Western Hockey League
Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 22 member clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and five in the US Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.