Prince George and northern B.C. players could figure prominently in this year's National Hockey League entry draft.
NHL Central Scouting released its final pre-draft rankings on Monday. The list of North American skaters -- topped by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Red Deer Rebels -- includes five players with ties to Prince George. Defenceman Michael King, at No. 126, was the highest local product. King was followed by forward Mitch Elliot (No. 133), blueliner Alex Roach (No. 142), forward Dylan Willick (No. 164) and defenceman Jesse Forsberg (No. 166).
"It's really good to see," said Elliot, a member of the Western Hockey League's Seattle Thunderbirds. "Most of those guys I've played with and/or against, and it's really cool to see that much talent and that much recognition of the players from northern British Columbia."
Elliot, who turns 18 in July, patrols left wing for the Thunderbirds and uses his house-like size (six-foot-five, 225 pounds) to punish opposing players along the boards and in the corners. As a second-year T-bird, he played in all 72 regular-season games and contributed five goals and eight assists.
NHL scouts certainly took notice of Elliot's on-ice attributes. Scouts representing the Anaheim Ducks, New York Islanders, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings and Florida Panthers all made contact with him during the season.
"All of them have seemed pretty interested and they're all pretty positive about what I have to offer," said Elliot, who is finishing up his Grade 12 year at Duchess Park secondary. "It is pretty exciting to talk to them and pretty cool when they're actually showing interest in you. It's a good experience and it's really kind of a dream come true."
Elliot joined the Thunderbirds after one season with the Cariboo Cougars of the B.C. Hockey Major Midget League. King (see other story) was also a Cariboo Cat before he made the jump to junior.
Roach, a six-foot-four, 227-pound Quesnel product who suits up for the WHL's Calgary Hitmen, is another ex-Cariboo Cougar and so is Prince George's Willick, an on-ice and off-ice leader of the Kamloops Blazers.
Neither Roach nor Willick were included in Central Scouting's midterm rankings. Roach, who already has an NHL-calibre shot from the point, finished the year with four goals and 16 points in 61 games, while Willick put up 24 goals and 44 points in 72 outings.
Trevor Sprague, who coached all of the above players when they were with the Cariboo Cats, said the five-foot-10 Willick is being underestimated by NHL scouts.
"He's one of the best two-way hockey players that I've seen in that [major midget] league," Sprague said. "He's a guy that's around the puck all the time and is a good team guy. He works hard. To me, he could be a [Kris] Draper type of player. You win championships with guys like that. I think probably the scouting in the NHL hasn't spent the time to get to know him."
Forsberg, finally, has been a standout player for the WHL's Prince George Cougars for two seasons now. At six feet and 195 pounds, he has great offensive instincts and is fearless when it comes to the physical side of the game.
See related story, page 13
