NHL draft tracker: Tyson Baillie, Kelowna Rockets

While scanning over the Western Hockey League’s top draft eligible forwards in the offseason, Kelowna Rockets centre Tyson Baillie appeared to be near the top. He not only was coming off a 26-goal, 56-point sophomore season, but he also elevated his game in the playoffs with eight goals and 14 points in nine contests.

Yet when NHL Central Scouting Service released their preliminary ranking in September, Baillie didn’t even receive a mention. They ranked 19 forwards ahead of him even though only three of them outscored him last year.

Baillie was discouraged when he saw he didn’t even crack the C-list, but he tried to shrug it off as quickly as possible.

“I was pretty disappointed when I saw the list,” says Baillie. “You want to get noticed by scouts, but it’s just a list. I tried not to let it bother me. Those lists don’t really mean much. Even drafts don’t mean too much like the bantam draft. It’s not about the draft or where you’re ranked, it’s about what you do afterwards.”

It is tough to say exactly why CSS didn’t feel Baillie was good enough to crack the list. He does have a relatively compact frame, standing 5-foot-10 and 187 pounds. Expectations are slightly higher for him because he’s entering his third season in the league with a late-1995 birthdate. But even with those two things working against him, it seems his high-end skill and enticing 2012-13 stats should have been enough to get him noticed.

If Baillie does go onto don an NHL jersey on draft day, he wouldn’t be the first who was snubbed from the preliminary CSS ranking. In 2012, the scouting service didn’t rank Prince George Cougars winger Troy Bourke before he went onto be selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the third round.

“It’s nice to know that other guys that weren’t listed were drafted,” says Baillie. “It shows the lists don’t mean much.”

Albeit he’s only played seven games thus far this season, it seems Baillie is making a strong case to crack CSS’s next list. He has picked up right were left off in last year’s playoffs, maintaining well over a point-per-game ratio with three goals and eight assists.

“I’m happy with my start to the year,” says the Edmonton native. “I think the playoffs really helped my game. In the playoffs you have to find another level and that’s what I did. I raised my game and was able to score some points.”

1. How would you describe yourself as a player?

“I’m a hard working two-way forward. I play hard defensively and try to generate scoring chances. I try to make the players around me better and go hard to the net.”

2. Do you model your game after a player in the NHL?

“I like how (Los Angeles Kings star) Mike Richards plays. He’s a two-way forward like me and he works hard out there. I like players like him because they never quit.”

3. Who is your favourite NHL team?

“I like the Edmonton Oilers. I grew up in Edmonton, so I’ve always cheered for them.”

4. What kind of music do you like to listen to before a game?

“I listen to a lot of Eminem. His music gets me pumped up before a game.”

5. What’s your favourite movie and television show?

“My favourite movie is Warrior. It’s just a great movie with a good story. My favourite TV show would have to be Trailer Park Boys. A lot of my friends watch it and they got me into it. I think it’s pretty funny show.”

Kelly Friesen is a Buzzing the Net columnist for Yahoo! Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KellyFriesen