November was another big month for the 2008-born North American class as a number of major events took place that impacted our rankings, including the Whitby Silver Stick, one of the marquee tournaments of the season featuring some of the top teams from Canada and the US.
Let's get right into and take a look at the highlights from our November ranking update.
New 5-Star Players
Ontario's Alexander Hage has earned 5-star status thanks to some dominating performances across many views in November, in particular at the Whitby Silver Stick. He was an offensive force and the second most impressive player at the event behind top Ontario talent Adam Valentini. With the added benefit of seeing Hage on the same ice as many of the top Americans at the Silver Stick, we gained added confidence that he belonged in the top tier of this 2008 group.
Nathan Amidovski is another Ontario skater who joins Hage in the 5-star category. His trifecta of large frame, puck skills, and lateral mobility combine for a fascinating and unique prospect. Amidovski's tools allow him to dominate in small spaces and control play whenever he's on the ice. Given his physical tools, his game has plenty of potential to realize over the coming years, thus the ascension into the 5-star category, as he has everything in place to develop into a top-tier player in the 2008 class.
Highest Debuts
As we've continued unraveling the Ontario 2008 class depth, many Ontario skaters have since been added to our rankings over the past two months. In this update, most of those come in the 3 & 3.5-star ranks, but Cole Zurawski is an exception, landing in the 4-star tier. Across many viewings of the Mississauga Rebels, Cole has been a consistent offensive scoring threat, showing excellent on-puck skills to navigate pressure and a top-notch shot, allowing him to score from any angle and distance. Cole made a similar high debut on our 2024 OHL Draft rankings, cracking the list at #20.
High-Risers
A pair of Ontario's Alliance league skaters climbed tremendously in this month's rankings update, mainly due to enhanced views at the Alliance Showcase weekend and Whitby Silver Stick. They were both previously 3.5-star prospects, and Carter Hicks elevated himself to a 4.5-star while Parker Vaughan climbed to a 4-star. Over the many views of these two in November, they proved they are among the top of the class in the Ontario region, earning them higher spots on our 2008 rankings.
Jayden Plouffe is a high-end offensive talent and one of the premiere playmakers in the 2024 QMJHL draft class. His hands/feet combo make him a dangerous puck transporter through the neutral zone by backing off defenders and creating zone entries for his team. His mental mapping in the offensive zone makes him a dangerous presence with the puck on his stick. He’s a threat to pass on both his forehand and backhand, which makes him unpredictable and keeps defenders on their toes.
A pair of Chicago Mission skaters also saw their stock rise after some strong play over the last month as Ryan Hecker and Victor Plante both leapt into the top-100. Hecker’s defensive positioning and ability to quickly read the opposition’s intentions lead to him halting the offense in their tracks. His physicality is another part of his game that he utilizes very well, he times his steps and leverages his body to lay a big hit along the boards or tie up the puck carrier and wrestle the puck away.
Victor Plante has stepped his game up over the last month and his playmaking ability is really beginning to shine through. He has been seeing the ice very well and he uses his skating ability well to open up the center of the ice for his teammates. He looks increasingly confident with the puck on his stick and attacks the defense head on looking to win 1 on 1 battles and create odd man rushes.
Nikolas Rossetto climbs from a 4-star to a 4.5-star prospect in the November update. Due to Pittsburgh Pens Elite presence at the Whitby Silver Stick, our team had the chance to evaluate Rossetto against the top of the 2008 Ontario class and he more than proved he belonged. Pens Elite teammate Luca Blonda also saw an uptick in our rankings, inching his way closer and closer to 5-star territory.