Six former and future Green Bay Gamblers players appeared on the NHL Central Scouting Service’s recently released midseason rankings for the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
2022-22- Gamblers defenseman Artyom Levshunov (currently playing for Michigan State University) is the second overall-ranked North American skater. Shattuck-St. Mary’s left wing Will Zellers is the highest-ranked Gamblers forward at 48th overall among North American skaters. Christian Kirsch is the team’s only player on Central Scouting’s International list, the 14th-ranked European goaltender.
Additionally, Shattuck center Aidan Park (79th), Holderness School defenseman Caeden Herrington (167th) and former Gamblers center Eli Sebastian (208th) appeared on the North American skater rankings.
Levshunov, 18, is a native of Zhlobin, Belarus, and led all Gamblers defensemen last season with 13 goals and 42 points. He was named to the USHL’s 3rd and All-Rookie Teams after the 2022-23 regular season. The 6-foot-2, 208-pound right-shooting defender’s offensive production was the second best in USHL history for a defenseman one year away from the NHL draft, a record held by another former Gambler, Jordan Schmaltz. The latter posted 44 points with the Sioux City Musketeers in 2010-11 (prior to his trade to Green Bay), and went on to be the 25th overall selection by the St. Louis Blues in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Levshunov leads all Spartan rearguards in scoring as a true freshman, with six goals and 24 points in 22 NCAA games.
Zellers, who hails from Maple Grove, Minn., is a second-year player with Shattuck’s prep team and leads the nation in scoring with 38 goals and 73 points in 37 games. The 5-foot-10, 163-pound winger is committed to the University of North Dakota. Zellers was a standout on USA’s Under-18 Select Team at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup tournament in August, posting 5-2-7 totals in seven games. He appeared in one USHL game last season for the Gamblers, scoring a goal in his debut.
Park, from Hermosa Beach, Calif., has 20 goals and 60 points in 37 contests for Shattuck, He was also a member of Team USA at the Hlinka-Gretzky event with Zellers, scoring 3 goals and 4 points in five games. Park appeared in 4 regular season USHL games with Green Bay last season, and another three playoff games, scoring his first career goal in the postseason series against the Dubuque Fighting Saints. The third overall pick in the 2022 USHL Futures Draft is committed to the University of Michigan.
Herrington is a native of Manchester, Vt., and leads all prep defensemen in the nation with a 1.85 points-per-game average on the strength of 3 goals and 24 points in 13 games. The 6-foot-2, 189-pound right-shooter is committed to the University of Vermont. Herrington was added to the Gamblers roster and will join the team at the conclusion of his prep season in March.
Sebastian, who posted 17 goals and 48 points as a rookie with Green Bay last season, plays for Northeastern University in the Hockey East. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Burlington, Ont. product was a standout at St. Andrew’s College prep school before making the jump to the USHL.
Kirsch, a Gamblers fifth-round selection in the 2023 USHL Entry Draft, is committed to the University of Massachusetts. The 6-foot-4, 181-pound native of Basel, Switzerland is having a strong year for Zug U20 of the Swiss junior league with a 19-3-1 record and 2.16 goals against average in 23 games.
The Gamblers are celebrating their 30th season in Northeast Wisconsin. To purchase individual tickets, go to www.gamblershockey.com or visit the Resch Center box office open, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM Monday – Friday and on Gambler game days beginning at 10:00 AM. For group tickets call Cole, 920-405-1153. Beverage Inclusive seating call Greg, 920-405-1150.
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