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It’s almost a certainty that Kelowna Rockets forward Andrew Cristall will hear his name called at the 2023 NHL entry draft, it’s just a question of how many picks he will have to wait.
If the latest news from NHL Central Scouting means anything, Cristall will likely hear his name called in the first round of the draft on Wednesday, June 28 in Nashville.
The Rockets leading scorer, who is tied for second in points league wide behind only Connor Bedard, saw his NHL Central Scouting rating bumped up today.
Along with two other WHL players, Cristall was upgraded from a ‘B’ to an ‘A’ rating on the annual rankings list that was released earlier this month.
The ‘A’ rating comes with a projection of being a first-round pick.
"Andrew has been an offensive catalyst in Kelowna this year,” John Williams of NHL Central Scouting told NHL.com today. “He's very gifted offensively, good on the power play, has great vision and knows how to score.”
Cristall is off to a great start in his sophomore season in Kelowna and has already posted 15 goals and 20 assists in just 17 games through the first two months of the year.
He’s currently on a career-high eight-game point streak, during which he has piled up the points with eight goals and 14 assists.
Three WHL skaters have earned updated 'A' ratings by NHL Central Scouting, bringing the total number of 'A' rated WHLers for the #NHLDraft to 10.
— The WHL (@TheWHL) November 21, 2022
• Andrew Cristall (@Kelowna_Rockets)
• Lukas Dragicevic (@TCAmericans)
• Koehn Ziemmer (@PGCougars)
📰 | https://t.co/67c9YmhIDM pic.twitter.com/MhBkl7VMCb
The other three WHL players who saw their stock rise in today’s adjustment are Tri-City Americans defenceman Lukas Dragicevic and Prince George Cougars forward Koehn Ziemmer.
They join the well-publicized Bedard, Zach Benson, Carson Bjarnason, Nate Danielson, Riley Heidt, Samuel Honzek and Brayden Yager as projected first-round picks out of the WHL.
Yager will be in town for what will likely be his only visit to Kelowna during his WHL career when the Moose Jaw Warriors take on Cristall and the Rockets at Prospera Place on Saturday.
Bedard will be in town three days later for what will surely be his only visit to Kelowna and there are not many tickets left for that Tuesday night affair.
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