With the 2018 NHL Draft being held on June 22-23, CIHA has three alumni who were listed on the NHL Central Scouting final rankings.
Pavel Gogolev ranks 79th, while his linemate on the Peterborough Petes, Semyon Der-Arguchintsev ranks 82nd, and Jasper Weatherby of the Wenatchee Wild ranks 199th. These rankings are among North American skaters and exclude any players from across the pond. In September and January, we reviewed these alumni and others as they progressed throughout the season. While Pavel and Semyon have fallen slightly since the midterm rankings, they still remain legitimate NHL prospects and will surely hear their name called at the NHL Draft. Matthew Grouchy, who was ranked 174th at the midterm rankings in January was not assigned a number on the final rankings. He ended the season with 34 points in 63 games but took his game to another level in the playoffs with 10 points in 7 games. Matthew is still viewed as an NHL prospect despite not being listed on the final rankings. He is also eligible for next year’s draft if he is not selected this year. Meanwhile, Jasper was not ranked at mid-season but exploded onto the scene with an incredible individual performance in the 2017-2018 season. Due to his 1998 birthday, he is in his final year of draft eligibility. Jasper will be attending the University of North Dakota in the fall, which will give him several more years of development which could result in NHL contract offers, a route many players have taken to get to the NHL. Pavel showed huge improvement this year after an up and down rookie season. He scored 30 goals for the Petes this season and was one of their offensive leaders. With good top end speed and a great shot, teams looking for a legitimate goal-scoring threat will have their eyes on Pavel. While Pavel is ranked a few spots higher than his linemate Semyon, or SDA, which he is often referred to, SDA is grabbing the spotlight in the last few weeks as one of the most underrated players in the draft. Being the youngest player eligible for the draft, this gives him more time to develop compared to his peers, some of which are almost a full year older while putting up similar stats. With elite vision, playmaking ability and hockey sense, SDA has the potential to be a steal for any team selecting him. While most scouts have him going in the 100th-150th overall, NHL prospect guru Corey Pronman has him ranked 25th in one of his mock drafts.  All eyes will be on these young men as they take the next step in their hockey careers. They will look to join Gabriel Vilardi as CIHA alumni drafted to the NHL.