Five Bulldogs make grade for NHL scouting

Two of the six Ontario Hockey League players projected to be picked in the first round of the 2017 NHL Draft are Hamilton Bulldogs.

Mackenzie Entwistle and Matthew Strome both earned ‘A’ ratings on Central Scouting’s updated Players to Watch list released Wednesday. An ‘A’ denotes a potential first-round selection, a‘B’ a second or third and a‘C’ a fourth, fifth or sixth.

The forwards, both 17, are off to strong starts in their sophomore campaigns. The younger brother of two former NHL first rounders, Strome leads the Bulldogs with 14 goals and 12 assists in 20 games, while Entwistle has nine goals and seven assists, which puts him on pace to nearly quadruple his rookie season tally.

Three other Bulldogs also made the list, which is a compilation of top prospects from all the major development leagues throughout North America and Europe. Forward Marian Studenic and goalie Kaden Fulcher were given ‘B’ ratings, while defenceman Ben Gleason, who was passed over in the 2016 draft, was assigned a ‘C’.

All together, 77 players from the OHL were rated, including Hamilton-born Hayden Davis and Burlington’s Trenton Bourque, who were both listed as ‘C’ skaters. The former is a defenceman for the Niagara IceDogs, the latter a defenceman for the Owen Sound Attack. The draft takes place June 23 and 24 in Chicago. LISTEN UP: The Spectator’s Teri Pecoskie and Scott Radley talk Central Scouting ratings, Matthew Strome and Canada-Russia Series snubs in Ep. 10 of the Bulldogs Paw’dcast. Stream it at e2e.thespec.com or download it at iTunes.