VANCOUVER -- Defenseman Olli Juolevi called winning a gold medal for Finland at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship in his home country the most memorable experience of his hockey career.

Juolevi, who plays for London of the Ontario Hockey League, is hoping for another standout performance when he's on the big stage Thursday at the 2016 BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game at Pacific Coliseum (9 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVA Sports).

"I worked hard this season and I wanted to be great in those World Junior Championships. But there was really good guys on our team and it was fun to play with those guys," Juolevi said. "They helped me and I hope I helped them."

Juolevi is one of six players participating in the game who also played in the 2016 WJC.

VANCOUVER -- U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame member Keith Tkachuk would like to believe watching his son play the game he did for so many years would be a thrilling experience.

Unfortunately, that isn't the case.

"It's the most terrifying thing, because I worry and fear for him and I have no control over what he does," Tkachuk told NHL Live.

He can take pride in the fact his son, Matthew Tkachuk, has established his own identity as a hard-working left wing capable of holding his own in his first season for the London Knights in the Ontario Hockey League. He has 16 goals, 70 points and a plus-25 rating in 37 games.

VANCOUVER -- The top seven skaters in NHL Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American skaters for the 2016 NHL Draft will be among the 40 players taking part in the 2016 BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on Thursday at Pacific Coliseum (9 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVA Sports).

Topping that list is Matthew Tkachuk, Central Scouting's top-ranked North American skater. A 6-foot-1, 195-pound left wing in his first season with London of the Ontario Hockey League, Tkachuk is fourth in the OHL with 70 points in 37 games.  He also tied for the United States lead with 11 points to help the U.S. win the bronze medal at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship.

The six players ranked behind Tkachuk on Central Scouting's midterm list also will be in the game: Sarnia (OHL) defenseman Jakob Chychrun; Mississauga (OHL) left wing Alexander Nylander; Val-d'Or (QMJHL) right wing Julien Gauthier; London defenseman Olli Juolevi; Mississauga center Michael McLeod; and Cape Breton (QMJHL) left wing Pierre-Luc Dubois.

Every Thursday, NHL.com will look ahead to the 2016 NHL Draft with an in-depth profile on one of its top prospects.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Luke Kunin had two goals, one assist and three blocked shots during a weekend series at Penn State. One of the goals by the University of Wisconsin freshman provided a glimpse into the talent the 18-year-old forward possesses. One of the blocked shots showed what kind of player he is.

"He came back to the bench (after the blocked shot) and said 'I deserve that because I lost the faceoff so clean,'" Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves said about Kunin. "That's the kind of lad he is. That's taking responsibility."

It was an impressive moment in what was a strong weekend for Kunin. He showed patience, skill and toughness throughout the back-to-back road games, often in the same sequence.

There's a good chance three international prospects will be selected among the top five picks for the first time in 15 years when the 2016 NHL Draft is held June 24-25 at First Niagara Center in Buffalo.

Heading the list of exceptional talent playing in Europe this season is center Auston Matthews of Zurich in National League A, the top professional league in Switzerland. Matthews, 18, is No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting's midterm list of international skaters, released Tuesday.

Matthews, a native of Scottsdale, Ariz., opted to play this season for Zurich, where not only is he playing against older, more physically developed competition, he's coached by former NHL coach Marc Crawford.

Forward Matthew Tkachuk of London of the Ontario Hockey League was named the No. 1 North American skater on NHL Central Scouting's midterm ranking of the top prospects for the 2016 NHL Draft.

The draft will be held June 24-25 at First Niagara Center in Buffalo.

Tkachuk, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound left wing, has 15 goals, 63 points and a plus-25 rating in 33 games with London this season.

He also helped the United States win the bronze medal at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship, tying for the U.S. lead with 11 points.

Every Thursday, NHL.com will look ahead to the 2016 NHL Draft with an in-depth profile on one of its top prospects.

Alexander Nylander couldn't wait to play with his older brother William Nylander at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship in Helsinki, Finland.

"That would be an unbelievable experience," Alexander Nylander said in September, ahead of the winter tournament. "I don't think I've ever played with my brother on a team. … To be able to play with my brother would be just amazing. It's something I dream of, actually."

Unfortunately their time on the ice together was limited to less than one game after William sustained a head injury in Sweden's tournament-opening 8-3 win against Switzerland on Dec. 26 and had to miss the rest of the WJC.

"We got to play a couple of shifts together and we scored a goal together; that was a great moment," Alexander Nylander said.

Center Auston Matthews entered the 2015-16 season regarded as the top prospect for the 2016 NHL Draft.

His play this season, especially at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship, has cemented his spot at the top of the draft list.

That includes the initial mock drafts for NHL.com's draft experts, Adam Kimelman and Mike G. Morreale, who each believe Matthews will be the first player picked when the 30 teams meet June 24-25 at First Niagara Center in Buffalo.

Jakob Chychrun and Olli Juolevi, two of the top defense prospects for the 2016 NHL Draft were among the 40 players from the Canadian Hockey League picked Thursday to play in the BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, to be played at Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver on Jan. 28 (9 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVA Sports).

The game will include 20 prospects from the Ontario Hockey League, 12 from the Western Hockey League, and eight from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The players competing in the game were chosen by the 30 NHL teams; the rosters were set by NHL Central Scouting.

"The CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game provides a unique opportunity for NHL scouts and general managers to evaluate top CHL talent for the 2016 NHL Draft in a best-on-best competition," NHL Director of Central Scouting Dan Marr said. "The game is also a unique opportunity for the players to take advantage of the spotlight in what is consistently an exciting and highly competitive showcase."

The London Knights and Mississauga Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League each had three players earn A ratings from NHL Central Scouting in its November players to watch list for the 2016 NHL Draft, released Tuesday.

Among the players Central Scouting believes could go in the first round in June are London left wings Matthew Tkachuk (6-foot-1, 195 pounds) and Max Jones (6-3, 205), and defenseman Olli Juolevi (6-2, 179), as well as Mississauga centers Michael McLeod (6-2, 188) and Alexander Nylander (6-0, 179) and right wing Nathan Bastian (6-4, 208).

"The November players to watch list updates Central Scouting's preliminary grading of players by identifying prospects on a priority basis," said Dan Marr, NHL Director of Central Scouting. "It is a scouting tool that assists Central Scouting and NHL team scouts in planning scouting coverage to prepare for midseason meetings where a comprehensive ranking of players is produced [in January] and is very much a work in progress."

The November players to watch list had 34 players receive A ratings -- up from 24 in the September players to watch list -- meaning they could go in the first round of the 2016 draft, which will be held June 24-25 at First Niagara Center in Buffalo.