The Everett Silvertips’ prospects for the 2024 NHL draft are on the rise.
NHL Central Scouting released its midterm rankings for this year’s draft last week, and not only were four Tips among the 224 North American skaters listed, Everett’s players saw their names climb up the rankings.
When NHL Central Scouting released its preliminary watch list in October, just two Everett players were listed. Center Julius Miettinen was listed as a “C” prospect, which projected him to the late rounds, while defenseman Tarin Smith was listed as a player to watch, which had him on the bubble.
But both Miettinen and Smith are trending upwards.
Miettinen, a 17-year-old from Finland who has 20 goals and 22 assists in 44 games, was ranked 49th among North American skaters in the midterm rankings — Miettinen’s rise was foreshadowed when he was selected to participate in the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, which takes place Jan. 24 in Moncton, New Brunswick. On Monday he was selected as the WHL Rookie of the Week for the second straight week after registering eight points in three games.
Smith, a 17-year-old from Porcupine Plain, Saskatchewan, who has six goals and 20 assists in 43 contests, was close behind Miettinen at No. 54. Miettinen’s and Smith’s rankings project them to the middle rounds.
Meanwhile two other Everett players were added to the rankings. Defenseman Eric Jamieson (nine goals, 12 assists in 42 games), who at 18 is in his second year of NHL draft eligibility, came in at No. 107, which puts him in the late rounds. Winger Jesse Heslop (11 goals, 20 assists in 37 games), 17, was ranked 162nd, which puts him on the bubble.
“I think it’s good, especially with Julius and Tarin,” Everett coach Dennis Williams said about the rankings. “With Julius coming over (from Finland), there’s a time lapse for him to get comfortable, but he started to get comfortable around American Thanksgiving and has really gotten some traction to his game. Same with Tarin, he played less than 10 games last year because he had to have shoulder surgery, so to see how far he’s come after missing almost a whole year speaks volumes to his trajectory.”
As for action on the ice last week, Everett was a perfect during its three-in-three weekend, turning in three impressive performances amidst challenging travel conditions. The Tips prevailed 8-2 at Kamloops on Friday, won the return game against the Blazers in Everett 4-1 on Saturday, then triumphed 7-3 at Wenatchee on Sunday.
“It was a tough weekend, there was lots of travel for our guys,” Williams said. “I liked our resiliency, especially against Wenatchee. When we went down 3-1 we could have just packed it in and made excuses, but I really liked how we stuck to the game plan. All-in-all it was a good, sound, team effort this weekend from the goalie on out.”
The big weekend improved Everett to 27-14-1-2, and the Tips moved into first place in the U.S. Division with 57 points, four points ahead of Portland. The Winterhawks, however, have played six fewer game and therefore maintain a significant edge in winning percentage.
Three stars of the week
Third star: Dominik Rymon. The 19-year-old winger returned last week after missing a month while winning bronze with Czechia at the World Junior Hockey Championships, and he picked up right where he left off, registering four goals and two assists over the three games.
Second star: Smith. The defenseman has increasingly become a creative force from the blue line, and over the weekend he dished out five assists in the three contests.
First star: Jamieson. Jamieson began the week by being elevated into Everett’s leadership group, having an “A” added to his jersey as an alternate captain. He celebrated the following game by scoring the rare defenseman hat trick, netting three times and adding an assist in Friday’s victory at Kamloops.
The week ahead
After back-to-back three-in-three weekends, Everett gets a bit of a breather this week with just two games, including a day off in between.
The week’s action begins Friday when the Tips travel to Spokane. The Chiefs (15-20-4-0) are currently in last place in the U.S. Division, but at least halted a five-game losing streak by winning at Edmonton on Sunday. Spokane has one of the top prospects for this year’s NHL draft in 17-year-old forward Berkly Catton (27 goals, 37 assists), while 19-year-old forward Shea Van Olm (13 goals, 19 assists) was a notable addition at the trade deadline.
Everett then returns home to host Tri-City on Sunday. The Americans (16-21-2-1) are in free fall. Tri-City was expected to take a step forward this season and begin challenging the top of the U.S. Division, but the Americans have lost five straight, 10 of 11, and are just one point ahead of Spokane for the Western Conference’s final playoff berth. Seventeen-year-old forward Jordan Gavin (18 goals, 28 assists) leads Tri-City in scoring, while 18-year-old defenseman Lukas Dragicevic (11 goals, 21 assists) is a top offensive d-man.
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