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Quintet of Abbotsford hockey talents make NHL final scouting rankings

NHL Central Scouting ranks Abbotsford’s Schuurman, Siepmann, Sward, Milne and Dyck
Ben Lypka
Ben Lypka
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Abbotsford’s Brayden Schuurman, Mikey Milne, Grayden Sieppmann, Graham Sward and Tyson Dyck all made the NHL Central Scouting midterm rankings. The draft occurs in Montreal in July.

A quintet of Abbotsford hockey talents have all made the NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking list for the 2022 NHL Draft.

Local hockey products Brayden Schuurman (76th), Grayden Siepmann (79th), Graham Sward (93rd), Tyson Dyck (110th) and Michael Milne (119th) all appear on the list for top North American skaters available.

The 2022 NHL draft is scheduled for July 7 and 8 in Montreal.

Schuurman, who was previously ranked 58th at the midterm ranking back in January, collected 54 points in 69 games with the Victoria Royals of the Western Hockey League. He most recently scored two goals in four games with Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships last month.

The centre was a fourth round (69th overall) selection of the Royals in the 2019 WHL Draft. Prior to his time in the WHL, he racked up impressive offensive numbers with the Abbotsford’s Yale Hockey Academy, scoring 49 points in 53 games with the U15 team and 40 points in 34 games with the U18 team in 2019-20.

Siepmann made a big jump from the midterm rankings as he was set at 139th in January. The defenceman finished with 25 points in 66 games for the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen. He also played for Team Canada at the World Juniors, scoring three points in three games.

He was chosen in the first round, 13th overall by Calgary in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft. Siepmann was a big point producer for YHA, scoring 33 points in 59 games as a U15 and 22 points in 35 games as a U18. Both Siepmann and Schuurman were 2019 Canadian Secondary School Hockey League champions with YHA as U15s.

Also making a big jump from the midterms was Sward, who was ranked 148th in January. Sward had a breakthrough season offensively as an 18-year-old with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs, recording 43 points in 57 games.

Sward was draft eligible in 2021 and was ranked 117th prior to the NHL draft but he was not chosen. He was chosen in the first round, 15th overall of the 2018 bantam draft by the Chiefs. He is also a product of the YHA and spent time with the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds program.

Dyck made a significant move up the rankings as well, as he was previously ranked 191st in January. The forward with the Cranbrook Bucks of the British Columbia Hockey League was fourth in league scoring and notched 75 points in 54 games.

He played his minor hockey in Abbotsford and went on to play with the Burnaby Winter Club program and put up impressive numbers during his time there. He joined the Bucks as a 16-year-old for their expansion season in 2020-21 and put up five points in six games. However, that season was cut short due to a collarbone injury.

Milne, who was previously ranked 80th in January, had a strong offensive season with the WHL’s Winnipeg Ice and collected 81 points in 68 games. He finished 13th in scoring in the league.

He was draft eligible last year, and was ranked 162nd amongst all North American skaters prior to the 2021 NHL draft, but was ultimately not chosen. Milne played minor hockey in Abbotsford before moving on to the YHA for his U15 year. He then played for the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds and was chosen by the Ice in the eighth round, 155th overall in the 2017 bantam draft.

Ben Lypka

About the Author: Ben Lypka

I joined the Abbotsford News in 2015.
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