2017 NHL DRAFT PREVIEW in all 72 games and was 11th in WHL scoring this season. Geekie was ranked 50th at mid-season, but moved up to 45th and probably should have been ranked
higher. As the 6-foot-2, 175-pounder continues to improve, don’ t be surprised if he moves up into the early second round. Meanwhile, watch for Moose Jaw’ s Josh Brook( Roblin) and Brandon’ s Ty Lewis( Brandon) in the NHL Draft. Brook, a defenseman who played on Canada’ s U-18 team at the World Cham- pionship was ranked 70th at mid-season and is now No. 49 while Lewis made the biggest jump of all, going from 105 at the mid-terms to 59th in the final list. In total, there were a record nine Manitoba players on the Central Scouting Bureau’ s final list of North American skaters. Their midseason rankings are in parentheses.
The Draft will be held in Chicago on June 23 and 24. 1. Nolan Patrick, Winnipeg, Brandon Wheat Kings, C( 1) 6. Cody Glass, Winnipeg, Portland Winter Hawks, C( 8) 25. Nick Henry, Portage la Prairie, Regina Pats, RW( 25) 38. Stelio Mattheos, Winnipeg, Brandon Wheat Kings, RW / C( 23) 45. Morgan Geekie, Strathclair, Tri-City Americans, C( 50) 49. Josh Brook, Roblin, Moose Jaw Warriors, D( 70) 59. Ty Lewis, Brandon, Brandon Wheat Kings, LW( 105) 142. Brett Davis, Oakbank, Kootenay Ice, RW( 142) 194. Colt Conrad, St. Alphonse, Western Michigan University,
C( 174) by Central Scouting as potential first round draft picks. Henry is ranked 25th on the list of North American skaters which probably makes him a second rounder when you toss in the European skaters. However, he was also 25th in the mid-term report so he hasn’ t faltered down the stretch. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound rightwinger for John Paddock’ s Regina Pats had 35 goals and 81 points in his rookie season in the WHL and finished 24th in league scoring. Paddock calls the speedy Henry,“ Potentially, the best player in the WHL and a definite pro prospect.” Winnipegger Stelio Mattheos of the Brandon Wheat Kings, who played for Canada’ s U-18 team at the recent 2017 World Championship, fell from the 23rd rating to 38th between the mid-term rankings and the final rankings, which is strange considering he was one of the best players at the World Championship for Canada. Mattheos, the 6-foot-1, 190-pund rightwing / centre finished with 26 goals and 61 points in 60 games with the Wheaties this season. Morgan Geekie of Strathclair, Man., played his Triple A midget with the Yellowhead Chiefs and is now the top scorer for the Tri-City Americans in the WHL. Geekie finished with 35 goals and 90 points
100 GAME ON 2017 CHAMPIONS EDITION