A pair of Red Deer Rebels are on the radar of NHL scouts at the midway point of the scouting season.
Rebels defenceman Christoffer Sedoff came in at 50 on the NHL Central Scouting Midterm Rankings, while forward Ben King was 151.
Sedoff, 17, was the 25th overall pick in the 2019 CHL Import Draft has been steadily improving throughout his first season in North America.
Through 41 WHL games, the Finnish blueliner has three goals and 15 points. The six-foot-one, 189-pound defenceman will play in the CHL/ NHL Top Prospects Game with 40 of the top prospects for the 2020 NHL Draft on Thursday in Hamilton, Ont.
The last Rebels defenceman ranked that high was Alex Alexeyev, who was selected 31st overall by the Washington Capitals. He was ranked 26 at the NHL Central Scouting Midterm Rankings during his draft year and 22 in the final rankings. Former Rebels blueliner Dawson Barteaux was also picked in that draft, 168th overall by the Dallas Stars.
King, 17, is having a strong second WHL season. The hulking centre has four goals and 10 assists in 24 games with Red Deer, since he was acquired from the Swift Current Broncos earlier this season. He was originally a first-round, 13th overall selection by the Broncos in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft.
The last Rebels forward selected in the NHL Draft was Lane Zablocki in 2017. Zablocki was picked in the third round, 79th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2017 NHL Draft. In 2019, Rebels forward Oleg Zaytsev was ranked in the NHL Central Scouting Midterm and Final rankings but was not drafted. In 2018, forward Kristian Reichel was also ranked in both, but was also not selected.
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