November 25, 2003
Central Scouting Releases Preliminary Rankings

The NHL's Central Scouting Service has released its preliminary rankings of the top 35 skaters and five goaltenders in college hockey who are eligible for the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

Nine of the 40 players in the rankings, including each of the top four, were born after Sept. 15, 1985, meaning that they would have to "opt-in" to next summer's draft in order to be selected. Players who have already enrolled in school forfeit their NCAA eligibility if they opt in to the draft (junior players, on the other hand, can opt in and retain their eligibility).

In addition to the 40 ranked players, the Central Scouting Service listed 16 additional players who their scouts have not seen enough to include in the rankings.