Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League today announced that 145 CHL players appear in NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Rankings for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

The domestic rankings list a total of 210 North American skaters including 120 from the CHL, also listing an additional 36 North American goaltenders which includes 25 that currently compete in the CHL.

Nine of the top 10 ranked skaters are from the CHL including top ranked Nail Yakupov of the Sarnia Sting, followed by Mikhail Grigorenko of the Quebec Remparts who is ranked second, and Ryan Murray of the Everett Silvertips ranked third.  Radek Faksa of the Kitchener Rangers, and Morgan Rielly of the Moose Jaw Warriors round out the top five skaters, with Olli Maatta of the London Knights, Mathew Dumba of the Red Deer Rebels, and Griffin Reinhart of the Edmonton Oil Kings listed six through eight respectively.  Derrick Pouliot of the Portland Winterhawks is ranked tenth.  Both Yakupov and Grigorenko earned silver medals with Russia at the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship with Murray winning bronze with Canada.  Faksa also competed in the tournament with the Czech Republic, while Maatta played for Finland.  Team Canada’s Tanner Pearson of the Barrie Colts is also listed among the top-30 North American Skaters ranked at number 22.

Eight of the top 10 ranked goalies are also from the CHL including the top three beginning with Malcolm Subban of the Belleville Bulls and followed by Matthew Murray of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, and Brandon Whitney of the Victoriaville Tigres. 

The Ontario Hockey League leads the way with 65 players appearing in the rankings including 53 skaters and 12 goaltenders, followed by 44 from the Western Hockey League (39 skaters and five goaltenders), and 36 players from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (28 skaters and eight goaltenders). 

All 20 OHL member clubs have at least one player ranked by NHL Central Scouting with the Windsor Spitfires leading the way with eight players followed by the Guelph Storm with six.  The Brampton Battalion, Erie Otters, London Knights, and Owen Sound Attack all have five players ranked.

All 40 CHL players selected to compete in the 2012 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game February 1 at Prospera Place in Kelowna, BC,  appear in the midterm rankings including 20 of the top 25 skaters. 

OHL Players Ranked by NHL Central Scouting (players underlined to compete in 2012 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game):

