A bad injury sustained midway through the BCHL season contributed to a slight tumble down the National Hockey League draft rankings for Chilliwack Chief Ethan Bowen.
But the hometown kid didn’t drop very far and is still one of just four BCHLers on track to be drafted by an NHL team.
Bowen checks in at No. 119 in the Central Scouting Bureau’s final ranking of North American skaters, which projects the teenager as a mid to late round selection.
He was ranked No. 77 in the mid-term list.
The 17-year-old collected 31 points in 41 games in 2019-20, missing a large chunk of the season with a wrist injury. Over his two seasons in the BCHL, Bowen has totaled 31 goals and 70 points in 102 games and is committed to the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks, current home of former Chiefs captain Jordan Kawaguchi.
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Bowen is the highest rated BCHLer on the board, with Penticton’s Danny Weight 23 spots behind him at No. 142.
The son of NHL great Doug Weight, Danny finished in the top 10 in league scoring in his first BCHL season, putting up 60 points in 58 games for the Vees.
The Lattingtown, N.Y. native is committed to Boston College for the 2020-21 season.
Nanaimo Clippers forward Kyler Kovich checks in at No. 168.
The 18 year old produced 18 goals and 39 points in 2019-20 and has 53 points in 101 regular season games over two campaigns in Nanaimo.
The Coquitlam native has already been named the Clippers captain for next season and is committed to Cornell University for 2021-22.
Vernon Vipers defenceman Trey Taylor is ranked No. 216 after contributing six goals and 18 points in his second season in the BCHL. He had six points in 21 playoff games in 2018-19 and was a big part of Vernon’s run to the Fred Page Cup Final.
Taylor’s older brother Ty was a prolific goalie for the Vipers from 2016 to 2018 and was drafted in the seventh round of the 2018 NHL entry draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Trey recently committed to Clarkson University for the 2021-22 season.
In total, there were 15 Canadian junior A players listed in Central Scouting’s final ranking. You can view the list here.
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