Three Lethbridge Hurricanes have received recognition from the National Hockey League.
Kash Andresen, Will Sharpe and Koen Cleaver are three of the 55 Western Hockey League players named to the NHL Central Scouting Service’s Preliminary Players to Watch list for the 2025 Entry Draft, which is set to take place in June 2025.
NHL Central Scouting uses a five-category rating system to estimate where a player could be drafted. An ‘A’ rating is listed for a potential first-round pick, while ‘B’-rated players are expected to go in the second or third round.
A ‘C’ rated player is projected to be a fourth or fifth-round pick and a ‘W’ rating indicates a player that could be a sixth or seventh-round pick. Meanwhile, ‘LV’ (Limited Viewing) recognizes a player who hasn’t had sufficient viewing to be placed in a category.
Andresen, 17, was originally selected by the Hurricanes 33rd overall in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft. He was listed as a ‘W’ skater. So far this season, he has scored two goals, recorded one assist and has accumulated six penalty minutes across nine games. In 52 games during the 2023-24 season, Andresen had two goals, seven assists and 18 penalty minutes. He added one assist in four post-season games.
Sharpe was ranked as a ‘C’ skater. The 17-year-old has collected 10 points to start the 2024-25 season, with two goals and eight assists, along with six penalty minutes. Sharpe was originally picked by Lethbridge 11th overall in the 2022 WHL Draft. Throughout his career so far, he has appeared in 69 regular season games, scoring six goals and dishing out 15 assists, along with 46 penalty minutes. In international play, the defenceman helped Canada capture gold at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. Sharpe also participated in the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup Showcase in August.
Cleaver was listed as a ‘W’ goaltender. He was selected 48th overall by the Hurricanes in the 2022 WHL Draft and was the first netminder chosen in that draft. Cleaver has appeared in seven career regular season games with Lethbridge, earning a record of 2-3-1-0 and a 4.41 goals against average and .866 save percentage. This season, he has started three games, going 2-1-0-0 with a 3.28 goals against average and a .904 save percentage. Cleaver helped Canada win gold alongside Sharpe at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. Earlier this season, the 17-year-old was named WHL Goaltender of the Week.
READ MORE: Hurricanes’ Koen Cleaver named WHL Goaltender of the Week
