Victoria Grizzlies defenceman Nolan DeJong is the highest-rated skater among the group, listed at No. 111 among North American players who could be selected in the June 30 draft in New Jersey.
DeJong climbed up significantly from 150 in the mid-term rankings, but he wasn鈥檛 alone. Strapping Victoria Royals defenceman Keegan Kanzig progressed from 194th to one spot behind DeJong at No. 112.
Kanzig鈥檚 Royals teammate, Trent Lofthouse, moved up to 126th from his previous No. 165 placing.
Victoria native Chad Katunar 鈥� who plays goal for the Penticton Vees of the sa国际传媒 Hockey League 鈥� was rated at 28th among netminders, up from 33 at the midway pole.
鈥淚t feels good to be up from where I was last time and I want to keep improving,鈥� said DeJong, the six-foot-one, 165-pound defenceman, who finished the season with five goals and 19 assists in 51 regular season games. He added two goals and two assists in 10 playoff games for the Grizzlies and also represented the organization on Team sa国际传媒 West at the World Junior A Hockey Challenge back in early November.
DeJong, who is slated to join the University of Michigan this fall, had talked to the Dallas Stars and Buffalo Sabres during the season and, most recently, had conversations with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
鈥淣HL teams have their own lists that they鈥檙e making, based on each team鈥檚 needs, what they鈥檙e looking for in a player so it will make a big difference once draft day comes around,鈥� said DeJong.
Kanzig 鈥� six-foot-five, 230 pounds 鈥� finished with seven assists and 159 penalty minutes in 70 regular-season games and had his only goal of the season in six post-season games.
鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to see that I鈥檝e moved up, but at the same time, they are just rankings and it counts most when the actual draft comes,鈥� said Kanzig.
鈥淓ven if I am fortunate enough to get drafted, it鈥檚 just one small step. There is still lots of work to do and the work gets even harder,鈥� added Kanzig, who has talked to a half-dozen NHL teams.
Lofthouse began the season with Everett of the Western Hockey League where he had nine goals and three assists in 34 games, before being traded to Victoria where he added three goals and a helper in nine games. In four playoff games, the six-foot-three, 180-pound forward managed just one assist.
Katunar was 25-15-0 with a 2.36 goals-against average and .920 save percentage in 43 games with the Vees. The six-foot-six, 220-pound netminder is one of eight BCHLers on the Central Scouting list that came out Wednesday, the highest being Surrey鈥檚 Adam Tambellini at No. 45.
The NHL draft lottery, to determine the first overall selection, goes Monday. Portland Winterhawks defenceman Seth Jones remains the No. 1-rated player overall.
