[{"id":39920,"date":"2026-05-13T13:35:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T17:35:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/?p=39920"},"modified":"2026-05-13T13:35:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T17:35:12","slug":"prospect-profile-lukasz-mcisaac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/article\/prospect-profile-lukasz-mcisaac","title":{"rendered":"Prospect Profile: Lukasz McIsaac"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Lukasz McIsaac\u2019s biggest influence was always under his own roof. His older brother, Will, served as the conduit that put McIsaac on the path to becoming a hockey player.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy earliest memories of hockey were going on the ice with my brother,\u201d Lukasz said. \u201cI\u2019ve always watched him at the rink, and I was always so excited to get out there with him because it looked so fun. I always went to watch him practice; he was my number one role model.\u201d<\/p>\n

Will just wrapped up a four-year WHL career with the Spokane Chiefs, serving as their captain this past season, and now prepares to head to the University of Connecticut in the Fall.<\/p>\n

With a three-year age gap between them, it\u2019s not surprising to hear that things weren\u2019t always smooth between Lukasz and Will.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe definitely grew up as normal brothers, always fighting,\u201d he laughed. \u201cI think as we got older, we started becoming actual friends with each other and doing a lot of things together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Growing up in Vancouver, McIsaac\u2019s family were also season ticket holders of the Vancouver Canucks. He says Alex Edler and JT Miller were two of his favorite players.<\/p>\n

Between his brothers influence and seeing NHL stars play regularly, it didn\u2019t take long for McIsaac to set his sights on the Western Hockey League.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was probably grade five or six I started seeing players going from their hometown teams to the WHL,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I saw that I thought that\u2019s where the best players are, so I\u2019d love to play in that league since I want to be the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he turned 13, McIsaac joined the CSSHL ranks at St. George\u2019s Academy in Vancouver which wasn\u2019t far from his house.<\/p>\n

He says having a set schedule which focused a lot on hockey was something he had dreamed of.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe schooling was amazing and you\u2019d go right from school to hockey, nothing better than that,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019d either have practice at 6:00 AM before school or do practice and a workout after school. Getting up that early was tough at the start, but toward the end of the year it got a lot easier.\u201d<\/p>\n

With their age difference at the same time Lukasz was going through his WHL Draft year, Will was going through his NHL Draft year with the Chiefs.<\/p>\n

Lukasz says it was awesome to see what the NHL process was like from the inside.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re pretty close so he\u2019d tell me about all the things he was going through,\u201d he said. \u201cIt just made me want it even more because I want to get to that point in my career.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the pressure that comes with trying to impress NHL scouts, Will still had time to help Lukasz who was trying to impress WHL scouts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a ton of support throughout that process, especially from my brother,\u201d he said. \u201cHe had gone through it before, so he was able to help with me with any questions I had.\u201d<\/p>\n

After 17 points (5-12-17) with his U15 St. George\u2019s Academy team during the 2023-24 season, the WHL Draft finally arrived and McIsaac would find out where the next step in his hockey career would be.<\/p>\n

As fate would have it, it wasn\u2019t far from where his brother was.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was at home with my family watching the draft,\u201d he said. \u201cI kind of had a range that I thought I might go, but I didn\u2019t want to think too much about it. It was a topic of conversation after the fact about Spokane and Tri-City.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Americans selected McIsaac 47th<\/sup> overall in the third round and he signed his Scholarship and Development Agreement just a few weeks later.<\/p>\n

McIsaac admits he was nervous arriving in the Tri-Cities for his first WHL training camp, but meeting one of the veteran players put him at ease.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cI was nervous for the first few days,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I remember one of the first guys I met was Carter Savage and as soon as I met him, I was able to relax just knowing that all the guys on the team were nice and welcoming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following camp, McIsaac returned to St. George\u2019s Academy and played for their U18 team posting 10 points (4-6-10) in 31 games.<\/p>\n

A self-described physical defenseman, McIsaac says he enjoyed the challenge of matching up against older, bigger players.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t find the transition from U15 to U18 to be too difficult,\u201d he said. \u201cI more so enjoyed it. I loved working harder and going against bigger players to have a bigger challenge. It\u2019s harder to play that physical game against bigger guys, but my mindset has always been that\u2019s what I want to do, so I feel that makes it easier.\u201d<\/p>\n

