2017 Draft: Nolan Patrick named to Top Prospects Game

Center Nolan Patrick, considered the best player available in the 2017 NHL Draft, was among the 40 players announced for the 2017 Sherwin-Williams Canadian Hockey League/NHL Top Prospects Game.
The game will be played at Videotron Centre in Quebec City on Jan. 30, 2017.

Patrick, 18, has nine points in six games with Brandon of the Western Hockey League but has been out since Oct. 11 because of an upper-body injury.
When he was healthy, scouts saw top-end skill in the 6-foot-3, 198-pound center. He had 41 goals and 102 points in 71 regular-season games in 2015-16, then led the WHL playoffs with 30 points in 17 games to help Brandon win the league championship.
He also was the only 2017 draft-eligible player named to Canada selection camp for the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship, but his injury prevented him from playing.
"Patrick is as complete an NHL package as you are going to find," director of NHL Central Scouting Dan Marr said. "From his pedigree, his skills and assets to his performance impact to date, he has everything any NHL team is looking for in a top prospect."
Seventeen players named to the Top Prospects Game earned A ratings from NHL Central Scouting, among them Patrick, left wing Maxime Comtois of Victoriaville of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and center Gabriel Vilardi of Windsor of the Ontario Hockey League, who will play for Team Cherry, and center Nico Hischier of Halifax of the QMJHL, left wing Matthew Strome of Hamilton of the OHL and right wing Kailer Yamamoto of Spokane of the WHL, who will play for Team Orr.

"The Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game provides a unique opportunity for NHL scouts and general managers to evaluate top CHL talent for the 2017 NHL Draft in a best-on-best competition," Marr told the CHL website. "It's also a unique opportunity for the players to take advantage of the spotlight in what is consistently an exciting and highly competitive showcase."
Coaches and captains for Team Cherry and Team Orr will be announced at a later date.
Since the first Top Prospects Game in 1996, 13 players who have played in the game have gone on to be the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft, including eight of the past 10: Connor McDavid (2015, Edmonton Oilers), Aaron Ekblad (2014, Florida Panthers), Nathan MacKinnon (2013, Colorado Avalanche), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2011, Edmonton Oilers), Taylor Hall (2010, Edmonton Oilers), John Tavares (2009, New York Islanders), Steven Stamkos (2008, Tampa Bay Lightning) and Patrick Kane (2007, Chicago Blackhawks).
CHL/NHL TOP PROSPECTS GAME ROSTERS
TEAM CHERRY
GOALTENDERS: Ian Scott, Prince Albert, WHL; Stuart Skinner, Lethbridge, WHL
DEFENSEMEN: Callan Foote, Kelowna, WHL; Antoine Crete-Belzile, Blainville-Boisbriand, QMJHL; Henri Jokiharju, Portland, WHL; Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Charlottetown, QMJHL; Artyom Minulin, Swift Current, WHL; Jarret Tyszka, Seattle, WHL
FORWARDS: Maxime Comtois, Victoriaville, QMJHL; MacKenzie Entwistle, Hamilton, OHL; Jake Leschyshyn, Regina, WHL; Ivan Lodnia, Erie, OHL; Antoine Morand, Acadie-Bathurst, QMJHL; Nolan Patrick, Brandon, WHL; Isaac Ratcliffe, Guelph, OHL; Adam Ruzicka, Sarnia, OHL; Nick Suzuki, Owen Sound, OHL; Robert Thomas, London, OHL; Owen Tippett, Mississauga, OHL; Gabriel Vilardi, Windsor, OHL
TEAM ORR
GOALTENDERS: Michael DiPietro, Windsor, OHL; Alex D'Orio, Saint John, QMJHL
DEFENSEMEN: Nicolas Hague, Mississauga, OHL; Jacob Paquette, Kingston, OHL; Markus Phillips, Owen Sound, OHL; Eemeli Rasanen, Kingston, OHL; Conor Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie, OHL; Juuso Valimaki, Tri-City, WHL
FORWARDS: Alexander Chmelevski, Ottawa, OHL; Alex Formenton, London, OHL; Morgan Frost, Sault Ste. Marie, OHL; Cody Glass, Portland, WHL; Nico Hischier, Halifax, QMJHL; Kole Lind, Kelowna, WHL; Stelio Mattheos, Brandon, WHL; Nikita Popugaev, Moose Jaw, WHL; Michael Rasmussen, Tri-City, WHL; Nate Schnarr, Guelph, OHL; Matthew Strome, Hamilton, OHL; Kailer Yamamoto, Spokane, WHL