Though the WHL season is less than 10 games old, a few prospects have already made a significant impact on their draft stock. The preliminary WHL Top 20 featured a familiar name at the top in Nolan Patrick, who will likely hold down the position for the remainder of the year. Patrick was recently named captain of the Brandon Wheat Kings, and was once again named our top prospect for the October rankings. Following up the Wheat Kings captain is Spokane Chiefs forward Kailer Yamamoto, who began his draft-eligible campaign with a two-assist effort at the All American Top Prospects Game, and carried that momentum back to Spokane where he managed a three-point performance in his WHL season-opener. A change at the No. 3 spot sees Rockets blueliner Callan Foote pass Stuart Skinner, as Foote has come into the season with a tremendous amount of poise and the ability to be a much more versatile defender. Foote currently sits with four assists through four games. Jumping up a spot from No. 5 is Tri-City center Michael Rasmussen who has come in to the season with a ton of confidence, and it’s reflected on the scoresheet as he’s recorded five goals through two games. Look for Rasmussen to garner top 10 talk as the season progresses. Nikita Popugayev rounds out the top five, as the big Russian winger has been a key piece in Moose Jaw. He hasn’t put up significant point totals, and we don’t expect him to score more than 70 points this season, but the overall package he brings warrants a top five spot.
The top five features a strong mix of size and speed, and though it’s extremely early in the WHL season, it wouldn’t be a stretch to expect at least four of them to remain in the top five until the end of the season.
Retaining his spot at No. 6 is Juuso Valimaki, the second Tri-City American ranked in the top 10. Valimaki has been productive offensively thus far, recording four assists in his first two games, and will be a major key to the Americans’ success this year as his ability to generate offence from the blue line can be difficult to find. Falling due to quick starts out of players like Rasmussen and Foote, Skinner has been fairly impressive early on, though statistical totals seem to tell another story. In our experience, draft-eligible goalies are commonly ranked higher or looked more favorably upon given a higher save percentage (Skinners being .887). However, Skinner has been a victim (early on at least) of a lack of team defence which has led to a high number of goals against, especially on the penalty kill. Removing power play goals against through three games, Skinner would sit around a 2.80 GAA.
With Valimaki and Skinner in the six and seven spots, we believe we have identified the “elite” core of WHL draft-eligible prospects, as all seven players listed have a very good chance at being first-round NHL selections. This doesn’t rule out the players listed from eight to 11 as possible first rounders, however they will have to really prove themselves if they want to push to reach the “elite” level.
The next tier of players features former first-overall bantam draft pick Stelio Mattheos at eight, T-Birds rearguard Jarret Tyszka at nine, Hurricanes forward Jordy Bellerive to round out the top 10, and Aleksi Heponiemi, the small Finnish forward who led WHL preseason in scoring at the No. 11 spot. The most intriguing player in this grouping is Broncos forward Heponiemi, as the 5-foot-10, 141 pound, Tampere product tallied 15 points in only six preseason games, and has continued to produce into the regular season with four assists through three games. Heponiemi will remain a bit of a wild card in the eyes of most until the Broncos make their rounds across the WHL. Mattheos, who fell one spot short of the “elite” grouping has really rounded out his game to become an effective player. It was evident at the Summer Showcase that Mattheos is one of the stronger two-way forwards in this year’s class, however that doesn’t mean he cant produce as he’s already racked up two goals and an assist through two games. Tyszka is a player you’re not likely to find ranked overly high by other services, and a large part of that is because of his lack of offensive production. Tyszka is an unbelievable skater who thinks the game at a very high level, so if the offence comes he will contend for the top draft-eligible WHL defenceman spot with Foote. Bellerive is another player who really made his mark at the Ivan Hlinka tournament, and before that the Summer Showcase, where we were left not exactly knowing how to label the Hurricane forward. He brings a unique game and boasts both the ability to score given his heavy, accurate shot, as well as the creativity to make smart offensive-zone passes. If Bellerive begins scoring at a rapid pace he could garner attention from teams picking in the late first, however he’s likely an early second-round pick when it’s all said and done.