# Player Team League Birthdate Height Weight Position Shot

1 YAKUPOV, NAIL SARNIA OHL 06-Oct-1993 5' 10.5" 189 lbs * RW L 

4 FAKSA, RADEK KITCHENER OHL 09-Jan-1994 6' 3.0" 202 lbs * C L

6 MAATTA, OLLI LONDON OHL 22-Aug-1994 6' 1.5" 202 lbs * D L

11 GAUNCE, BRENDAN BELLEVILLE OHL 25-Mar-1994 6' 2.0" 215 lbs * C L

15 FINN, MATTHEW GUELPH OHL 24-Feb-1994 6' 0.25" 195 lbs * D L

16 CECI, CODY OTTAWA OHL 21-Dec-1993 6' 2.5" 207 lbs * D R

17 KOEKKOEK, SLATER PETERBOROUGH OHL 18-Feb-1994 6' 2.0" 184 lbs * D L

19 ZHARKOV, DANIIL BELLEVILLE OHL 06-Feb-1994 6' 3.0" 197 lbs * LW L

20 SMITH, GEMEL OWEN SOUND OHL 16-Apr-1994 5' 10.0" 160 lbs * C L

21 MAIDENS, JARROD OWEN SOUND OHL 04-Mar-1994 6' 0.5" 178 lbs * C/LW L

22 PEARSON, TANNER BARRIE OHL 10-Aug-1992 6' 0.0" 198 lbs * LW L

23 KOSMACHUK, SCOTT GUELPH OHL 24-Jan-1994 5' 11.5" 185 lbs * RW R

24 ATHANASIOU, ANDREAS LONDON OHL 06-Aug-1994 6' 0.0" 179 lbs * C/LW L

32 VAIL, BRADY WINDSOR OHL 11-Mar-1994 6' 0.25" 195 lbs * C L

33 WILSON, THOMAS PLYMOUTH OHL 29-Mar-1994 6' 3.5" 203 lbs * RW R

40 LAUGHTON, SCOTT OSHAWA OHL 30-May-1994 6' 0.0" 177 lbs * C L

42 MARCANTUONI, MATIA KITCHENER OHL 22-Feb-1994 5' 11.75" 194 lbs * C/RW R

45 CARRICK, TREVOR MISSISSAUGA ST. MICHAEL'S OHL 04-Jul-1994 6' 1.5" 172 lbs * D L

48 FOX, DANE ERIE OHL 13-Oct-1993 6' 0.0" 185 lbs * C L

49 JOHNSON, BEN WINDSOR OHL 07-Jun-1994 5' 11.5" 186 lbs * C/LW L

52 BLUJUS, DYLAN BRAMPTON OHL 22-Jan-1994 6' 2.75" 193 lbs * D R

54 PELECH, ADAM ERIE OHL 16-Aug-1994 6' 2.0" 210 lbs * D L

56 GAVRUS, ARTUR OWEN SOUND OHL 03-Jan-1994 5' 10.0" 168 lbs * LW/RW L

58 RICHARD, TANNER GUELPH OHL 06-Apr-1993 5' 11.75" 182 lbs * C L

61 HOOEY, GARRETT BELLEVILLE OHL 02-Jun-1994 6' 0.5" 183 lbs * C/LW L

63 TIERNEY, CHRIS LONDON OHL 01-Jul-1994 6' 0.25" 181 lbs * C L

66 CLARKE, MICHAEL WINDSOR OHL 29-Apr-1994 5' 11.25" 184 lbs * C L

70 EBERT, NICK WINDSOR OHL 11-May-1994 5' 11.25" 205 lbs * D R

78 IAFRATE, MAX KITCHENER OHL 28-Mar-1994 6' 0.75" 198 lbs * D R

85 BROWN, CONNOR ERIE OHL 14-Jan-1994 5' 10.5" 160 lbs * RW R

88 DOTCHIN, JAKE OWEN SOUND OHL 24-Mar-1994 6' 2.0" 207 lbs * D R

97 MARCHESE, CHRIS WINDSOR OHL 23-Feb-1994 6' 0.25" 208 lbs * LW L

99 KONTOS, KRISTOFF MISSISSAUGA ST. MICHAEL'S OHL 06-Dec-1993 6' 1.0" 199 lbs * C L

113 MCIVOR, MARCUS BRAMPTON OHL 20-May-1994 6' 1.0" 203 lbs * D R

115 DONNAY, TROY ERIE OHL 18-Feb-1994 6' 6.75" 180 lbs * D R

119 GRAHAM, JESSE NIAGARA OHL 13-May-1994 5' 11.25" 170 lbs * D R

120 CAMPAGNA, MATHEW SUDBURY OHL 09-Mar-1994 5' 10.0" 178 lbs * C L

121 WATLING, PATRICK GUELPH OHL 26-Sep-1993 5' 11.25" 180 lbs * C L

125 HATCHER, CHASE PETERBOROUGH OHL 22-Feb-1994 6' 2.25" 184 lbs * LW L

134 MAASKANT, LIAM ERIE OHL 10-Mar-1994 6' 3.25" 204 lbs * D R

135 MCGINN, BROCK GUELPH OHL 02-Feb-1994 5' 11.0" 174 lbs * LW L

147 MACHAC, PATRIK BRAMPTON OHL 23-Apr-1994 5' 9.0" 168 lbs * C L

148 CURCURUTO, GIANLUCA SAULT STE. MARIE OHL 25-Feb-1994 6' 0.25" 195 lbs * D L

152 DODERO, CHARLIE SUDBURY OHL 01-Oct-1992 6' 1.5" 190 lbs * D R

161 ANDERSON, JOSH LONDON OHL 07-May-1994 6' 1.0" 183 lbs * LW R

167 GUDBRANSON, ALEX KINGSTON OHL 03-Sep-1994 6' 2.0" 206 lbs * D R

169 BILCKE, TY WINDSOR OHL 23-Apr-1994 6' 2.75" 217 lbs * RW R

176 BROWN, JOSHUA OSHAWA OHL 21-Jan-1994 6' 4.25" 206 lbs * D R

179 AUGER, JUSTIN GUELPH OHL 14-May-1994 6' 6.25" 216 lbs * RW R

182 WIGLE, JOEL NIAGARA OHL 14-Feb-1994 6' 2.5" 196 lbs * RW R

183 DEVLIN, BRANDON WINDSOR OHL 27-Apr-1994 6' 1.0" 198 lbs * D R

195 BLANDISI, JOSEPH OWEN SOUND OHL 14-Jul-1994 5' 10.5" 182 lbs * C/RW L

200 PAYNE, CODY PLYMOUTH OHL 14-Jan-1994 6' 2.0" 201 lbs * RW R

OHL Goaltenders:

# Player Team League Birthdate Height Weight Position Shot

1 SUBBAN, MALCOLM BELLEVILLE OHL 21-Dec-1993 6' 1.0" 188 lbs * L

2 MURRAY, MATTHEW SAULT STE. MARIE OHL 25-May-1994 6' 4.0" 162 lbs * L

5 PATERSON, JAKE SAGINAW OHL 03-May-1994 6' 1.5" 183 lbs * L

7 ALTSHULLER, DANIEL OSHAWA OHL 24-Jul-1994 6' 2.75" 191 lbs * L

11 PALAZZESE, FRANK KITCHENER OHL 28-May-1993 6' 0.5" 160 lbs * L

17 MACHOVSKY, MATEJ BRAMPTON OHL 25-Jul-1993 6' 1.75" 191 lbs L

20 WINDSOR, CLINT SAGINAW OHL 02-Nov-1993 6' 4.0" 215 lbs * L

22 HOUSER, MICHAEL LONDON OHL 13-Sep-1992 6' 1.25" 190 lbs * L

27 PAVELKA, JAROSLAV WINDSOR OHL 12-Sep-1993 6' 1.5" 178 lbs * L

29 D'AGOSTINI, ANDREW PETERBOROUGH OHL 26-Mar-1993 5' 10.5" 174 lbs * L

32 MORRISON, MIKE PETERBOROUGH OHL 07-Nov-1992 6' 0.5" 175 lbs * L

35 WILSON, KEEGAN BRAMPTON OHL 03-Mar-1992 6' 0.25" 209 lbs * L

*player weighed and measured by Central Scouting

Please visit www.nhl.com to see complete draft rankings.