Reynolds, MacDonald make latest 'Players to Watch' list

Photo: Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Two current and one former Saint John Sea Dog made NHL Central Scouting's latest Players to Watch list, which was released on Jan. 22.

Peter Reynolds and Joshua Roy were both given B ratings, which indicates a second- or third-round candidate. Cam MacDonald was given a C rating, which means a fourth-, fifth-, or sixth-round candidate.

Roy was recently traded to the Sherbrooke Phoenix. Reynolds and MacDonald are both in their first QMJHL seasons.

There were a few other notable names on the list.

• Forward Fyodor Svechkov, Saint John's first-round pick in the 2020 CHL Import Draft, was given an A rating.
• Defenseman Guillaume Richard, a fourth-round pick of the Sea Dogs in the 2020 QMJHL Entry Draft who is committed to the University of Maine, was given a B rating.
• Bobby Orr, a 2019 Sea Dogs draft pick who was traded to Halifax this off-season, was awarded a C rating.
• American forward Nick Roukounakis, a 10th-round pick of the Sea Dogs in the 2019 draft and a Boston University commit, was given a C rating. 

Only three players from the QMJHL were given A ratings: Rimouski's Zachary Bolduc, Shawinigan's Xavier Bourgault, and Halifax's Zachary L'Heureux.

In total, 35 QMJHL players were listed. The full list can be found here.

The 2021 NHL Draft certainly has the potential to be one of the strangest in history thanks to the pandemic, which has offered scouts very few - and any - chances to watch this year's crop.

The 2021 NHL Draft is currently scheduled for July 23-24. There are reports that some teams are pushing for the draft to be pushed into early winter or even into the summer of 2022, where two drafts would be held.