The full-time staff of the Central Scouting Service follows a checklist to assess the prospects' skillset and how it would apply to the pro game. Prospects are rated by skill as Excellent (E), Very Good (VG), Good (G), Average (A), Poor (P), or Not Applicable (NA), with different skills being emphasized amongst the different positions:
forward,
defenceman, and
goaltender. The Service releases the contents of the checklists to the public from their website, so anyone can evaluate players at any level of play. The rankings are compiled by numerous reviews by the professional scouts' combined opinions of the players and released as a bimonthly list. Eligible players for the upcoming draft are ranked as
North American Skaters,
North American Goalies,
European Skaters, or
European Goalies. The players fit under the North American or International player based on where they train. For example, the
Czech forward,
Jakub Voracek was ranked as a North American prospect, because he played with the
Halifax Mooseheads in the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. A more recent example is
American center
Auston Matthews who was first on the European ranks, as he played for the
ZSC Lions of the
NLA. Updated rankings are released multiple times each year. Notably, the midterm rankings come out after the
IIHF World Junior Championships and performance in the tournament greatly elevates draft status. In early April, after all junior and European seasons are completed, the final rankings are released. The CSS collaborates with NHL general managers to select players for the annual
CHL/USA Prospects Challenge, a two-game
junior ice hockey series between the
Canadian Hockey League (CHL) and the
USA Hockey National Team Development Program to showcase the talents of top prospects for the upcoming NHL entry draft. ==History==