Celebrini headlines Central Scouting's final rankings
Macklin Celebrini topped NHL Central Scouting's final rankings on Tuesday.
Celebrini maintains his spot at No. 1 among North American skaters from the mid-term rankings. The Vancouver native has been the projected first overall pick all season.
A standout at Boston University, Celebrini tallied 32 goals and 64 points in 38 games as a freshman this season. He became the youngest player to win the Hobey Baker Award as the most outstanding player in NCAA men's hockey.
Celebrini also starred with Canada's world junior team in December, leading the squad with four goals and eight points in five games.
"It's truly impressive how he is able to thrive in every environment he plays, possessing that rare ability with his skills and passion to face every challenge head-on and generate results all the while making himself a better player," vice president of NHL Central Scouting Dan Marr said.
Here are the top 10 North American skaters:
| Final Rank | Mid-Term Rank | Player | Position | Nationality | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Macklin Celebrini | C | Boston University (NCAA) | |
| 2 | 2 | Artyom Levshunov | RHD | Michigan State (NCAA) | |
| 3 | 3 | Cayden Lindstrom | C | Medicine Hat (WHL) | |
| 4 | 4 | Zeev Buium | LHD | Denver (NCAA) | |
| 5 | 10 | Zayne Parekh | RHD | Saginaw (OHL) | |
| 6 | 5 | Trevor Connelly | LW | Tri-City (USHL) | |
| 7 | 7 | Sam Dickinson | LHD | London (OHL) | |
| 8 | 9 | Berkly Catton | C | Spokane (WHL) | |
| 9 | 11 | Tij Iginla | C | Kelowna (WHL) | |
| 10 | 19 | Michael Hage | C | Chicago (USHL) |
On the international side, defenseman Anton Silayev jumps to the No. 1 spot after impressing in the KHL.
"It's not often you find a 6-foot-7, 211-pound defenseman capable of moving like him with his smooth and active skating stride," NHL director of European scouting Jukka-Pekka Vuorinen said. "He seems to be ready to play in the NHL almost immediately."
Here are the top 10 international skaters:
| Final Rank | Mid-Term Rank | Player | Position | Nationality | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Anton Silayev | LHD | Torpedo (KHL) | |
| 2 | 3 | Ivan Demidov | RW | SKA-1946 (MHL) | |
| 3 | 1 | Konsta Helenius | C | Jukurit (Liiga) | |
| 4 | 4 | Adam Jiricek | RHD | Plzen (Czechia) | |
| 5 | 6 | Michael Brandsegg-Nygard | RW | Mora (SWE-2) | |
| 6 | 5 | Emil Hemming | RW | TPS (Liiga) | |
| 7 | 11 | Leo Sahlin Wallenius | LHD | Vaxjo (J20) | |
| 8 | 7 | Aron Kiviharju | LHD | HIFK (Liiga) | |
| 9 | 9 | Igor Chernyshov | LW | Dynamo (KHL) | |
| 10 | 16 | Linus Eriksson | C | Djurgarden (SWE-2) |
Mikhail Yegorov of the USHL's Omaha Lancers paces North American goaltenders, while Finland's Eemil Vinni tops international netminders.
The 2024 NHL Draft takes place June 28-29 at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
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