Day one wrap-up of Central Scouting's final meetings

Friday, 03.27.2015 / 6:25 PM

By Mike G. Morreale - NHL.com Staff Writer / 2015 NHL Draft blog

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2015 NHL Draft blog
Day one wrap-up of Central Scouting's final meetings

TORONTO -- The opening day of NHL Central Scouting's final meetings to rank the top North American players eligible for the 2015 NHL Draft ended with the completion of five separate league lists and goaltender projections.

Dan Marr, NHL Director of Central Scouting, and his staff compiled rankings for the Western Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, USA-West and USA-East regions, which include all U.S. colleges and high schools, and the Canadian junior and midget leagues.

The top 30 goaltenders were also discussed and finalized. The staff will complete the list for the Ontario Hockey League, which includes Erie Otters captain Connor McDavid, before beginning the ranking process of the top 210 skaters from North America on Saturday.

"The names are [familiar in each league] but there was going to be a difference in the order so we were able to reach a consensus on it and that will take us through compiling our final rankings; we may have to tweak it again," Marr said. "I'd say there's a lot more tweaking of the names as far as the order goes because the players are still kind of in the same range. Some have fallen off and some have moved up and that's expected but I think there's a little bit more fluctuation in the order than what's been traditional. That doesn't surprise me with the way the season has gone."

A few of the many memorable quotes from opening day:

On Regina Pats left wing Austin Wagner: "He's a beautiful skater; some say the fastest in the draft. He's so tough when his team is shorthanded."

On Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman Jakub Zboril: "Has a lot of upside and projects to be a solid prospect. I believe he's ready to play pro hockey."

On Everett Silvertips defenseman Noah Juulsen: "This kid just keeps getting better."

On Shawinigan Cataractes left wing Anthony Beauvillier: "Boy can he shoot the puck and he finds those shooting lanes."

On Cape Breton Screaming Eagles left wing Evgeny Svechnikov: "His skills are very high and he has such deceiving quickness."

"The draft is deep at the top end," Marr said. "Once it starts to fall off, I think you'll start to see teams looking at the 19-years-old players who have been through the draft and taking a second look at the European players."
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