Zach Dean, a 17-year-old from Mount Pearl, is on the NHL Central Scouting Bureau’s (CSB) 2021 preliminary players to watch list for the ’21 NHL draft.
Dean is a second-year centre with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Gatineau Olympiques.
The CSB list ranks players from A to C, and LV (limited viewing, likely because of injury).
A-ranked players are first-round candidates, while a B is a potential second- or third-rounder with C being a player who could go in Rounds 4-6.
CSB has Dean ranked a B level player.
Dean was a finalist for the Michael Bergeron Award as the QMJHL’s top offensive rookie last season after finishing sixth amongst QMJHL rookies in scoring (18 goals and 46 points in 57 games).
He has yet to appear in a game this season because of a wrist injury.
Now listed at 6-feet and 176 pounds by Central Scouting, Dean was selected fourth overall in the QMJHL midget draft in 2019.
