The beginning of a long process of narrowing down potential NHL draft picks has seen three Cochrane players added to the list.
NHL Central Scouting has released its preliminary Players to Watch List well ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft.
Kadon McCann, of the Medicine Hat Tigers, has returned to the list after going undrafted last season. Forward Riley Boychuk and defenceman Benett Kelly, both of the Prince Albert Raiders, have joined him.
All three were given ‘W’ rankings, projecting them as potential sixth- or seventh-round picks.
Nine games into his season, Boychuk, the second overall pick in the 2023 WHL Draft, has two goals and nine points with a -2 rating. In his rookie regular season, he recorded 14 goals and 15 assists for 29 points, with a +11 rating.
Benett Kelly played just three games last year and is currently in his rookie season with the Raiders, already recording his first goal and assist and carrying a +8 rating.
Centre Kadon McCann is in his third season with the WHL defending champion Tigers, who were a Memorial Cup finalist last season. He has seven points in 12 games and is also +8.
A total of 48 forwards developed in the WHL are on the list, joined by 27 defencemen and 14 goaltenders.
The NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Players to Watch List includes 237 players developed in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), including 93 from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and 55 from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).