The third group of players is home to a number of strong puck-moving defenceman who are all likely to play big minutes on their respective teams. This group include Henri Jokiharju at 13, Josh Brook at 15, Artyom Minulin at 17, Brayden Gorda at 18 and Cale Fleury at 21. Though Portland’s Jokiharju is ranked eight spots ahead of Fleury, we believe the gap from 13 to 21 is extremely tight, and any one of the five defenders listed above could prevail as the best of the bunch.
Jaret Anderson-Dolan, the 12th-ranked prospect, only has one game under his belt this season, but it was an impressive showing as he was able to notch a goal, something not so new to the shooter. Ian Scott comes in one spot behind him as the second goalie ranked inside the top 15, and he has come storming out of the gates posting a .919 save percentage and making a good case to be the Raiders’ sure-fire No. 1 ahead of veteran Rylan Parenteau. The forwards that make up the remainder of this grouping are Mason Shaw at 16, Cody Glass at 19, and Kole Lind at 20. The three forwards differ greatly from each other, so when it came down to why Shaw was ahead of the other two, it was his ability to take over the game inside the offensive zone. Shaw is undersized, but it hasn’t stopped him from being a dominant playmaker at the NHL level, and that was evident with his 43-assist campaign one year ago. Glass has had a strong start to his draft year statistically speaking, however we will need to see him a few more times before considering putting him in the top 15 as he left a bit of a sour taste in our mouths from the Summer Showcase. Lind picked up where he left off last year in the points department, picking up three points on a Rockets squad on which he will surely see significant offensive ice time.
Mark Rubinchik sits atop the final grouping at 22, and is a defender to really keep your eye on over the course of the season. The Russian import has shown a lot of promise early on in his WHL career. Rubinchik plays a smart game and moves the puck well, however one of his strongest attributes is his willingness to play with intensity until the clock hits zero. Rubinchik currently has three assists through three games for the Blades and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him round out his game and crack a top 15 spot in the near future. Another Rockets defender, Jonathan Smart, comes in at 23 as the left-handed defender has proven to be an assertive two way force for Kelowna. Though there’s not a ton of offence coming off his stick, he has the ability to be an effective offensive option. Smart is a relentless net-front presence, and you should expect to see his PIM totals climb quite a bit from last year. Justin Almeida of the Prince George Cougars cracks the top 30 after a fairly disappointing season last year in which he was unable to establish himself as an offensive option. That being said, he was playing behind a veteran-filled forward corps. The difference this year — and one of the reasons he’s been able to produce over a point per game — is that he’s now earned his way onto a line next to guys like Colby McAuley, allowing him to see more offensive zone time. Expect his production to slow down with the return of Jansen Harkins.
Austin Pratt, Jake Leschyshyn and Dawson Holt occupy spots 25 through 27 in the rankings. All three forwards have shown the ability to score at times, but right now look more like second/third line two-way forwards. Pratt is likely to get the most attention out of the three given his size, however Holt is a player who may have a Dillon Dube-like rise at the draft. Rounding out the top 30 is an interesting mix that includes Oil Kings rookie forward Trey Fix-Wolansky at 28. Trey is coming off an excellent year with the AJHL’s North Division champs in the Spruce Grove Saints, and he boasts a high-energy, fast-paced game. Trey is a player both fans and scouts will fall in love with when they get their eyes on him. At 29 sits Blazers defender Nolan Kneen, who plays a strong defensive style. Kneen needs a little work on his skating and offensive side, but he’s a fairly raw defenceman who will bring value to whichever team selects him. The last player in the rankings is Regina Pats netminder, and former first-round bantam selection, Jordan Hollett, who after playing limited games last year is really pushing for the starting gig. The 6-foot-5 goalie currently sits with a .925 save percentage through two games.
The WHL is chock full of high-end talent, something we haven’t really seen over the past few years. With 30 players looking like guaranteed NHL selections, it will be interesting to see who can push themselves into the elite category over the next month.
