2025 WHL Prospects Draft Preview, 2024 Draft Review
Kennewick, WA – The 2025 WHL Expansion Draft, WHL Prospects Draft and U.S. Priority Draft are set for this week. One of the most exciting days on the WHL calendar every season, the 23 WHL clubs will scour their notes and select the players they believe will become important pieces of their future. The 2025 WHL Prospects Draft and U.S. Priority Draft are for players born in 2010.
Below we will not only preview the 2025 Drafts, running down how many picks the Americans have and where they will be selecting, but also reviewing the 2024 Drafts and see how the players selected by Tri-City last season fared during the 2024-25 hockey season.
2025 WHL Expansion Draft
The WHL is expanding to 23 teams with the addition of the Penticton Vees for the 2025-26 season. Penticton is located in British Columbia, roughly five hours north of Tri-City. With that, the league will hold an expansion draft where the Vees will be allowed to select one player of each of the 22 WHL teams’ rosters ahead of their inaugural season. Below are the rules for the expansion draft, as laid out by the WHL.
WHL teams will be allowed to protect a certain number of players off their roster. They are given two options:
A) 16 players aged 17 to 20 years old (born in 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005) appearing on their 50-player, Injured, Suspended, Graduate, Special Import, and 20-year-old Lists, plus an additional six (6) players appearing on their College List.
Or
B) 14 players aged 17 to 19 years old (born in 2008, 2007, 2006) and three (3) 20-year-old players (born in 2005) appearing on their 50-player, Injured, Suspended, Graduate, Special Import, and 20-year-old Lists, plus an additional six (6) players on their College List.
Players born in 2009 are fully exempt from the expansion draft, and do not need to be protected.
Regulations Relating to Expansion Franchise
- Penticton can select one (1) player from each WHL Club for a total of 22 players.
- Penticton will be permitted to dress four (4) 20-year-old players in all pre-season, regular season, and playoff games during the 2025-26 WHL season only. Should Penticton win the WHL Championship, they will only be permitted to dress three (3) 20-year-old players in the 2026 Memorial Cup.
- Trades between Penticton and WHL Clubs for a player(s) and / or a draft pick(s) will be permitted in place of the expansion pick.
2025 U.S. Priority Draft
The first stage of the 2025 WHL U.S. Priority Draft Lottery determined the order of selection of the six non-playoff Clubs – Moose Jaw, Regina, Kelowna, Kamloops, Wenatchee, and Red Deer – and the eight teams that were eliminated during the first round of the 2025 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien. The six non-playoff teams and eight teams that lost in the first round of the playoffs each received one ball in the lottery. The first ball drawn determined the 15th-overall pick and the final ball drawn represented the first-overall pick in the first round of the 2025 WHL U.S. Priority Draft. The Brandon Wheat Kings were the final ball drawn, giving them the first overall selection.
The Americans will select 11th overall in the first round of the WHL U.S. Priority Draft and 37th overall in the second round. The 2025 WHL U.S. Priority Draft is scheduled for Thursday, May 8.
2025 WHL Prospects Draft
The Tri-City Americans were not in the 2025 WHL Draft Lottery this season, and have their first selection slated for ninth overall. Tri-City has 11 total picks in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft, but teams are only allowed to make a selection if they have a spot open on their 50-man protected list.
This will be the first time since 2004 that Tri-City will select ninth overall. That year they took Joel Broda. He played two seasons with the Americans, recording 48 points (19-29-48), before being traded to Moose Jaw. He finished his WHL career in Calgary, helping them win the 2010 WHL Championship against Tri-City.
The first round of the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft is scheduled for Wednesday, May 7 at 4:00 PM, and the rest will take place Thursday morning after the completion of the U.S. Priority Draft.
Below is a full list of selections the Americans currently hold for the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft:
| Round | Overall |
| 1 | 9 |
| 3 | 55 |
| 3 | 65* |
| 6 | 124 |
| 7 | 147 |
| 7 | 150** |
| 8 | 167*** |
| 9 | 193 |
| 10 | 216 |
| 10 | 225**** |
| 11 | 239 |
*This pick, originally belonging to the Victoria Royals, was acquired July 24, 2024 from the Prince Albert Raiders, along with Terrell Goldsmith and Grady Martin, in exchange for Lukas Dragicevic, Eric Kahl and a 2025 7th.
**This pick was acquired December 3, 2023 from the Portland Winterhawks in exchange for Nick Avakyan.
***This pick was acquired May 9, 2024 from the Wenatchee Wild in exchange for a 2024 8th.
****This pick was acquired January 10, 2023 from the Lethbridge Hurricanes in exchange for Jared Picklyk.
Below is a list of picks that belonged to the Americans but were traded:
Round 2, 32nd overall – This pick, along with a 2024 4th, was traded to the Red Deer Rebels on October 30, 2023 in exchange for Kyle Kelsey.
Round 4, 78th overall – This pick was traded to the Calgary Hitmen on September 19, 2023 in exchange for Pavel Bocharov.
Round 5, 101st overall – This pick, along with a 2026 2nd, was traded to the Spokane Chiefs on August 28, 2023 in exchange for Jake Gudelj.
