The NHL Entry Draft is months away, but pro and amateur scouts are already out and about at arenas across the world looking to stack their prospect pools.
According to the NHL Central Scouting preliminary watch list for the 2023 draft, Cranbrook Bucks LW Donovan Frias has been identified as a ‘C’ prospect, meaning a likely candidate between the 4th and 6th round.
An ‘A’ level ranking indicates a likely first round selection, while a ‘B’ ranking suggests a 2nd/3rd round candidate.
However, there’s lots of hockey left in the coming months that can affect a prospect’s draft stock.
Frias, who joined the Bucks this past off-season along with his twin brother Julian, has seven points in seven games.
Frias is one of nine BCHLers who hit the NHL preliminary watch rankings. The twins are both committed to NCAA with Yale University for the 2023 college hockey season.
While the rankings are listed by alphabetical order in each of the three ranking tiers, a number of high profile names have hit the list, such as Conor Bedard — the presumptive generational talent expected to be selected first overall — as well as budding NCAA star Adam Fantilli and Russian phenom Matvei Michkov.