Four Red Deer Rebels are listed in the NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings for the 2025 NHL Draft.
Matthew Gard is ranked 37th among North American skaters, which is the highest among all Rebels skaters — this marked a five-spot jump from the midterm rankings.
The sophomore centre from Winnipeg, Man. was one of Red Deer’s most consistent players this season finishing tied for the team lead with 36 points, including a team high 19 goals. He scored six power play goals and four game winners and was 52.3 percent on faceoffs. Gard, who has 54 points in 121 career games, was selected in round two, 39th overall by the Rebels in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft. Listed at six-foot-four and 193 pounds, Gard is the 10th highest ranked WHL skater for the 2025 NHL Draft.
Defenceman Luke Vlooswyk experienced a notable jump from the midterm rankings. He climbed 37 spots to finish as the 72nd North American skater in the NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings.
Playing in his rookie season for the Rebels, Vlooswyk played in all 68 games and collected three goals and 14 assists. He was second on the team with a plus-eight rating. Vlooswyk was as the Rebels Scholastic Player of the Year and is a finalist for the Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Memorial Trophy for WHL Scholastic Player of the Year. He was the Rebels’ first-round pick, 17th overall in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft.
Forward Jaxon Fuder climbed 50 spots from the midterm rankings to finish the season as the 125th North American skater on the list. He joined the Rebels in October and injected a mix of skill and grit into the lineup. The Cold Lake native racked up 11 goals, 14 assists in 46 games and was second on the team with 91 penalty minutes. Fuder was selected as the Rebels’ Most Underrated Player for the 2024-25 season.
The fourth and final Rebel to be listed on the NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings for the 2025 NHL Draft was defenceman Derek Thurston. Ranked as the 163rd North American skater, Thurston was named Defenceman of the Year for the Rebels in 2024-25. He led all Rebels blue liners with 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) and led the team players with a plus-nine rating. The Delta, B.C. native also led the team with 96 penalty minutes. Thurston was selected by the Rebels in round six at the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft.
The Red Deer Rebels have had 68 players selected at the NHL Draft since the club’s inaugural season in the Western Hockey League in 1992-93.
Across the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL leads the way with 67 players. The Ontario Hockey League is a close second with 64, while the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League has 39.
The NHL Scouting Combine will be held in Buffalo, N.Y., from June 1-8, before top players descend on the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, Calif., for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft on June 27 and 28.
