The National Hockey League’s (NHL) Central Scouting Service (CSS) released their midterm ranking list for the 2016 NHL Draft, and nine (9) Major Midget League (MML) alumni made the list of ranked North American skaters.
Rank | Player | Current Team | MML Team |
15 | Tyson Jost | Penticton Vees (BCHL) | Okanagan Rockets |
18 | Dante Fabbro | Penticton Vees (BCHL) | Vancouver NW Giants |
38 | Lucas Johansen | Kelowna Rockets (WHL) | Vancouver NE Chiefs |
62 | Josh Anderson | Prince George Cougars (WHL) | South Island Royals |
71 | Patrick Bajkov | Everett Silvertips (WHL) | North Island Silvertips |
94 | Brogan O’Brien | Prince George Cougars (WHL) | Cariboo Cougars |
113 | Jakob Stukel | Calgary Hitmen (WHL) | Valley West Hawks |
176 | Ty Westgard | Victoria Royals (WHL) | Valley West Hawks |
177 | Dylan Coghlan | Tri-City Americans (WHL) | North Island Silvertips |
Fabbro and Jost are both ranked in the top 20 for North American skaters, making them highly likely to be selected in the first round of the draft.
Fabbro, a native of New Westminster, BC, played his minor hockey with the Burnaby Winter Club before moving onto the Vancouver North West Giants. With the Giants, he scored a total of 61 points (22 goals, 39 assists) in 38 games as a defenseman during the 2013-2014 season. He then joined the Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), where he scored 33 points (4 goals, 29 assists) in 44 games en route to a BCHL Championship, Western Canada Cup, and a trip to the RBC Cup, Canada’s National Junior A Championship. He has committed to Boston University of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for the 2016-2017 season.
Jost, a native of Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, moved to Kelowna in 2011 and joined the Okanagan Rockets for the 2013-2014 season. With the Rockets, he tallied 88 points (44 goals, 44 assists) in 36 games, leading the team to an MML Championship and a bronze medal at the 2014 TELUS Cup, Canada’s National Midget Championship. Jost then moved on to the BCHL’s Penticton Vees, where he scored 44 points (23 goals, 22 assists) during the 2014-2015 season en route to a BCHL title, Western Canada Cup, and an appearance at the 2015 RBC Cup. He has committed to play for the NCAA’s University of North Dakota for the 2016-2017 season.
Jost and Fabbro are also alumni of BC Hockey’s High Performance program, participating in the 2013 Western Canada Challenge Cup as members of Team BC. They have also moved on to Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence, where they have participated in the 2014 World U17 Hockey Challenge, were members of the 2015 National U18 Team, and played in the 2015 World Junior A Hockey Challenge.
The MML has played an integral role in the development of players to reach junior hockey. The league structure fosters the best possible environment for players to succeed at the next level. This year, more than a dozen players who were on MML rosters during the 2014-2015 season are now on Western Hockey League (WHL) rosters, while even more participated in WHL training camps.
The MML was established in 2004 to provide elite level 15, 16 and 17 year olds an opportunity to play within their own age group at a high level and be developed for the next level of hockey. These teams have an opportunity each year to compete for the National Midget Championship. MML alumni who are now in the NHL include Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Vancouver North West Giants), Ryan Johansen (Nashville Predators), Griffin and Sam Reinhart (Vancouver North West Giants), and Brendan Gallagher (Greater Vancouver Canadians).