WHL 2026-27: Faces in different places
After the Everett Silvertips broke through for their first ever Ed Chynoweth title a season ago, it’s been a summer of movement across the WHL.
Champions in 2024, the Medicine Hat Tigers continued to add to an already impressive roster while arguably the biggest move of the summer belonged to the Victoria Royals.
Cameron Schmidt (Vancouver → Victoria)
The biggest name on the move this summer in the WHL, and arguably in the CHL, Cameron Schmidt’s (DAL) trade to Victoria puts the Royals firmly in contender category as they chase a first WHL championship.
Last season, between Seattle and Vancouver, Schmidt hit the 50-goal, 100-point plateau, the only player in the WHL to do so. The two previous seasons with the Giants, he tallied a combined 71 goals. In all, Schmidt has 123 goals and 237 points across three WHL seasons.
The 94th overall pick by the Stars in the 2025 NHL Draft, he has also tasted international success with gold medals at the 2023 World U17 Hockey Challenge, 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and 2025 U18 World Championships.
The Royals also added Savin Virk – who led Tri-City in scoring last year – while a pair of European NHL prospects are off to Vancouver Island in forward Filip Novak (CBJ) and goaltender Vladimir Proskurin (STL).
What a ROYAL performance from Cameron Schmidt!! 👑🔥@victoriaroyals | @DallasStars | #TexasHockey | #WHLHatTricks pic.twitter.com/mQTaWJt5PK
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) September 5, 2026
Josh Evaschesen (Kamloops → Medicine Hat)
Already loaded with offensive talent, the Medicine Hat Tigers felt more would be better as they added 20-year-old Josh Evaschesen from Kamloops.
In his first season with the Blazers last year, he had 33 goals and 73 points as he made an immediate impact in the WHL.
Now Evaschesen joins an offence that already includes the dymanic Ruck twins – who each passed 100 points last season before being drafted by Pittsburgh – NHL prospect Yaroslav Bryzgalov (VAN) as well as 2027 NHL Draft prospects Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll and Noah Davidson. The club also added Arvid Drott (FLA) in the CHL Import Draft.
On the back end, the Tigers got a commitment from Mace’o Phillips (CGY) after a three-year USHL career to help offset the departures of Bryce Pickford (MTL) and Jonas Woo (CBJ).
Giorgos Pantelas (Brandon → Penticton)
After a debut WHL season that exceeded expectations, the Penticton Vees shored up its d-line with the addition of Giorgos Pantelas (LA).
Pantelas’ second full WHL season saw him record a career high 37 points (six goals) as he finished second among Brandon blueliners in scoring a season ago.
The 18-year-old will be part of a blue line that includes a returning Callum Stone as well as the fifth overall pick in the 2025 WHL Draft in Thor Liffiton. The club also signed Jackson Schneider after he spent last season in the USHL with Waterloo.
Parker Trottier (USNTDP → Regina)
The Regina Pats already had a pair of offensive stars in 2028 NHL Draft prospects Maddox Schultz and Liam Pue to build around. They then added Parker Trottier (MTL) for good measure.
The Montreal Canadiens prospect heads to the WHL after two seasons in the USNTDP that concluded with him being the 189th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
The Edina, MN., native is the latest addition in a summer that saw the Pats invest heavily through the CHL Import Draft with the arrivals of Finnish d-man Ossi Tukio, Czechia blueliner Tomas Cermak and Slovak forward Samuel Karsay. Alongside NHL prospect Zachary Lansard (CAR), new head coach David Bell has ample of talent as his disposal in his first season behind the Regina bench.
Carter Sanderson (Muskegon → Calgary)
In a summer that saw a number of players jump from the USHL to the CHL, Carter Sanderson (PIT) is one of the more notable signings.
A native of Pierre, SD, Sanderson joins the Hitmen after a 34-point campaign with Muskegon where he was also the team’s captain. The year prior, he was crowned a Clark Cup champion as a rookie.
He also heads into his maiden WHL season with a buzz – he was one of the star’s of the 2026 World Juniors Summer Showcase where he had eight goals and 14 points.
In Calgary, he’ll help pace an attack that also includes the returning Andrei Molgachev and Blake Vanek (OTT) alongside newly acquired Russian Import Artem Katsuro. On the blue line, another Import was added in Swedish NHL prospect Jakob Leander (CGY).
