Calgary, Alta. – Fifty-four players developed in the Western Hockey League have been named to NHL Central Scouting’s Preliminary Players to Watch List ahead of the 2027 NHL Draft.
NHL Central Scouting unveiled its Preliminary Players to Watch List Monday morning.
Five players developed in the WHL have earned ‘A’ ratings, including defenceman Brock Cripps of the Prince Albert Raiders, forwards Noah Davidson of the Medicine Hat Tigers, Brock England of the Seattle Thunderbirds, and Kayden Stroeder of the Edmonton Oil Kings, along with defenceman Landon DuPont, who won a WHL Championship with the Everett Silvertips in 2026.
Eight WHL players were assigned ‘B’ ratings, including a pair of Spokane Chiefs – forward Gavin Burcar and defenceman Rhett Sather.
A total of 17 WHL players were given ‘C’ ratings, including players with impressive bloodlines – forwards Marcus Laraque of the Seattle Thunderbirds and Carter Moen of the Swift Current Broncos, and defencemen Jaxon Pisani of the Everett Silvertips and Luke Warrener of the Medicine Hat Tigers.
Of the WHL’s 23 Clubs, 21 are represented in NHL Central Scouting’s Preliminary Players to Watch List, led by the Medicine Hat Tigers with six players. The Seattle Thunderbirds and Tri-City Americans boast five players each, while the Brandon Wheat Kings and Everett Silvertips both feature four players. There are four WHL Clubs with three players apiece and another six WHL Clubs with two players each.
A total of 31 forwards developed in the WHL find themselves on the list, joined by 17 defencemen developed in the WHL and six goaltenders.
The NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Players to Watch List includes 176 players developed in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), including 69 from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and 53 from the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Collectively, the CHL boasts 71 per cent of North American players ranked by NHL Central Scouting.
NHL Central Scouting identifies players with a rating system that includes five categories. The ‘A’ category indicates players projected to be first-round candidates. The ‘B’ rating indicates players projected to be second- or third-round candidates, and the ‘C’ rating indicates players projected to be fourth- or fifth-round candidates. The ‘W’ rating indicates players projected to be sixth- or seventh-round candidates and the ‘LV’ rating represents players who have not had sufficient viewings due to injury.
2026-27 NHL Central Scouting – Preliminary Players to Watch List – WHL-Developed Players
| PTW | Last Name | First Name | Hometown | WHL Club | Ht | Wt | Pos |
| A | Cripps | Brock | Victoria, B.C. | Prince Albert Raiders | 5’11” | 170 | D |
| A | Davidson | Noah | Irvine, Calif. | Medicine Hat Tigers | 6’3” | 215 | F |
| A | DuPont | Landon | Calgary, Alta. | Everett Silvertips (2024-26) | 5’11” | 192 | D |
| A | England | Brock | Red Deer, Alta. | Seattle Thunderbirds | 5’11” | 179 | F |
| A | Stroeder | Kayden | Lanigan, Sask. | Edmonton Oil Kings | 6’0” | 170 | F |
| B | Burcar | Gavin | Coto De Caza, Calif. | Spokane Chiefs | 6’1” | 181 | F |
| B | Gordon-Carroll | Shaeffer | Midway, Utah | Medicine Hat Tigers | 6’0” | 195 | F |
| B | Huk | David | Praha, Czechia | Tri-City Americans | 6’2” | 206 | F |
| B | Jacobson | Jaxon | Brandon, Man. | Brandon Wheat Kings | 5’10” | 193 | F |
| B | Katsuro | Artem | Moscow, Russia | Calgary Hitmen | 6’0” | 183 | F |
| B | Sather | Rhett | Cochrane, Alta. | Spokane Chiefs | 6’0” | 173 | D |
| B | Tait | Boston | Estevan, Sask. | Wenatchee Wild | 6’1” | 198 | D |