Round 7, 147th overall – This pick, along with Lukas Dragicevic and Eric Kahl, was traded to the Prince Albert Raiders on July 24, 2024 in exchange for Terrell Goldsmith, Grady Martin and a 2023 3rd (62nd overall).
Round 8, 170th overall – This pick was traded to the Saskatoon Blades on October 29, 2024 in exchange for Logan Cunningham.
2024 U.S. Priority Draft Review
Tri-City held the 4th and 24th overall selections in the 2024 WHL U.S. Priority Draft, and used them to draft twins Grady and Jackson Schaefer out of Palo Alto, California.
Grady Schaefer – Forward – 4th Overall
Schaefer was taken by the Americans after 2023-24 season in which he recorded 74 points (39-35-74) in 62 games with the U14 Anaheim Ducks, leading the team in scoring. He is listed at 5’11”, 161 pounds. In the 2024-25 season, Schaefer moved across the country to play for the Honeybaked U15 AAA team in Farmington Hills, Michigan. In 69 games he recorded 59 points (26-33-59). He attended Americans training camp last fall.
Jackson Schaefer – Defense – 24th Overall
Jackson (below, left) played with his twin brother Grady in the 2023-24 season with the U14 AAA Anaheim Ducks scoring 25 points (10-15-25) in 63 games. Joining Grady with the Honeybaked team in Michigan for 2024-25, Schaefer bumped up his production to 49 points (7-42-49) in 69 games. He also attended Americans camp last fall.
2024 WHL Prospects Draft Review
The Americans made 11 picks in the 2024 Draft: six forwards, four defensemen and one goaltender. As of May 6, Tri-City has signed their first six picks from last year’s draft.
Aden Bouchard – Defense – 3rd Overall
After dropping from second to third overall with the Prince Albert Raiders winning the 2024 Draft Lottery, the Americans looked to Airdrie, Alberta and selected defenseman Aden Bouchard. He was coming off a 2023-24 season where he posted 36 points (9-27-36) in 27 games with Edge School’s U15 Prep team. He then added an additional 10 points (2-8-10) in just five playoff games. Bouchard had a strong showing at the Alberta Cup just before the draft, scoring six points (5-1-6) in five games while captaining Team Blue to the championship.
This past season Bouchard remained in Calgary, but switched to the Calgary International Hockey Academy and played for their U18 team. In 33 games he scored 33 points (8-25-33) to finish second among 2009-born defensemen in the CSSHL U18 loop. He was named a finalist for the U18 CSSHL Top Freshman Award. He also helped Team Alberta claim a gold medal at the 2024 WHL Cup, which pits the top 15-year-old players from B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba against each other.
Bouchard made his WHL Debut in the Americans regular season finale against Seattle.
| Team | GP | G | A | Pts |
| Calgary International Hockey Academy U18 (CSSHL) | 33 | 8 | 25 | 33 |
| Tri-City Americans | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Crew Martinson – Forward – 24th Overall
The Americans stayed in Alberta for their second pick, drafting Olds native Crew Martinson at 24th overall. Martinson has played his minor hockey in Red Deer (45 minutes North of Olds) over the past few years, and was selected after posting 48 points (20-28-48) in just 19 games during the 2023-24 season with the U15 Red Deer Rebels. He then added 25 points (12-13-25) in only nine playoff games.
Martinson’s transition to the U18 level couldn’t have gone much smoother as he finished second in the AEHL U18 League in scoring during the 2024-25 season, recording 57 points (17-40-57) in 35 games. He also won the gold medal with Team Alberta at the WHL Cup, scoring a goal and three assists in five games.
He appeared in two games with Tri-City during 2024-25, making his WHL debut February 8 in Kelowna.
| Team | GP | G | A | PTS |
| Red Deer Optimist Chiefs (U18) | 35 | 17 | 40 | 57 |
| Tri-City Americans | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Lukasz McIsaac – Defense – 47th Overall
With their first of two picks in the third round, Tri-City nabbed defenseman Lukasz McIsaac (far left below) from Vancouver, B.C. at 47th overall. The younger brother of Spokane Chiefs defenseman Will McIsaac, Lukasz played the 2023-24 season at St. George’s Academy with their U15 program, scoring 17 points (5-12-17) in 26 games. He picked up three assists in four playoff games that season.
Self described as a physical, shutdown defenseman, McIsaac moved to the U18 level in 2024-25 with St. George’s Academy. He picked up 10 points (4-6-10) in 31 games during the regular season before adding four points (2-2-4) in three playoff games. He has not made his WHL debut yet, but has signed with the Americans.
| Team | GP | G | A | PTS |
| St George’s Academy U18 | 31 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
Trae Peterson – Forward – 56th Overall
The Americans turned to Saskatchewan for their other third-round selection, drafting Sturgis native Trae Peterson 56th overall (below right). Peterson spent his draft year with the Sask East Oilers U15 team, recording 84 points (38-46-84) in 27 games. His production continued into the playoffs where he racked up 14 points (4-10-14) in just four playoff games.