This past year McIsaac began the season with the Americans, making his WHL debut against his brother on September 27 in Spokane.<\/p>\n

It was a surreal moment for McIsaac after so many years of looking up to his older brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was definitely nervous for my first shift, but after I got out there the nerves were gone and I could focus on trying to play well,\u201d he said. \u201cI was told a few days ahead of time that I was going to play, and that was their home opener, so I was really excited because I know how that building can get rocking on big nights.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Will secured bragging rights as the Americans fell 3-0 to the Chiefs that night.<\/p>\n

McIsaac was sent back to U18 and spent this past season at Calgary International Hockey Academy. It was the first time he had played away from home, which he admits was an adjustment.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cIt was tough for the first few months,\u201d he admitted. \u201cBut I had a great billet family who really helped me.\u201d<\/p>\n

McIsaac posted seven assists in 23 games with CIHA\u2019s U18 team this season before returning to the Americans for the final few weeks of the year.<\/p>\n

Getting into two more games, he says he can lean on the experience of his four WHL games leading into next year\u2019s training camp.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose games will help me a ton,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s so much I can learn from those and take from those games. I know I need to get bigger, stronger and faster. Mentally I can prepare for how I need to react on the ice.\u201d<\/p>\n

McIsaac is part of a core group of 2009-born players in the Americans system, something he says is exciting to think about moving forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing a lot of those guys, they\u2019re great guys and they\u2019re also great players,\u201d he said. \u201cSeeing those guys on the ice, it\u2019s exciting to think about the potential we have over the next couple of years. I\u2019m hoping to play a defensive role for the team. I can be out there on the penalty kill and blocking shots, just be a simple defenseman.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Lukasz McIsaac\u2019s biggest influence was always under his own roof. His older brother, Will, served as the conduit that put McIsaac on the path to becoming a hockey player. \u201cMy earliest memories of hockey were going on the ice with my brother,\u201d Lukasz said. \u201cI\u2019ve always watched him at the rink, and I was…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":515,"featured_media":39925,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[409],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-39920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-409","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/05\/05182529\/D85_3613-scaled.jpg",2560,1707,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/515"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39920"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39920\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":39953,"date":"2026-05-12T13:18:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T17:18:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/?p=39953"},"modified":"2026-05-12T14:55:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T18:55:55","slug":"tri-city-americans-press-release-may-12-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/article\/tri-city-americans-press-release-may-12-2026","title":{"rendered":"Americans sign 2026 first round pick Kenzo Gibson"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]For Immediate Release \u2013 05\/12\/2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tri-City Americans<\/strong><\/p>\n

(509) 736-0606<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Americans sign 2026 first round pick Kenzo Gibson to Scholarship and Development Agreement<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kennewick, WA \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Bob Tory, General Manager of the Tri-City Americans today announced that the team has signed 1st round WHL Prospect pick (6th overall) Kenzo Gibson to a standard WHL Player Agreement and Development Plan.\u00a0 \u201cKenzo, is a dynamic player who brings skill, tenacity and leadership, being captain of his team.\u201d<\/p>\n

He plays a strong two-way 200 ft game, combining drive, intensity, and passion. We are excited to have Kenzo, and his family join the Tri-City Americans.<\/p>\n

Shoots:<\/strong> Left | Position:<\/strong> Center | Height:<\/strong>\u00a0 6\u20190\u201d | Weight:<\/strong> 190 lbs.<\/p>\n

Games Played: <\/strong>23 | Goals:<\/strong> 34 | Assists:<\/strong> 24 | Points:<\/strong> 58<\/p>\n

Kenzo will be coached next season by former Americans Captain, Tyler Sandhu.<\/p>\n

