2016 NHL Draft: December Rankings

Defenceman Mikhail Sergachev #31 of the Windsor Spitfires moves the puck against the Peterborough Petes on October 8, 2015 at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

Oct. 7, 2015 – Source: Dennis Pajot/Getty Images North America

As the 2016 NHL Draft inches closer, each month comes with its own set of top 30 rankings from each scouting service around. This site will be one of many that will provide you with a certain opinion of who should go where in the “1st round” of the 2016 NHL Draft.

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There are many prospects in this year’s draft that have the skill to be first round prospects. Some of the spots you may agree with. Some decisions may you may find arguable. Either way, it is shaping up to be a fun and competitive NHL Draft.

With that in mind here are the December-updated 2016 NHL Draft Top 30 Rankings. Comment below any comments or questions, or feel free to contact me on Twitter @MarkoFznFutures.

Attached to link is a PDF of the December Rankings.

2016 NHL Draft: December Rankings

Making a significant jump up this month’s list is Windsor defenceman Mikhail Sergachyov. The 6’2″, 205 lbs Russian native has had a terrific month of November to add to his already impressive start. His two-way play has been among the best in the Ontario Hockey League as of late which has helped the Spitfires climb to a 16-8-3 record. That puts them at a seven point lead over Sarnia for the West Division crown.

Will Bitten can’t stop, won’t stop. He is 12th in the OHL scoring race and has had a point in all but one game in the month of November. His playmaking ability and natural instincts of where to be on the ice coincides with his dominating performances.

This terrific goal came against the North Bay Battalion. Bitten shows his intelligence to know where the lob pass is headed and beat out the sky-gazing defenders. He follows that up with a sweet head fake to beat Smith.

Tyler Benson sticks in the top 20 despite playing the majority of his games this past month. His play is too powerful each night to not keep him inside the top 20. He brings a big body to the Giants lineup and uses that size to gain a net-front presence. He can also dish the puck with power and accuracy.

At the top 3 we see a bit of a shakeup as well. Matthew Tkachuk comes into the picture bumping everyone down a spot. Tkachuk has been one of the best forwards in the OHL this season and has gained much-deserved attention for it. Looking back, his decision to skip out on Notre Dame and the NCAA might be a very smart one for the St Louis native.

An offensive juggernaut with the high-powered London Knights, Tkachuk and company have found they are always up for the task no matter the defense they face. His skating through the neutral zone is truly a pleasure to watch as well.

There was a fair share of movement in this month’s rankings and there will undoubtedly be more in the upcoming months. One prospect to watch for is Finnish winger Aapeli Räsänen of Tappara U20. Räsänen first came onto the scene at the 2015 Ivan Hlinka this past summer where he stunned many with this playmaking ability.

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This season with Tappara’s minor team he has put up 11 goals and 8 assists in 25 games. This may not be as impressive on a U20 team as it would be on a major team, but it is worth noting that he is still making plays.