Bedard tops NHL's final rankings of North American draft-eligible skaters
Connor Bedard is the No. 1 North American skater heading into this year's NHL draft.
The Regina Pats dynamo headlined NHL Central Scouting's final rankings of draft-eligible skaters from the continent Tuesday.
Here's the top 10:
| Rank | Player | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connor Bedard | C | Regina (WHL) |
| 2 | Adam Fantilli | C | Michigan (NCAA) |
| 3 | William Smith | C | USA U18 (NTDP) |
| 4 | Matthew Wood | RW | Connecticut (NCAA) |
| 5 | Ryan Leonard | RW | USA U18 (NTDP) |
| 6 | Zach Benson | LW | Winnipeg (WHL) |
| 7 | Nate Danielson | C | Brandon (WHL) |
| 8 | Oliver Moore | C | USA U18 (NTDP) |
| 9 | Samuel Honzek | LW | Vancouver (WHL) |
| 10 | Gabriel Perreault | RW | USA U18 (NTDP) |
Bedard led the WHL with a whopping 71 goals and 143 points across 57 games during the 2022-23 regular season, adding 10 goals and 10 assists over seven playoff contests. The 17-year-old led Canada to a second straight gold medal at the World Junior Championship in January. He was named MVP after leading all skaters in the tournament with 23 points.
Fantilli won the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA's top men's hockey player this season. Bedard and Fantilli are widely projected to be selected first and second in the draft, respectively. The top three on the list remain unchanged from Central Scouting's midterm rankings, while Wood moved up from eighth.
Central Scouting also finalized its list of international skaters. Here's the top 10 in that category:
| Rank | Player | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leo Carlsson | C | Orebro (Sweden) |
| 2 | Matvei Michkov | RW | SKA Saint Petersburg (KHL) |
| 3 | Dalibor Dvorsky | C | AIK (Sweden-2) |
| 4 | Eduard Sale | LW | Brno (Czechia) |
| 5 | David Reinbacher | D | Kloten (Switzerland) |
| 6 | Otto Stenberg | C | Frolunda (Sweden-Jr.) |
| 7 | Axel Sandin Pellikka | D | Skelleftea (Sweden-Jr.) |
| 8 | Lenni Hameenaho | RW | Assat (Finland) |
| 9 | Daniil But | LW | Yaroslavl (KHL-Jr.) |
| 10 | Mikhail Gulyayev | D | Omsk (KHL-Jr.) |
Carlsson also held the top spot on the midterm rankings in January. The 18-year-old, who's widely projected to be drafted third, collected 10 goals and 15 assists over 44 games while playing in Sweden's top league. He notched three goals and three assists in seven contests for his country at the most recent world junior tournament.
Reinbacher rose five spots from the midterm edition, while Sandin Pellikka dropped four spots.
The NHL will conduct the draft lottery on May 8. The draft itself is scheduled for June 28 and 29 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
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