NHL Central Scouting final rankings: Dubois leads North American skaters

Coming to a consensus for the top-ranked North American skater was a difficult task, according to NHL Director of Central Scouting Dan Marr.

Many were surprised to see Cape Breton Screaming Eagles forward Pierre-Luc Dubois atop the list of North American skaters on NHL Central Scouting rankings released Tuesday morning.

“You might see a big shift for a Tier II player who was seen a lot. You don't see that type of movement right at the top of the class, no,” a scout told Sportsnet’s Gare Joyce. "I never saw it coming and I had seen Dubois a fair bit. He was a priority for us in the second half of the season."

Dubois was seventh on Central Scouting’s mid-term rankings released in January.

“At our mid-season rankings we had a thorough discussion as to whether (Julien) Gauthier or Dubois would be the top ranked player in Quebec. It was one of those things we said we’d sort out at the end of the year,” Marr told Yahoo Canada Sports on Tuesday evening. “(Dubois) was already (in position) to have an uptick going into the second half, and at the final meetings, there was strong support for both Dubois and (Matthew) Tkachuk – it’s not a unanimous selection.”

Who made the final call on putting Dubois atop the rankings?

“Well, the buck stops here,” Marr admitted pointing to himself. “But I’ve learned over time, with experience both good and bad, that the group’s list is far better than the individual’s. Whether I agreed or not, it was leaning this way in March for Dubois so that’s who we went with.”

Dubois, a native of Ste. Agathe-des-Mont, Que., finished with 42 goals and 99 points in 62 regular season games with Cape Breton in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League this season. The 17-year-old has added five goals and three assists through the first eight games of the playoffs.

Tkachuk, the son of former NHLer Keith Tkachuk, scored 30 goals and 107 points in 57 games with the London Knights during his first Ontario Hockey League season. The 18-year-old St. Louis native was first amongst North American skaters during the mid-season rankings.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound forward has added nine goals and nine assists through the first eight post-season games.

Marr said his staff looked at how both Tkachuk and Dubois’ skills translate at the next level when making their final decisions.

“Dubois brings that entire package that any situation, anywhere on the ice he’s out there capable of making a difference in the game. Matthew Tkachuk may be a little bit more, he’s the guy that can go out and win you the game.

“This is the tightest, since I’ve been in my role at Central Scouting, this is the tightest we’ve had a ‘who should be No. 1’ (discussion).”

Finns impressing

With Olli Juolevi, Patrik Laine and Jesse Puljujarvi all expected to be high first round selections at the June draft in Buffalo, Marr credited the Finnish Ice Hockey Association for the successful development of its players.

“They developed a hockey model and they stuck with it and the players that play in their country, they don’t travel a lot, they practice a lot, they emphasize skills and development,” Marr said. “They play competitive games, they have a competitive nature about them, but they focus on the proper conditioning and nutrition.

“They groom everyone just to be better athletes so they’re better players and better people.”

Evidence of the success of the Finnish program came in January when the host nation took gold at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships.

It was the second time in three years Finland took home gold at the Under-20 tournament and just the fourth time in the history of the tournament the Finns have been victorious at the event.

“It’s paying off, you can see that, but they have a very patient approach to it,” Marr continued. “They don’t rush anybody along. Laine and Puljujarvi they weren’t rushed to play in the professional ranks. They trained hard, they practiced hard (and) they prepared themselves.

“They put them in the position to succeed and they were able to capitalize on it.”

No doubt about Matthews

One thing the scouts at NHL Central Scouting did agree on is Auston Matthews.

Marr agreed the Scottsdale, Arizona native is the consensus No. 1 pick for this year’s draft.

“The other kids in the mix in the top five, they made it interesting in spurts, it looked like they were closing the gap, but there is a gap,” Marr said. “He is the census best forward available for the draft.”

Matthews, 18, scored 24 goals and 22 assists in 36 games while playing professionally in Zurich this season.