Two days before his 18th birthday, a young Vancouver Giants forward received confirmation that NHL scouts are keeping a close eye on him.
Zack Ostapchuk has moved up to #60 among NA Skaters in the latest CSS Rankings for the 2021 NHL Draft 👀 pic.twitter.com/OYa9TEpQPk
— Vancouver Giants (@WHLGiants) May 27, 2021
NHL Central Scouting released its final rankings list ahead of the 2021 NHL draft, and G-Men’s Ostapchuk is on it.
He has been ranked as the #60 North American skater among all draft-eligible players.
NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING’S COMPLETE NORTH AMERICAN SKATERS LIST
Originally selected by the G-Men in round 1 (12th overall) in the 2018 WHL bantam draft, the 6 ft. 3 in., 198-pounder from St. Albert, Alta., is coming off a terrific second season in the WHL, said Dan O’Connor, media relations director and play-by-play broadcaster for the Giants.
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In 22 games this season, Ostapchuk scored seven goals and added nine assists for 16 points, which ranked him fourth among Giants forwards and fifth in overall team scoring.
Three of his seven goals were game winners, and he was second in the entire WHL with five “first goals.”
In 72 career regular season games with the Giants, Ostapchuk has managed 12 goals and 12 assists for 24 points.
Ostapchuk was also the second highest-ranked B.C. division skater to crack the North American final rankings list, O’Connor noted. He placed behind Fabian Lysell, a Swedish forward who the Giants drafted in the 2020 CHL import draft and who was ranked #9 among all international skaters in Central Scouting’s final rankings list.
And, Ostapchuk is also ranked 11th highest among all players who skated in the WHL this season.
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