The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders’ Tyler Thompson, Bryce Aneloski and Brady Hjelle have all made the National Hockey League Central Scouting Service mid-season rankings of draft eligible players. In addition, RoughRiders affiliated player Greg Burke also made the Central Scouting list. The rankings were released yesterday.

“This just shows how highly regarded our league and our players are,” said RoughRiders Coach and General Manager Mark Carlson. “The players fans see right now in the USHL are going to be the ones excelling in college hockey and in the pros in the years to come.”

Thompson, 18, is ranked one hundred forty-ninth among North American skaters. The second year Rider forward was just yesterday selected to play in the United States Hockey League Prospects/All-Star game January 29 in Green Bay. Thompson leads the Riders in goals (12) and ranks second in points (26). The Wayzata, Minnesota, native is also tied for second on the team in plus/minus rating (+15) and is tied for seventh in the league in plus/minus.

Thompson has already topped his offensive totals for all of last year- he scored eight goals and registered 17 points in 37 games in his first USHL campaign.

Aneloski, 17, is the one hundred fifty-ninth ranked North American-based skater. The first year Rider defenseman has scored four goals and collected eight assists for 12 points this season. The Pekin, Illinois, native is tied for eighth among USHL defensemen in goal scoring. Aneloski was selected by the RoughRiders in eighth round of last May’s USHL Entry Draft with the eighty-first overall pick after playing midget hockey for Team Illinois last season.

Hjelle, 17, ranks nineteenth among North American goaltenders. The International Falls (Minnesota) High School product has posted a record of 15-5-1 and leads USHL goaltenders in wins. Last Saturday Hjelle stopped 26 Green Bay Gambler shots on the way to his league-leading second shutout of the season. The Minnesota-Duluth recruit ranks second in the league in goals against average (2.18), save percentage (.934) and minutes played (1265:06).

Central Scouting recognition is just the latest in a string of honors for Hjelle, who, like Thompson, will represent the RoughRiders in the All-Star Game later this month. Last August Hjelle played for the United States Under-18 Select Team at the 2007 Under-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. In October, he helped the U.S. Junior Select Team to a bronze medal at the World Junior A Challenge in British Columbia. Hjelle has also already been named USHL Goaltender of the Week twice this season.

The Riders originally selected Hjelle in the ninth round of the October, 2006 USHL Futures Draft with the one hundredth overall pick.

Burke ranks one hundred seventy-fifth among North American skaters. The 17-year old currently skates for the Eastern Junior Hockey League’s New Hampshire Junior Monarchs. Burke was chosen by the RoughRiders in the second round of the 2006 USHL Futures draft with the sixteenth overall choice. The Lee, New Hampshire native has scored seven goals and totaled 17 points in 24 EJHL games this season. Burke has already committed to play college hockey at the University of New Hampshire. As one of the RoughRiders’ affiliated players, Burke is protected by the Riders but is not part of the team’s 23-player active roster.

The mid-season rankings are the first comprehensive list of draft-eligible player ratings released by NHL Central Scouting. The lists will be updated again in May, just weeks before the 2008 NHL Entry Draft is held June 20 and 21 in Ottawa.

Eleven RoughRiders have been selected in the NHL draft since the team’s arrival in Cedar Rapids in 1999. Calgary Flames forward Dave Moss is the first Rider alumnus to reach the NHL.

The RoughRiders (19-7-1, 39 points) are currently in second place in the USHL’s East Division. The Riders will visit Green Bay for a pair of games this weekend. The Riders and Gamblers will meet tomorrow evening at 7:05 and again Sunday afternoon at 1:05.

The Riders are next in action at home on Friday, January 18 against the Chicago Steel. One night later the Riders will host the Sioux Falls Stampede. Both of those games face off at 7:05PM.

Tickets for all remaining RoughRider regular season home games- including the January 18 and January 19 games- are now on sale. Tickets are available for purchase in person at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena ticket office, over the phone at (319) 261-4625 or on line at www.roughridershockey.com. The ticket office is open from noon to 5:00PM on weekdays and from noon through the end of the second period on game days. Ticket prices range from $7 to $17 in advance and from $8 to $18 on game days.