Red Deer Rebels forward Matthew Gard has been catching the eyes of scouts ahead of this summer's 2025 NHL Draft.
The six-foot-five, 192-pound centre was recently ranked the No. 42 North American skater prospect on the NHL's Central Scouting Department's mid-term rankings. Additionally, TSN hockey insider Bob McKenzie ranked Gard as the 52nd best player available in the upcoming draft.
"It's cool to see the rankings — it shows me where I'm at. I'm going to keep working hard to improve my stock and keep rising," said Gard.
The 17-year-old from Winnipeg, Man., scored seven goals and 18 points in 55 games last season, which was his first year in the Western Hockey League. So far this season, he has nine goals and 22 points in 42 games.
Gard describes himself as a 200-foot centre "who can make plays in the offensive zone and shut it down in the defensive zone."
Rebels head coach David Struch said he's seen plenty of improvement from Gard this season.
"He's come a long way. Entering the season he was a raw prospect. Going back to last year, there were some things he needed to improve on: moving his feet, holding onto the puck longer, being more of a power forward and using his size," said Struch.
"Over the course of three or four weeks this year, you could see his improvement. He's moved up a lot in the rankings this year and it's all due to him doing those things. He's moving his feet, holding onto the puck and trying to make plays. He's made mistakes, but if he makes those mistakes when trying to do the right things and playing a heavier game, it's going to help him and in turn help us as a team."
The Rebels are entering the weekend on a 12-game losing skid. Despite suffering a pair of road losses to the Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades last weekend, Struch said those games were steps in the right direction for Red Deer.
"Those were two of our best games since the Christmas break. We know it's been a struggle, there's no question about that," Struch said.
"The way we practice daily, the work ethic and compete is there. Translating it to the games hasn't been there consistently. Last weekend, we felt very good about our game. We were very good and felt that we should've won both (the Saskatoon and Prince Alberta games). When you play the right way without the puck you get opportunities. Now we've got to bear down on our opportunities to score goals."
Red Deer will return home this weekend to play its first game at the Peavey Mart Centrium since Jan. 11. The Rebels will host the Moose Jaw Warriors on Saturday, Jan. 25, with puck drop set for 7 p.m.
Then the following night, Red Deer will visit Calgary to take on the Hitmen. Heading into the weekend, the Rebels have a 15-22-4-2 record and sit ninth in the WHL's Eastern Conference.