Prospect Profile: Trae Peterson

Trae Peterson’s upbringing was a little different than a lot of WHL players.

Growing up in Sturgis, Saskatchewan, a small town three hours Northeast of Regina, Peterson says his childhood was filled with a lot of familiar faces.

“There’s probably about 600 people who live here,” he said. “It’s really small, so you basically know everyone who lives there. There are kids who have the same interests as you so you’re able to hang out with them. There’s lots of forests around the town so you can go build forts and just get outside. There isn’t a lot of big attractions around here, so you have to kind of build your own, but I think it’s pretty cool that way.”

To say that hockey is big in Saskatchewan would be an understatement. Per capita, Saskatchewan produces more NHL players than any other Canadian province or territory.

It’s not just the NHL that’s big either. Minor, senior and junior hockey all have their rabid fans across the province, with senior hockey regularly filling rinks with fans in small towns.

When Peterson’s parents first tried to get Trae on the ice, it didn’t go as planned.

“When I was about three years old my parents tried to get me to skate and I hated it,” he recalled. “I would just step onto the ice and cry non-stop. They gave me three strikes to try, and each time it didn’t work, so they stopped trying. Then the next year they tried to get me on the ice again, and that time I loved it.”

As the old saying goes: if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

Peterson believes he was more receptive to hockey the second time around because of his older brother, Shae.

“I really looked up to him, and I think watching him over that year really made me want to be like him,” he said.

Not only did Shae help Trae get into hockey, he also served as motivation to continue getting better as there’s a six-year age difference between them.

“With him being so much older than me, I always wanted to play with him and his friends,” he said. “I was always told if I couldn’t play at their level, I couldn’t play with them. That always pushed me to try harder so I could be with them instead of sitting inside on the iPad or something like that.”

Peterson says there were a number of sports teams around Sturgis he was able to watch, including the Yorkton Terriers Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League team, Regina Pats, Saskatoon Blades, and the Saskatchewan Rush lacrosse team.

Always trying his hardest to keep up with his older brother gave Peterson a leg up as he progressed through minor hockey. He says when he was eight years old was the first time he thought hockey might be something he could seriously pursue.

“When I was playing for the U9 team I got called up to play for the U11 team in Preeceville, where I was playing,” he said. “I ended up being one of their top scorers and thought I might be able to play high-level hockey in the future.”

Preeceville is a slightly larger town of roughly 1,000 people, just a few miles west of Sturgis.

As he progressed to the U15 level Peterson had to make the one-hour drive to Yorkton multiple times a week for practices and games while playing for the Yorkton Terriers.

He had a fine first season of U15, posting 46 points (21-24-46) in 29 games before adding four goals and four assists in just three playoff games.

The following year, his WHL Draft year, Peterson’s commute stretched to an hour and a half as he played for the Sask East Oilers who were based out of Melville.

“My dad was an assistant coach on the team, so we made that drive multiple times a week,” he said. “I was joking with him the other day when we were driving on that highway, telling him he could probably drive that entire trip with his eyes closed.”

Peterson’s 2023-24 season was a strong one as he racked up 84 points (38-46-84) in 27 games, finishing sixth in the Saskatchewan U15 league in scoring. In just four playoff games he added an additional 14 points (4-10-14), firmly establishing himself as a legitimate WHL prospect.

Teams reached out to Peterson all throughout that season, showing him just how close the WHL was.

“It was cool to go through that process and get the questionnaires from every team,” he said. “I thought it was interesting to see how each team has so many different people working along the way. It’s not just coaches and general managers; there’s a lot that goes into it.”

The Peterson family hosted a draft party of sorts when the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft finally arrived with a number of family and friends in attendance.

While he didn’t know exactly where he would end up on draft day, when the Americans were on the clock at 56^th overall, he had a feeling that would be his moment.

“I knew there was a couple of teams that were really interested in me, so when their pick is up you start to pay a little closer attention,” he said. “Tri-City was one of the teams that I felt was highest on me, so when that 56^th pick came up I thought that could be it.”

Driving from the Toyota Center to Sturgis would take you nearly 18 hours if you didn’t need to stop, but Peterson said the distance to whatever team drafted him was never a concern as he was always just excited at the thought of playing in the WHL.