| B | Vauhkonen | Odin | Costa Mesa, Calif. | Victoria Royals | 6’1” | 187 | D |
| C | Bouchard | Aden | Airdrie, Alta. | Tri-City Americans | 6’0” | 187 | D |
| C | Carter | Colt | Drayton Valley, Alta. | Moose Jaw Warriors | 5’10” | 175 | D |
| C | Chorney | Blake | Nipawin, Sask. | Vancouver Giants | 6’0” | 200 | F |
| C | Dumansky | Jacob | Langley, B.C. | Kamloops Blazers | 6’3” | 190 | F |
| C | Grubb | Colin | Minot, S.D. | Brandon Wheat Kings | 6’0” | 187 | F |
| C | Hamilton | Calder | Martensville, Sask. | Calgary Hitmen | 5’11” | 174 | D |
| C | Harvey | Ben | Edmonton, Alta. | Prince Albert Raiders | 5’11” | 190 | F |
| C | Laraque | Marcus | Edmonton, Alta. | Seattle Thunderbirds | 6’5” | 229 | F |
| C | Moen | Carter | Swift Current, Sask. | Swift Current Broncos | 6’1” | 190 | F |
| C | Naudins | Roberts | Riga, Latvia | Penticton Vees | 6’6” | 210 | F |
| C | Paull | Mathis | Vernon, B.C. | Regina Pats | 6’3” | 195 | F |
| C | Pichette | Grady | Okotoks, Alta. | Lethbridge Hurricanes | 6’3” | 203 | D |
| C | Pisani | Jaxon | Sturgeon County, Alta. | Everett Silvertips | 6’1” | 181 | D |
| C | Tash | Grayson | North Vancouver, B.C. | Seattle Thunderbirds | 6’0” | 179 | D |
| C | Tu | Eric | White Rock, B.C. | Calgary Hitmen | 6’3” | 195 | G |
| C | Vanicek | Jonas | Decin, Czechia | Edmonton Oil Kings | 6’1” | 176 | F |
| C | Warrener | Luke | Buffalo, N.Y. | Medicine Hat Tigers | 6’4” | 194 | D |
| W | Bhathal | Prabh | Winnipeg, Man. | Brandon Wheat Kings | 6’2” | 214 | F |
| W | Blengino | Dario | Ceske Budejovice, Czechia | Everett Silvertips | 6’1” | 180 | F |
| W | Boettiger | Harrison | Wheat Ridge, Colo. | Kelowna Rockets | 6’2” | 181 | G |
| W | Bryks | Oliver | Edmonton, Alta. | Vancouver Giants | 6’3” | 181 | G |
| W | Byers | Bennett | Calgary, Alta. | Everett Silvertips | 6’1” | 160 | G |
| W | Christie | Cash | North Vancouver, B.C. | Medicine Hat Tigers | 6’2” | 172 | G |
| W | DeMars | Brooks | Hugo, Minn. | Penticton Vees | 6’3” | 198 | F |
| W | Dillon | Seamus | Cochrane, Alta. | Seattle Thunderbirds | 6’1” | 174 | F |
| W | Geras | Joaquin | Calgary, Alta. | Kamloops Blazers | 6’1” | 189 | D |
| W | Hajt | Cole | El Segundo, Calif. | Prince George Cougars | 6’6” | 196 | F |
| W | Hayden | Owen | Calgary, Alta. | Seattle Thunderbirds | 6’6” | 207 | D |
| W | Jarvis | Luca | Lakeland, Minn. | Spokane Chiefs | 6’0” | 188 | F |
| W | Kuzma | Cameron | St. Albert, Alta. | Red Deer Rebels | 6’3” | 191 | F |
| W | Laing | Alexander | Langley, B.C. | Tri-City Americans | 6’2” | 202 | F |
| W | Leyerzapf | Carsten | Calgary, Alta. | Wenatchee Wild | 6’3” | 190 | G |
| W | Lien | Colton | Highlands Ranch, Colo. | Kelowna Rockets | 6’3” | 187 | F |
| W | Luks | Oskars | Riga, Latvia | Prince Albert Raiders | 6’4” | 213 | D |
| W | Martinson | Crew | Olds, Alta. | Tri-City Americans | 6’2” | 191 | F |
| W | Matte | William | Calgary, Alta. | Kelowna Rockets | 6’7” | 211 | F |
| W | McKamey | Eli | Cowichan Bay, B.C. | Tri-City Americans | 5’10” | 184 | F |
| W | Muissu | Kris | St. Petersburg, Russia | Brandon Wheat Kings | 6’3” | 216 | F |
| W | Pasler | Denis | Yekaterinburg, Russia | Medicine Hat Tigers | 6’7” | 242 | D |
| W | Stengrim | Kade | Brainerd, Minn. | Medicine Hat Tigers (2025-26) | 6’4” | 206 | F |
| W | Williams | Cohen | Cawston, B.C. | Moose Jaw Warriors | 6’3” | 209 | D |
About the Western Hockey League
Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 23 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and six in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 60 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.
