Daryl Stone

@PrairieIRP Yes he did. Don't think there's any questions about his processing speed anymore. Other questions that will decide where he ends up being picked but answering that one I think really raised his floor for any teams that had questions about that.

@DarylCStone Thompson was one I was curious to see outside of the North shore team he was on during the season, seems like he did quite fine lol

Don't have a ton of followers but I do have a couple hours to kill if anyone has any questions about scouting, BC Cup, WHL draft or anything else.

@willybalters Almost feel like I should ask you your own question, you probably have a better idea than me haha.

@DarylCStone What does Kelowna do with first pick..keep it or trade it?

@PrairieIRP With Vickers it was his individual ability, hustling back constantly and playing good defense despite being a bit smaller. Thompson it was his ability to elevate his teammates, not just offensively but also on the forecheck, as he adapts and adjusts instinctively.

@PrairieIRP Thompson, I liked a lot but some people were wondering about his processing speed and I'll admit I let that cloud my ranking of him a bit but his performance snapped me out of that.

@willybalters I don't know, but with the way the landscape is changing as far as losing players to NCAA goes especially when it comes to 1st round NHL picks, there is likely an added bonus to being a prospects local or favoured team that might get you an extra season that others wouldn't.

🟥 WHL Draft 275 players were evaluated at the #CSSHL U15 Prep Championships. Only 9 earned an 'A' grade. That’s how hard true separation is at the 2011 birth year. The 'A' graded players: Kai Dingwall Jake Gerstenbuhler Lachlan Kisio Liam Bordt Landon Reschny Cohen Short Braydon Lindsay Brock Vodden Parker McMillan Who showed #WHL traits? Who drove pace every shift? Who is trending heading into the #whldraft? #NeutralZone provides the independent player evaluations and rankings housed inside #RinkNet — the digital platform trusted by 3,500+ #NHL, #CHL, #OHL, #WHL, #QMJHL, #LHJMQ, #USHL and #NCAAhockey decision-makers to manage reports, birth-year rankings, and draft boards. The full report includes detailed grades, notes, and development markers being read by hockey professionals. #NZEvaluations #hockey #hockeyscouting Read the full report 🔽 neutralzone.com/2026/04/12/css…

@willybalters Already had moved him up but despite that he was still a strong consideration for me to list here. If I hadn't, then he would've been on it, without a doubt.

@DarylCStone All good ones but Nathan Roberts stole the show for me.

Some players that stood out for me at the BC Cup (not necessarily the best but either solidified or raised their stock with where I had them going in): G Gavin Craig D Eli Vickers D Levi Ekkel F Noah Carignan F Theodore Kim F William Thompson

Final day of the BC Cup @_Neutral_Zone

@hockeyrexview Yes it is, and there's always some that surprise a bit, where getting out of a more structured system actually allows them to show better or I had just under estimated or both.

@DarylCStone @_Neutral_Zone It is always interesting to see who can actually play hockey when players are pit out together randomly to compete. It really shows who understands the game .

Last game of Day 1 at the BC Cup

@mothsfriend James Butterwick from Edge. 20 GP vs. top half - 15 G, 10 A. 10 GP vs. bottom half - 5 G, 5 A. Though for clarity, I put Rink Winnipeg into the bottom half and it doesn't include stats from the championships.

@DarylCStone tell us who lol

Been doing some digging into the stats for CSSHL U15 Prep players ahead of the WHL draft and there's a player who averaged over a point per game that actually had a better points per game average against teams in the top half of the league which I did not expect to find at all.

@ReviewOfHockey 100% teams do. And variable schedules were the biggest reason for doing it, just to have more concrete numbers on that. o Obviously there's an imbalance between AB & BC schedules at the CSSHL level but it was fun to break it down.

I would hope - and assume - scouts and GMS in drafts look at this kind of data - with leagues being so top heavy and with variable schedules - players can pad their stats vs weaker teams.

Looking forward to seeing who impresses, lots of chances for players to shine. Also chemistry won't be there for a lot of players both offensively and defensively, so it's a good chance to get a clearer evaluation of players' awareness and how quickly they can make reads.

With our CSSHL U15 Prep Championships report out, just want to thank @_Neutral_Zone and the subscribers who have made it possible for me to do it this season, from the Bauer to the Pat Quinn, Circle K and CSSHL U15 Prep Championships and everything else in between.

We have completed our reports for the CSSHL U15 Prep Championships, hosted in Penticton, BC. An excellent event and one of our biggest reports this season. Great read in preparation for the WHL Draft. neutralzone.com/2026/04/12/css…