On Monday, NHL Central Scouting released its preliminary watch list for the 2027 NHL Draft.
Let the debating begin.
The preliminary watch list is a great (and large) guide to potential draft picks for next June. It gives NHL scouts a roadmap for who to watch over the next nine months. It also gives fans a chance to see how the class stacks up.
Of course, players can move on and off the list throughout the winter. NHL Central Scouting typically puts up a midseason ranking and then a final one at the end of the season.
They rank players with 'A', 'B', 'C' and 'W' ratings. In each letter rating, players are organized alphabetically. Here's what the ratings mean:
- A rating: First-round candidate
- B rating: Second- or third-round candidate
- C rating: Fourth- or fifth-round candidate
- W rating: Sixth- or seventh-round candidate
The 14 New England natives getting acknowledgement on this list is more than last season (10).
New England boasts two A-rated candidates in Jamie Glance (Stratham, N.H.) and Carter Meyer (Winchester, Mass.). That's also an upgrade over zero prospects getting A-ratings in last year's preliminary watch list. Both Glance (Saint John Sea Dogs) and Meyer (Quebec Remparts) are in the QMJHL this season.
Former Lawrence Academy defenseman Matas Janulis (Lincoln, Mass.) and former Rivers stars Sam Pandolfo (Winchester, Mass.) and Finn Sears (Medford, Mass.) were listed as B-candidates. Janulis currently plays for the USHL's Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, while Pandolfo and Sears skate for the U.S. National Team Development Program's U18 team.
Former Arlington High (MIAA) and Dexter Southfield defenseman Kurt Beck, former Mid Fairfield defenseman Jake Boguniecki (Orange, Conn.) and former Mid Fairfield and Kent goalie Jacoby Weiner (Riverside, Conn.) got C-ratings. All three are in the QMJHL this season, as Beck plays for the Sherbrooke Phoenix, and Boguniecki and Weiner for the Moncton Wildcats.
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As for prospects playing in prep, Phillips Andover defenseman Jack O'Dell got the highest ranking, earning a 'C'. Avon Old Farms forward Ethan Gingeleskie (West Hartford, Conn.) and defenseman Marshall Paul got 'W' ratings, as did Winchendon goalie Henry Skale.
Here is the full breakdown:
New Englanders on the list
- A: Jamie Glance | Stratham, N.H. | Boston University commit
- A: Carter Meyer | Winchester, Mass. | Boston University commit
- B: Matas Janulis | Lincoln, Mass. | Northeastern commit
- B: Sam Pandolfo | Winchester, Mass. | Boston University commit
- B: Finn Sears | Medford, Mass. | Boston College commit
- C: Kurt Beck | Arlington, Mass. | Providence College commit
- C: Jake Boguniecki | Orange, Conn. | Boston College commit
- C: Jacoby Weiner | Riverside, Conn. | Harvard commit
- W: Brody Berard | Cumberland, R.I. | Northeastern commit
- W: David Bosco | Winchester, Mass. | Harvard commit
- W: Cooper Campbell | Cohasset, Mass. | Uncommitted
- W: Ethan Gingeleskie | West Hartford, Conn. | Yale commit
- W: Caiden Pellegrino | Uxbridge, Mass. | Providence College commit
- W: Parker Stockseth | Blandford, Mass. | Massachusetts commit
READ MORE: 23 local prospects ranked for the 2027 NHL Draft
New England connections on the list
- A: Noah Davidson | Boston College commit
- A: Timothy Kazda | Seacoast Performance Academy alum | Boston College commit
- A: Easton Walos | Mount St. Charles alum
- B: Andrei Nikolaev | Boston University commit
- B: Odin Vauhkonen | Harvard commit
- C: Nate Chizik | Mount St. Charles alum
- C: Ryan Kaczynski | Mid Fairfield alum
- C: Ilya Kolmakov | New Hampshire commit
- C: Pavel Martinu | New Hampshire commit
- C: Andrew Mohesky | South Kent alum
- C: Jack O'Dell | Phillips Andover
- C: Rocco Pelosi | Mount St. Charles alum | Boston College commit
- C: Jaxon Pisani | Providence College commit
- C: Brock Stevenson | Massachusetts commit
- C: Genc Ula | Vermont commit
- C: Braidy Wassilyn | Boston University commit
- W: Liam Armit | Northeastern commit
- W: Kaden Aucoin | Boston University commit
- W: Caine Bickel | Seacoast Performance Academy alum | New Hampshire commit
- W: Gavin Clark | Merrimack commit
- W: Stephen Cover | Mount St. Charles alum | Providence College commit
- W: Cash Cruitt | Quinnipiac commit
- W: Thaddeus McMahon | Quinnipiac commit
- W: Bastien Michaud | New Hampshire commit
- W: Sebastian Mogull | Cushing alum | Brown commit
- W: Ilja Nikitins | Merrimack commit
- W: Marshall Paul | Avon Old Farms | UConn commit
- W: Matthew Perreault | Massachusetts commit
- W: Henry Skale | Winchendon
- W: Aleksandr Sokolov | Brown commit
- W: Alexei Vlasov | Connecticut commit
