Four Saginaw Spirit players appear on NHL Central Scouting preliminary list

Cole Coskey and Robert Proner were among the top 105 players while Brock Hill and Kirill Maksimov were among the top 407 listed....

    icon Oct 06, 2016
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Four Saginaw Spirit players were listed in the go-to NHL prospect's database for the 2017 National Hockey League entry draft. 
 
NHL Central Scouting released its preliminary list on Tuesday, ranking the top 407 North American players eligible for the 2017 NHL draft which will take place June 23-25 at the United Center in downtown Chicago, IL. next summer.
 
Players were divided into three different categories: an 'A' rating (which translates into a player expected to be a first round selection in the NHL draft), a 'B' rating (which translates into a possible second or third round selection), and a 'C' rating (which translates into a fourth, fifth, or sixth round selection). 
 
Of the 407 players on the 2016-17 NHL Central Scouting preliminary list; 302 received a 'C' rating, 76 received a 'B' rating, and 29 received an 'A' rating in the first list of the 2016-17 season.
 
Second year Spirit forward Cole Coskey, and second year Spirit defenseman Robert Proner, each received 'B' rating's which translates to a possible second to third round selection's in next June's NHL draft. 
 
Spirit defenseman Brock Hill and forward Kirill Maksimov each received 'C' ratings tranlating to possible fourth, fifth, or sixth round selections in next June's NHL draft. 
 
Coskey, a 6-foot, 190-pound winger from Zion, IL. who rescinded his hockey scholarship offer from Miami (OH.) University after being drafted by the Spirit with the 47th overall pick in the third round of the 2015 OHL priority selection draft. 
 
Coskey -who managed 4 goals and 9 assists for 13 points in 57 regular season/playoff games in his rookie season in the OHL- now has 2 assists through 3 OHL games in his sophomore season. However, he missed his first game this year following an invitation to the 2016 CCM/USA Hockey All American Prospect's game in Philadelphia, PA. which featured 42 of the best American hockey players from NCAA and major junior hockey.  
 
Proner, a 6-foot-2, 212-pound defenseman who was born in Presov, Slovakia but grew up in Oakville, ON. before being selected 30th overall by the Spirit in the second round of the 2015 OHL priority selection draft. 
 
Proner, who participated in the 2015 OHL Gold Cup in Kitchener, ON featuring 160 of the best OHL skaters under the age of 16 from Ontario, would spend the majority of the 2015-16 season playing for the Cambridge Winterhawks of the GOJHL where he boasted 38 points (9 goals, 29 assists) in 47 games along with 153 penalty minutes. He would also contribute 2 assists in his 9 games for the Spirit last season. 
 
Maksimov -another European transplant- who was born in Moskva, Russia and grew up playing youth hockey for CSKA Moskva before moving to Concord, ON. to play for the Toronto Jr. Canadiens' triple-A bantam/midget hockey program, making him eligible as a North American player. The Spirit would eventually select him with the 38th overall pick in the second round of the 2015 OHL priority selection draft. 
 
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound winger is off to a good sophomore campaign with 1 goal and 1 assist for 2 points through 4 games this season after an impressive 7 goal, 16 assist, 23 point stat line through 58 regular season/playoff games in his rookie year in the OHL.  
 
Hill, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound defenseman from Gurnee, IL. was drafted by the Spirit in the eighth round of the 2015 OHL priority selection draft. He would spend the entire 2015-16 season playing for the Team Illinois U-18's where he posted 1 assist and 75 penalty minutes through 22 games. He worked hard in the off-season and following a very strong training camp, he would go on make the final roster for the 2016-17 Spirit team. 
 
Traditionally, NHL Central Scouting will release two more lists before the June draft; a midterm list will come out sometime after Christmas, and then a final list prior to the draft. 

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