At his first WHL camp in the Fall of 2024 Peterson recalls being on a team with Jackson Smith and being in awe at how skilled the future first-round NHL pick was.

“It was an eye opener for sure,” he said. “I remember being on Smith’s team and just seeing how good he was. He was so smart and so mobile. It makes you realize what it’s going to take for you to get to their level when you’re their age.”

For the 2024-25 season Peterson jumped to the Saskatchewan U18 league but elected to play on the other side of the province for the Swift Current Legionnaires.

“It was mostly just what I thought was going to be the best place for me to develop,” he said. “I had a few other teams reach out that were interested in having me play for them, but I just thought about what was going to be the best fit for me to develop in the long run.”

Sturgis to Swift Current is a five-hour drive.

Peterson’s jump to the U18 level was smooth as he ended the year with 40 points (19-21-40) in 31 games. A broken bone caused him to miss time late in the regular season.

At the 2024 WHL Cup in October, Peterson had an excellent showing with Team Saskatchewan with seven points (4-3-7) to help Saskatchewan win the bronze medal.

After the event, Peterson was told the Americans were looking to sign him.

“They were at the event and not long after they called me and said they really liked the way I played,” he said. “I was really excited and after talking to my agent we got it all taken care of and made official.”

Returning to Tri-City for his second training camp this past year, Peterson’s goal was to make the team as a 16-year-old.

While he didn’t end up making the team, he took being sent back to Saskatchewan as motivation.

“When I got sent back, I just thought ‘I never want to get sent back again,’” he said. “I used that as motivation to make sure it never happens again. I also felt it was also good to play another year back home in a place where I could play a lot of minutes every single night and continue developing.”

Develop he did as Peterson nearly doubled his point total with the Legionnaires this past season with 74 points (30-44-74) in 44 games.

When his Legionnaires were eliminated in the opening round of the Saskatchewan U18 playoffs, Peterson was told to meet the Americans in Kamloops ahead of their game on March 11 against the Blazers.

He said it all happened quickly.

“When we lost out, they talked to my dad right away and said they wanted me to come out,” he said. “We lost on the Sunday and Tuesday morning I flew out to Kamloops. It was a quick turnaround, but it was awesome to get the opportunity to play my first game.”

The next day Peterson was told by Americans head coach Jody Hull that he would be making his WHL debut that night against the Blazers.

It was a moment nearly 17 years in the making for Peterson.

“It was like the hard work had finally paid off,” he said. “Getting to see how good all the players are at that level was awesome. I tried to go out there and play my game, doing what I do best to help the team.”

Peterson went 5-for-11 in the faceoff circle as the Americans fell 6-1 to the Blazers.

He ended up getting into five games with the Americans down the stretch, a taste of what to expect when he becomes a full-time player in the future.

“It was cool to see what it’s like,” he said. “It shows you what you need to do to play at that level. It was great to see the different atmospheres in the different buildings. I think those games will give me more confidence heading into training camp next year, showing me what I need to do to improve my game for next season.”

While the Americans season was over on March 21, Peterson still had more hockey ahead of him. A year after he was drafted by the Americans, Peterson was also selected by the Yorkton Terriers in the SJHL U16 draft with the ninth overall pick.

The Terriers had an excellent season, finishing second in the SJHL with a record of 37-17-1-1, and asked him if he wanted to join them for their playoff run.

“When Tri-City’s season was over, Yorkton’s head coach reached out asking if I wanted to join them,” he said. “I would never say no to playing more hockey, so I went and joined them. It was a great experience getting all the way to the league final.”

Despite being the only 16-year-old on the roster, Peterson was an impactful player in his nine playoff games with the Terriers by scoring a goal and adding four assists. He helped them reach the SJHL final where they ended up being swept by the Flin Flon Bombers.

Even though he played 63 games with three different teams and racked up 82 points (33-49-82) over the course of the 2025-26 season, Peterson says he’s already excited to get to work on his offseason training in preparation for training camp in the fall.

He has a clear goal of what he wants to accomplish when he walks into the rink in Tri-City in August.

“The mindset is just prove that you can be here,” he stated. “Prove that you want to be here and do anything that you can to be able to stay. I think I’m a guy that likes to score goals but also throw the body around.”