Moose Jaw's Reece Newkirk put together a breakout season for the Portland Winterhawks and it has drawn the attention of NHL scouts.

Newkirk was ranked 81st among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting's final draft rankings this week. That comes after a great second season in the Western Hockey League.

"Coming into the year, I wanted to do a lot more than I did when I was 16 because I have a lot more experience in the league and this year I was just more confident, I was playing with some great teammates and it was a great all-around year," Newkirk told DiscoverMooseJaw.com on Wednesday.

The 17-year-old forward posted 23 goals and 59 points while playing in all-68 games with the Winterhawks during the 2018-19 season.

Newkirk's strong offensive numbers are a big part of why he's caught the eye of scouts, but he said he wasn't thinking much about the possibility of being drafted during the season.

"Obviously it wasn't something that I pay too much attention too, but it's nice, it gives you a little boost, but I just wanted to keep going with my season," said Newkirk.

"I hope that my name gets called but I can't really control that, it would be an honour to go, obviously, and I'm looking forward to it."

Newkirk has seen what it takes to make it to the professional ranks over the past two seasons after playing with Cody Glass and Joachim Blichfeld, who have both signed NHL contracts.

"You look up to guys playing in the WHL when you're just trying to get to the WHL and my goal is to obviously play in the NHL one day and you look up to guys like Cody and Blichfeld and just see what they do because one day they're going to be playing in the NHL," said Newkirk.

While the draft is in his vision right now, Newkirk is also focusing on next season in Portland and taking on a bigger role with the likes of Glass and Blichfeld expected to move onto pro hockey.

"It's mostly what a lot of people say, you've got to keep getting bigger and stronger but I still think that I can improve on my speed and get that going which would help me make it to the next level," he said.

The 2019 NHL Draft will be held June 21-22 in Vancouver.