Four Badgers on NHL Central Scouting "Preliminary Ranking"
November 26, 2003 | Men's Hockey
The National Hockey League's Central Scouting has released its 2003'04 preliminary ranking for U.S. Colleges and lists four Wisconsin men's hockey players among the 35 skaters listed in the report. Freshman forwards Jake Dowell (12th), Robbie Earl (13th) and Mark Heatley (29th), as well as defenseman Jeff Likens (18th) all appear on the list.
Dowell, an Eau Claire, Wis., native, currently leads the UW rookie class with seven assists and is the leader among all Western Collegiate Hockey Association rookies with eight points in league games. The freshman is already a two-time WCHA Rookie of the Week.
Earl ranks second on the team overall, and paces all Badger freshman with five goals. A native of Los Angeles, Earl's seven points rank fifth on the team.
Heatley, a Calgary, Alberta native and brother of former Badger Dany Heatley, has played his way into the Badger lineup as a walk-on and has contributed two goals and an assist through eight games.
Likens, a native of Barrington, Ill., came to the UW from USA Hockey 's National Team Development Program, along with Dowell and Earl. The defenseman is tied with teammate Ryan Suter, the seventh overall pick by the Nashville Predators in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, for second among freshman WCHA blue-liners with five points.
NHL Central Scouting was established prior to the 1975-76 season as a service for the NHL member clubs. The department consists of two staff members at the NHL Offices in Toronto, along with nine full-time scouts and six part-time scouts throughout North America.
NHL Central Scouting Service provides league and team directories, schedules and rosters for dozens of leagues and tournaments in North America and Europe that have NHL prospects participating in them. A focus is placed on the CHL, U.S. colleges, and the USHL. The department provides NHL scouts a weekly injury update and player movement report for those leagues. Along with these reports, Central Scouting provides NHL teams with videotapes of top prospects and two player-ranking lists during the season. These lists are used by the NHL clubs as a second opinion and as an aid in making their own prospect evaluations.
These four players, along with the rest of the Badgers, compete this weekend at the College Hockey Showcase in Michigan. Wisconsin faces No. 6/5 Michigan in Ann Arbor on Friday at 6:35 p.m. CT, then face Michigan State Saturday at 6:05 p.m. CT.
From the central scouting web site...
2004 Draft Eligibility
North American players born between Jan. 1, 1984 and Sept. 15, 1986 are eligible for selection in all rounds. Non-North American players 18 years of age or older as of Sept. 15, 2003 are eligible for selection in all rounds, with no maximum age limit. Non-North American players must be drafted before signing with an NHL team.
"Opting-In" to the Entry Draft
Beginning with the 1995 Entry Draft, all players 18-years of age are required to "opt-in" to be eligible for selection. This year, any player born between Sept. 16, 1985 and Sept. 15, 1986 is considered to be 18-years of age and, therefore, must "opt-in" to the Entry Draft.
Any player born prior to Sept. 16, 1985 is automatically eligible for selection and is not required to "opt-in".
A player has until the later of May 1, 2004 or up until seven days of his team's last game to "opt-in" to be considered eligible for selection.
