NHL ranks four Troops
Left wingers Shamar Moses and Lirim Amidovski, defenceman Jonathan Kapageridis and goaltender Mike McIvor of the North Bay Battalion are among those in final rankings released Tuesday by the National Hockey League’s central scouting department.
Moses is No. 104 on a list of 224 North American-based skaters in advance of the 2025 NHL Draft to be conducted June 27-28 at Los Angeles, while Amidovski is No. 123. McIvor is ranked 26th among 32 North American goaltenders.
A total of 52 skaters listed as being Ontario Hockey League players are ranked, while Kapageridis, who played most of the season with the Cobourg Cougars of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, is one of a number identified as having been with lesser teams.
“Each of these players deserves the distinction of being ranked and, in my opinion, there’s an argument for each of them to be higher up,” said Adam Dennis, director of hockey operations, as he prepared for the OHL Under-18 Priority Selection on Wednesday.
“Shamar and Lirim both had breakout seasons, while Jonathan gave us all a glimpse of his capabilities during his callup at the end of the season. While it’s nice to be ranked, I thought it was a major oversight that Mike McIvor did not move up the rankings. Not only was he our most valuable player, but his efforts were a key reason for us to make the playoffs.
“All four of these boys have bright futures, and we wish them the best of luck at the draft in June. Any team would be lucky to have them.”
Moses, who turns 18 on May 6, was the Barrie Colts’ first-round pick, 19th overall, in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection from the Don Mills Flyers U16s. North Bay acquired him in a trade Oct. 10.
In 61 games with the Battalion, the six-foot-one, 200-pound Toronto resident scored 12 goals and added 36 assists for 48 points. In 132 career games, he has 17 goals and 56 assists for 71 points
Amidovski, a six-foot-one resident of Alliston, Ont., who turned 18 on Dec. 22, was a ninth-rounder in 2022 from the Barrie Colts U16s. He scored 19 goals and earned 13 assists for 32 points in 67 games. His career totals are 126 games, 23 goals, 20 assists and 43 points.
Kapageridis, whose rights were acquired in a Jan. 9 trade, was the second overall pick in the 2024 Under-18 Priority Selection by the Sarnia Sting. He played five games with the Battalion, registering one assist. A Vaughan, Ont., resident who measures six feet and 176 pounds, he turns 18 on May 8.
McIvor, who went undrafted last year, turned 19 on March 22. A six-foot-one, 172-pound resident of Warkworth, Ont., and a fourth-round choice in 2022 from the Quinte Red Devils U16s, he is rated fifth of five OHL goaltenders listed.
In 45 games this season, McIvor posted a 2.86 goals-against average, a .910 save percentage, three shutouts and a won-lost-extended record of 22-17-3. In 65 career games, he has a 3.11 GAA, a .901 save percentage, four shutouts and a 30-28-3 record.
He starred in the playoffs last year in relief of the injured Dom DiVincentiis, posting a 2.68 GAA, a .914 save percentage, one shutout and 10 wins against five losses as the Battalion advanced to the Eastern Conference final for a third consecutive season. McIvor’s career playoff numbers are 20 games, a 2.94 GAA, a .909 save percentage, one shutout and an 11-9 won-lost record.
Defenceman Matthew Schaefer of the Erie Otters is rated No. 1 on the North American skaters list, while Jack Ivankovic of the Brampton Steelheads is the top-ranked OHL goaltender at No. 4. Joshua Ravensbergen of the Western Hockey League’s Prince George Cougars is first.
Skaters and goaltenders identified as OHLers total 57. The WHL amassed 64 and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League 39 for a Canadian Hockey League total of 160.
Also released were international lists, essentially Europeans, of 140 skaters and 15 goaltenders.
Players are first-time eligible for the NHL Draft in the year they turn 18, unless they are born Sept. 16 or later, in which case they must wait until the following year.
The Under-18 Priority Selection is to start at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, when at least 40 players born in 2007 or 2008 will be chosen from U18 AAA programs across Ontario. As they did in the Priority Selection held last Friday night and Saturday, the Peterborough Petes will select first overall.
The 20 OHL clubs are obligated to make picks through two rounds, with any team choosing a goaltender having the option to make a third selection, who must be a skater.
All U18 players not on a CHL team’s protected list who were carded with an Ontario-based AAA hockey club or an accredited Hockey Canada sport school within the Ontario Hockey Federation, Hockey Northwestern Ontario or Hockey Eastern Ontario in 2024-25 are eligible for selection.
The process will be held online and streamed on OHL Live. Selections also can be followed at ontariohockeyleague.com.
