If Cole Reschny of the Victoria Royals needs to know what this season of scrutiny will be like for him, he needs only ask fellow-forwad Tij Iginla of the Kelowna Rockets.
Reschny was among six Western Hockey League players to receive an A rating as projected first-round selections for the 2025 NHL draft in Central Scouting’s Preliminary Players to Watch list released Wednesday afternoon. Iginla, eventually taken sixth overall in the first round by Utah HC in the 2024 NHL draft, went through the process last season.
The two met head-on Wednesday night in Kelowna as the Royals (7-2-2) defeated the Rockets (4-6-1) in a shootout 4-3 before 3,541 fans at Prospera Place. Reschny scored with 32 seconds remaining in regulation time to tie the game 3-3. Vaughn Watterodt and defenceman Justin Kipkie scored the other Victoria goals in regulation time. Reschny and 20-year-old Nanaimo-product Brayden Boehm scored the goals in the shootout for the Royals. Iginla, who missed in the shootout, was also held off the scoresheet in regulation time. Washington Capitals second-round draft pick Andrew Cristall had a goal on a two-point night in regulation for Kelowna and also the Rockets’ lone goal in the shootout.
Meanwhile, Reschny joined forwards Lynden Lakovic of the Moose Jaw Warriors and Roger McQueen of the Brandon Wheat Kings, defencemen Jackson Smith of the Tri-City Americans and Blake Fiddler of the Edmonton Oil Kings and goaltender Joshua Ravensbergen of the Prince George Cougars as the WHL players to earn the A ratings as first-round prospects in Central Scouting’s preliminary list for the 2025 NHL draft. Ten WHL players received B ratings for the second or third rounds.
Both Victoria goaltenders were cited — Jayden Kraus, who made 30 saves to garner the win in Kelowna, with a C rating for the fourth or fifth rounds and Spencer Michnik with a W rating for the sixth or seventh rounds. Royals forward Caleb Matthews was projected for the sixth or seventh rounds.
The Royals tied for third with the Vancouver Giants for the most players listed with four each behind the five each listed from the Calgary Hitmen and Spokane Chiefs.
Of the 55 WHL players listed, 35 are forwards, 10 are defencemen and 10 goaltenders. Nanaimo product and six-foot-two forward Matthew Hutchison from the Giants was given a C ranking for the fourth or fifth rounds and Koen Cleaver of Port Alberni, a goaltender with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, and Tommy Lafreniere from Hornby Island, a forward with the Kamloops Blazers, received W ratings.
Central Scouting will release its mid-term rankings in January and final rankings in April.
Meanwhile, Victoria is in Prince George on Friday and Saturday to play the Cougars (6-4-3). The Royals will return to Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre in a four-game home stand against the defending WHL-champion but now-rebuilding Moose Jaw Warriors (3-7-2) on Nov. 1, Eastern Conference-power Saskatoon Blades (9-2-1) on Nov. 3 and the Kamloops Blazers on Nov. 5-6.
