Change is scary, so take comfort in the final version of the NHL Central Scouting ratings. The rankings oddly give hockey fans some consistency to hold on to in an uncertain world in the form of the top-rated player, QMJHL superstar Alexis Lafreniere, who’s been officially ranked No. 1 on the North American skaters list since the midterm break.  

The abrupt end to the season has done nothing to shake the scouts’ opinions of the Rimouski forward, who totaled 35 goals and 112 points in 52 games for Oceanic. Lafreniere scored four goals and added six assists for 10 points while playing for Team Canada’s Under-20 squad at the World Junior Classic. 

Following Lafreniere are two familiar faces in second-ranked Quentin Byfield, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound center from the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League, and his OHL counterpart in Sudbury, defenseman Jamie Drysdale. Byfield and Drysdale were also ranked second and third respectively in the midterm rankings. 

Jake Sanderson, a defenseman for the U.S. National Team Development Program’s Under-18 team, is once again the highest-rated American. A native of Whitefish, Montana, Sanderson climbed from No. 11 to No. 4 since January’s ratings. 

Germany’s Tim Stuetzle remains the No. 1 European player according to Central Scouting, followed by Swedish forward Alexander Holtz and Finnish center Anton Lundell. 

When it comes to Minnesota natives, Andover star defenseman Wyatt Kaiser rocketed to No. 37 among North American skaters, jumping 19 up spots from his midterm rating of 56th. USNTDP standout and former Maple Grove defender Brack Faber is the other Minnesotan in the top-50, coming in at No. 44.

Warroad forward Grant Slykynsky and Blake's Joe Miller had two of the most significant rises among the 217 players ranked, with both players being unrated in January. Slukynsky jumped to No. 152 after scoring 30 goals and recording 101 points for the Warriors, while Miller dished out 47 assists and totaled 80 points for the Bears.