(Photo: Lethbridge Hurricanes, WHL at lethbridgehurricanes.com)

By Justin Goulet

Four Hurricanes listed by NHL’s Central Scouting Service

Jan 14, 2020 | 9:15 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The National Hockey League (NHL) Central Scouting Service has released its midterm rankings ahead of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Four Lethbridge Hurricanes made the list.

They are Oliver Okuliar, Alex Cotton, Noah Boyko and Bryan Thomson.

19-year-old Okuliar is fresh off time with Team Slovakia at the IIHF World Juniors tournament. At the event, he finished with four points in five games. He was undrafted in his first two years of being eligible for the NHL draft and was ranked 117^th among North American skaters. This season, Okuliar leads the ‘Canes with 24 goals, totaling 44 points across 34 games.

18-year-old Alex Cotton also went undrafted in his first year of eligibility for the big league’s draft. The Langley, B.C. native was ranked 118^th overall. He currently leads all Western Hockey League (WHL) defensemen in scoring with 43 points (12 goals and 31 assists). He’s also collected 24 penalty minutes this season. In his rookie campaign last season, he had 11 points in 54 games.

Noah Boyko was ranked 180^th among North American skaters. This is his first year of eligibility for the NHL draft. From Sherwood Park, Alberta, he was originally drafted by the Hurricanes in the opening round of the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft at 16^th overall. This season, the 17-year-old has 10 goals and 15 assists as well as 10 penalty minutes in 42 games with Lethbridge. Last Saturday, he took part in his 100^th WHL game as the Hurricanes defeated Swift Current 7-2.

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Bryan Thomson ranked fifth among North American goaltenders. He was the second ranked WHL goalie. The 17-year-old has appeared in 19 games this year, posting a record of 11-4-1-0 with a 2.58 goals against average and a save percentage of .906, in addition to one shutout. He was selected by the Hurricanes in the second round (37^th overall) of the 2017 WHL draft. He has played in 24 WHL games, going 14-5-1-0 with a 2.75 goals against average and a .904 save percentage.

In all, 51 Western Hockey League players were ranked by Central Scouting. The NHL Entry Draft is set for June 26^th and 27^th at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec.