Twelve players from New York and New Jersey made the 2023 NHL Central Scouting Midterm Rankings that were released Friday.
The headliner for the region was Sudbury Wolves center Quentin Musty (Hamburg, N.Y.), who was ranked as the 11th-best North American skater. The Buffalo Junior Sabres and North Jersey Avalanche product ended up choosing the major junior route and heading to the OHL. In 32 games this season, Musty has 12 goals and 36 assists.
Regina Pats center Connor Bedard, the star Canadian who has long been hailed as the top player in this draft class, was ranked first. Next up were Michigan center Adam Fantilli and USA Hockey NTDP teammates Will Smith and Ryan Leonard.
Not that it should come as a surprise, Cornell led the way in terms of local colleges being represented. The Big Red placed four recruits on the list, led by Victoria Grizzlies defenseman Hoyt Stanley. In addition, coach Mike Schafer’s team had three other commits get the nod from NHL Central Scouting.