Peterson had an excellent season at the U18 level with the Swift Current Legionnaires, finishing with 40 points (19-21-40) in 31 games played. He missed the final 13 games of the regular season due to injury. Returning for the playoffs, Peterson picked up an additional nine points (5-4-9) in 10 games to help the Legionnaires to within one game of a League final appearance. Peterson helped Team Saskatchewan claim bronze at the 2024 WHL Cup with seven points (4-3-7) in five games.
He has not made his WHL debut, but has signed with the Americans.
| Team | GP | G | A | PTS |
| Swift Current Legionnaires | 31 | 19 | 21 | 40 |
Carter Bylycia – Defense – 68th Overall
Tri-City held the first two picks of the fourth round, and led it off with Kamloops, British Columbia’s Carter Bylycia at 68th overall (below middle). The 6’1 defenseman has spent the past three seasons at Yale Hockey Academy in Abbotsford and scored 20 points (2-18-20) in 25 games with their U15 team in his draft year. In the playoffs he scored two goals and added two assists in three games.
Bylycia moved up to Yale’s U18 team for the 2024-25 season, picking up 14 points (4-10-14) in 32 games. He has not made his WHL debut but has signed with the Americans.
| Team | GP | G | A | PTS |
| Yale Hockey Academy | 32 | 4 | 10 | 14 |
Alexander Laing – Forward – 69th Overall
With their second of back-to-back picks, Tri-City drafted forward Alexander Laing from Langley, B.C. He spent the 2023-24 season with Delta Hockey Academy’s U15 team, scoring 49 points (24-25-49) in 27 games. In the playoffs he added eight points (1-7-8) in just three games.
Jumping to Delta’s U18 team in 2024-25, Laing picked up 32 points (11-21-32) in 33 games before helping Delta reach the championship game at the CSSHL Championships with seven points (1-6-7) in five games. Laing made his WHL debut January 12 in Everett.
| Team | GP | G | A | PTS |
| Yale Hockey Academy | 32 | 4 | 10 | 14 |
| Tri-City Americans | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Delta Ice Hawks (PJHL, Junior A) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Hudson Champagne – Forward – 127th Overall
After no picks in the fifth round, the Americans looked to Manitoba and selected forward Hudson Champagne 127th overall in round six. In 28 games with the U15 Brandon Wheat Kings, Champagne scored 51 points (18-33-51) before adding 13 points (6-7-13) in 11 playoff games, helping the Wheat Kings win the league championship.
Champagne jumped to the U18 Brandon Wheat Kings for the 2024-25 season and recorded 27 points (6-21-27) in 46 games. He won a silver medal with Team Manitoba at the 2024 WHL Cup.
| Team | GP | G | A | PTS |
| Brandon Wheat Kings U18 | 46 | 6 | 21 | 27 |
Seth Garofalo – Forward – 135th Overall
The Americans held three picks in the seventh round and used the first one to add Calgary native Seth Garofalo with the 135th selection. Playing for the Calgary Bison U15 team in 2023-24, Garofalo scored 39 points (19-20-39) in 34 games. In two playoff games he score a goal and three assists.
The 6’0, 178-pound Garofalo dealt with injuries during the 2024-25 season, limited to 22 games with his Calgary Buffaloes U18 team, scoring 12 points (5-7-12). In the playoffs he helped the Buffaloes reach the second round with a goal and four assists in nine games.
| Team | GP | G | A | PTS |
| Calgary Buffaloes U18 | 22 | 5 | 7 | 12 |
Blake Mumford – Goalie – 144th Overall
Tri-City chose one goaltender in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft, Kamloops product Blake Mumford at 144th overall. Playing for his hometown Thompson Blazers U15 team, Mumford posted a record of 5-7-2 with a 4.18 goals against average in the 2023-24 season. He ramped up his play in the playoffs, going 4-1 with a 2.49 goals against average in five games.
Spending the majority of last season with the U17 Thompson Blazers, Mumford was 4-12 with a 4.93 goals against average.
| Team | Record | GAA | SV% |
| Thompson Blazers U17 | 4-12-0 | 4.93 | N/A |
Lucas McConnell – Defense – 147th Overall
Just a few picks later Tri-City added another defenseman, grabbing Edmonton’s Lucas McConnell at 147th overall. McConnell played with the KC Squires U15 team in Edmonton during the 2023-24 season, scoring 37 points (12-25-37) in 34 games. In the playoffs he added eight points (3-5-8) in nine games.
McConnell played for the U17 KC Centennials team during the 2024-25 season, posting 13 points (4-9-13) in 28 games. He added a pair of goals in three playoff games.
| Team | GP | G | A | PTS |
| KC Centennials U17 AAA | 28 | 4 | 9 | 13 |
Owen Wiemer – Forward – 157th Overall
With their final pick of the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft, Tri-City selected forward Owen Wiemer out of the Edge School Prep U15 Varsity team. In 22 games Wiemer recorded 28 points (8-20-28), before having a strong playoff performance with 10 points (2-8-10) in five games.
Wiemer then moved up to the U17 Prep level with Edge in 2024-25 recording 15 points (8-7-15) in 27 games. His father, Jason, played 726 NHL games from 1994-2006.
