Ninth best North American skater
Peterborough native Barrett Hayton has been ranked as the ninth best North American skater for the June 22-23 NHL draft in Dallas in the final rankings released Monday by the NHL Central Scouting Service.
Hayton, 17, is a 6’1”, 190-pound centre in his second season with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. The Hounds are in a 3-3 dog fight with the Owen Sound Attack in the OHL Western Conference semi-final series. Game 7 on Tuesday night in Sault Ste. Marie will decide who will move on to face the Kitchener Rangers in the Western Conference championship series.
Though he slipped from sixth best North American skater in the mid-term rankings, Hayton is expected to go in the first round of the NHL draft.
No Peterborough Petes are likely to go in the first round this season, but three are contending for picks in later rounds.
Defenceman Declan Chisholm finished the season with a ranking of 52nd among North American skaters. The 6’1”, 185-pound defenceman from Bowmanville quadrupled his offensive output this season, recording three goals, 17 assists and 20 points in 47 games played. Forward Pavel Gogolev, the Petes’ top draft pick in 2016, earned a ranking of 79th after a breakout sophomore season. The 6’1”, 175-pound right winger had 30 goals, 17 assists, and 47 points in 66 games during 2017-18.
Centre Semyon Der-Arguchintsev received a ranking of 82nd as one of two Petes to play in all 68 games this season. The 5’10”, 159-pound playmaker had 12 goals, 39 assists and 51 points.
Also ranked by NHL Central Scouting at 66th was Logan Hutsko. Hutsko was selected by the Petes in the sixth round, 117th overall in the 2015 OHL Priority Selection, but chose to play in the NCAA for Boston College.. He was also eligible for the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, but went undrafted.