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Trio of Penticton Vees crack NHL Central Scouting’s midterm draft rankings

Bradly Nadeau is ranked at No. 19 all for North American skaters ahead of the 2023 NHL Draft
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Bradly Nadeau, right, is ranked No. 19 on the NHL’s 2023 Midterm Draft Rankings. (Photo- Jack Murray)

Three current members of the Penticton Vees are ranked among the top North American skaters eligible for this June’s NHL Draft in Nashville, Tenn.

Bradly Nadeau, Aydar Suniev and Ryan Hopkins have all cracked the NHL Central Scouting Midterm Draft Rankings, released on Friday morning, Jan. 13.

Three future Vees also made the list, with recruits Francesco Dell’Elce, Larry Keenan and Jonathan Castagna ranked at No. 106, 107 and 135, respectively.

Nadeau, a 17-year-old forward who leads the B.C. Hockey League in scoring with 64 points, is listed at No. 19 for all North American skaters.

Suniev isn’t far behind, finding himself at the 35 spot of best skaters, according to Central Scouting. The rookie forward has 52 points in 29 games with the Vees this season, good enough for third overall in league scoring.

Hopkins is ranked at No. 196 and represents the only Vees defenceman to crack the list. The 18-year-old was ranked No. 101 on Central Scouting’s final rankings after the 2021-2022 season.

Penticton owns three of the six current BCHL players to make the list, with the Victoria Grizzlies’ Hoyt Stanley, Salmon Arm Silverbacks’ Owen Beckner, and Andrew Lacroix from the Chilliwack Chiefs also making the cut.

Nadeau and Suniev are the only BCHL skaters to crack the midterms’ top 50.

The full list can be found here.

Penticton (30-3-0-0) hits the road for a battle with the Trail Smoke Eaters on Friday night, before returning to the South Okanagan Events Centre on Saturday, Jan. 14, to host the Cowichan Valley Capitals at 6 p.m.

READ MORE: No moves for Penticton Vees at BCHL trade deadline as team pursues back-to-back titles


@lgllockhart
logan.lockhart@pentictonwesternnews.com