FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CALGARY, AB —Auston Matthews of the ZSC Lions tops Future Considerations’ October ranking for the 2016 NHL Draft.
Matthews, who retains his position from FC’s preliminary ranking in June, scored in his professional debut and currently leads the Lions with six goals and eight points in eight games. The native of Scottsdale, AZ, recorded 116 points for the NTDP U18 club in 2014-15, breaking a club record. He also had eight goals and 15 points in seven games at the IIHF World Under-18 Championship and two assists and three points in the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship.
He leads Jakob Chychrun of the Sarnia Sting, who is ranked second. Chychrun, the highest-ranked defenseman on the list, has one goal and four points in seven games in the Ontario Hockey League this season. He was recently named the OHL’s top draft eligible prospect in a coaches poll conducted by Sportsnet Magazine.
Jesse Puljujarvi of Karpat, Patrik Laine of Tappara, and Matthew Tkachuk of London round out the top-five.
| Rank | Player | Team | League | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auston Matthews | ZSC | NLA | C | 6'2" | 195 |
| 2 | Jakob Chychrun | Sarnia | OHL | D | 6'2" | 215 |
| 3 | Jesse Puljujarvi | Karpat | Liiga | RW | 6'4" | 180 |
| 4 | Patrik Laine | Tappara | Liiga | RW | 6'4" | 205 |
| 5 | Matthew Tkachuk | London | OHL | LW | 6'1" | 195 |
| 6 | Julien Gauthier | Val-d'Or | QMJHL | RW | 6'4" | 225 |
| 7 | Max Jones | London | OHL | LW | 6'3" | 205 |
| 8 | Pierre-Luc Dubois | Cape Breton | QMJHL | LW | 6'3" | 200 |
| 9 | Dante Fabbro | Penticton | BCHL | D | 6'0" | 190 |
| 10 | Olli Juolevi | London | OHL | D | 6'2" | 180 |
| 11 | Sam Steel | Regina | WHL | C | 5'11" | 175 |
| 12 | Dmitri Sokolov | Sudbury | OHL | LW | 6'0" | 220 |
| 13 | Tyler Benson | Vancouver | WHL | LW | 6'0" | 205 |
| 14 | Kale Clague | Brandon | WHL | D | 6'0" | 175 |
| 15 | Alexander Nylander | Mississauga | OHL | RW | 6'1" | 180 |
| 16 | Charlie McAvoy | Boston University | NCAA | D | 6'0" | 210 |
| 17 | Tyson Jost | Penticton | BCHL | C | 5'11" | 190 |
| 18 | Mikhail Sergachyov | Windsor | OHL | D | 6'3" | 205 |
| 19 | Clayton Keller | NTDP U18 | USHL | C | 5'10" | 170 |
| 20 | Kieffer Bellows | NTDP U18 | USHL | C | 6'0" | 195 |
| 21 | Michael McLeod | Mississauga | OHL | C | 6'2" | 190 |
| 22 | Chad Krys | NTDP U18 | USHL | D | 5'11" | 185 |
| 23 | Logan Brown | Windsor | OHL | C | 6'6" | 225 |
| 24 | Luke Kunin | University of Wisconsin | NCAA | C | 6'0" | 195 |
| 25 | Vitali Abramov | Gatineau | QMJHL | LW | 5'9" | 170 |
| 26 | Libor Hajek | Saskatoon | WHL | D | 6'2" | 190 |
| 27 | Carl Grundstrom | MODO | SHL | LW | 6'0" | 195 |
| 28 | Jake Bean | Calgary | WHL | D | 6'0" | 175 |
| 29 | Samuel Girard | Shawinigan | QMJHL | D | 5'10" | 160 |
| 30 | Brett Howden | Moose Jaw | WHL | C | 6'2" | 205 |