NHL RELEASES FINAL RANKINGS FOR 2016 DRAFT
Matthews Leads Deep Field of European Skaters, Dubois Ranks First in North America
NEW YORK (April 12, 2016) – Forward Auston Matthews (Scottsdale, Ariz.), who averaged more than a point per game (24-22—46 in 36 GP) for Zurich in Switzerland’s top men’s league in 2015-16, has been named the top draft-eligible skater for the 2016 NHL Draft as the NHL Central Scouting Bureau today released its final rankings. Matthews aims to be the seventh U.S.-born player to be drafted first overall, and the first since Erik Johnson (2006 by STL) and Patrick Kane (2007 by CHI) were selected with the top pick in back-to-back years.
“Auston Matthews is an extraordinary prospect with NHL size, speed and smarts combined with an exceptional work ethic and a relentless compete level,” said Director of Central Scouting Dan Marr. “The other players in the mix for the top five selections have all improved their stock, but Matthews is our clear choice as the top prospect available for the 2016 NHL Draft.”
Joining Matthews at the top of a deep field of European skaters are a pair of 2016 World Junior Championship gold medalists who have spent the entire season in the Finnish Elite League: No. 2 Patrik Laine (Tampere, Finland), a forward with Tappara, and No. 3 Jesse Puljujarvi (Tornio, Finland), a forward for Karpat.
Four of the five top-ranked skaters from North America come from NHL bloodlines: No. 1 Pierre-Luc Dubois (Rimouski, Que.), a forward for the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL), is the son of former NHL Draft selection and current QMJHL assistant coach Eric Dubois; No. 2 Matthew Tkachuk (St. Louis, Mo.), a forward for the London Knights (OHL), is the son of former NHL player Keith Tkachuk; No. 3 Alexander Nylander (Stockholm, Sweden), a forward for the Mississauga Steelheads (OHL), is the son of former NHL player Michael Nylander and brother of Maple Leafs forward William Nylander; and No. 4 Jakob Chychrun (Boca Raton, Fla.), a defenseman with the Sarnia Sting (OHL), is the son of former NHL blueliner Jeff Chychrun. Rounding out the top five in North America is London defenseman Olli Juolevi, a tournament All-Star as a member of Finland’s gold-medal team at the 2016 World Junior Championship.
Evan Fitzpatrick (St. John’s, Nfld.) of the Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL) and Filip Gustavsson (Skelleftea, Sweden) of Lulea’s junior team (SWEDEN-JR) are the top-ranked goaltenders from North America and Europe, respectively.
The final rankings feature the top 210 skaters and 30 goaltenders in North America as well as the top 150 skaters and 15 goaltenders from Europe.
In its 41st year of operation, NHL Central Scouting provides evaluation and scouting of draft-eligible players to NHL member clubs. Headed by Director of Central Scouting Dan Marr, NHL Central Scouting employs eight full-time and 15 part-time scouts throughout North America. To report on prospects playing in Europe, the NHL employs the services of Goran Stubb and his staff at European Scouting Services based in Finland.
Combined, NHL Central Scouting and European Scouting Services will see in excess of 3,000 games this season.
The full final rankings in all categories are available on NHL.com and media.NHL.com.
The 2016 NHL Draft will be held June 24-25 at First Niagara Center in Buffalo. This will be the third time the event will be held in Buffalo; the city previously hosted the NHL Draft in 1991 (Memorial Auditorium) and 1998 (Marine Midland Arena).
Who are you pulling for to win the lottery? Auston Matthews seems to be the exact player that teams like Arizona and Columbus need, but the Finns could fit nicely up in Edmonton and Toronto as well.
If you’re interested, here’s the official release: official release. It has some details of the top-end players going into the draft.