-30-[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]For Immediate Release \u2013 05\/12\/2026 Tri-City Americans (509) 736-0606   Americans sign 2026 first round pick Kenzo Gibson to Scholarship and Development Agreement Kennewick, WA \u2013\u00a0Bob Tory, General Manager of the Tri-City Americans today announced that the team has signed 1st round WHL Prospect pick (6th overall) Kenzo Gibson to a standard WHL Player…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":594,"featured_media":39955,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[409],"tags":[{"term_id":627,"name":"Kenzo Gibson","slug":"kenzo-gibson","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":627,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1"},{"term_id":12,"name":"press releases","slug":"press-releases","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":74,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":560,"filter":"raw","term_order":"426"}],"class_list":["post-39953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-kenzo-gibson","tag-press-releases","category-409","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/05\/12131554\/Signed-1.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/594"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39953"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39953\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":39927,"date":"2026-05-07T16:42:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T20:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/?p=39927"},"modified":"2026-05-07T16:44:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T20:44:11","slug":"americans-complete-2026-whl-prospects-draft-add-10-players","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/article\/americans-complete-2026-whl-prospects-draft-add-10-players","title":{"rendered":"Americans complete 2026 WHL Prospects Draft, add 10 players"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Kennewick, WA. \u2013 <\/strong>The 2026 WHL Prospects Draft wrapped up Thursday afternoon with the Tri-City Americans made 10 selections over the two-day event, drafting five forwards, four defensemen and one goaltender.<\/p>\n

With their first pick on Wednesday, at sixth overall, the Americans drafted forward Kenzo Gibson from North Vancouver, British Columbia. He played the 2025-26 season with the Burnaby Winter Club U15 team, leading them in scoring 58 points (34-24-58) in just 23 games. He also served as the team\u2019s captain.<\/p>\n

During the CSSHL playoffs Gibson scored twice and added two assists in four games. At the John Reid U15 Tournament he posted an additional seven points (4-3-7) in five games.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

For the first time in 25 years the Americans held two picks in the first round, using their second one at 19th<\/sup> overall to select forward Ethan Zhang from Plano, Texas. He became the first Texan to be taken in the first round of the WHL Prospects Draft since 2011 when Everett selected Seth Jones 11th<\/sup> overall.<\/p>\n

Zhang spent the 2025-26 season with the Dallas Stars 14U AAA program, racking up 87 points (36-51-87) in 51 games.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Day two of the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft began Thursday morning, and the Americans\u2019 first pick on day two came at 37th<\/sup> overall in the second round. They used it to draft defenseman Lincoln Baschuk from the Northern Alberta Xtreme U15.<\/p>\n

Standing at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, Baschuk posted 23 points (3-20-23) in 29 games during the 2025-26 season. The right-shot defenseman is a native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Two picks later the Americans looked to the Midwest and selected forward Colton Nash from Minnetonka, Minnesota 39th<\/sup> overall. Playing for the Minnetonka Bantam AA this season, Nash racked up a staggering 150 points (70-80-150) in 53 games in Minnesota. He was a finalist for the Minnesota Bantam Player of the Year.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

At 61st<\/sup> overall the Americans selected another defenseman, taking St. George\u2019s School defender John Main. Serving as their captain for the 2025-26 season, Main scored 23 points (3-20-23) in 30 games with the U15 team.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

With the 76th<\/sup> overall pick the Americans drafted a player with NHL bloodlines by adding forward Kane Strudwick from OHA Edmonton U15. Strudwick skated in 27 games last season scoring 34 points (10-24-34) and suited up for one game with OHA Edmonton\u2019s U17 team, scoring a goal. His father, Jason, played 674 NHL games from 1995-2011.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

At 99th<\/sup> overall the Americans took a teammate of Strudwick\u2019s by drafting forward Steven Leavitt, also from OHA Edmonton U15. The 6-foot-1, Sherwood Park, Alberta native recorded 43 points (25-18-43) in 24 games with OHA Edmonton U15 this past season.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

With their second fifth-round pick at 111th<\/sup> overall, Tri-City drafted 6-foot-2 defenseman Brady Piec from Rink Hockey Academy Winnipeg\u2019s U15 team. In 26 games last season Piec gathered 17 points (4-13-17), while also scoring a goal with two assists in three games with RHA Winnipeg\u2019s U17 team.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Americans held the 122nd<\/sup> overall pick heading into the draft but traded it to the Kelowna Rockets in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round pick (Seattle).<\/p>\n

With their seventh-round pick at 141st<\/sup> overall the Americans took their lone goaltender of the draft, adding Alexandre Montembeault from the Calgary International Hockey Academy U15 program.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

After going 9-5-1 with a 3.79 goals against average and .891 save percentage during the regular season, Montembeault turned up his game in the CSSHL playoffs by going 3-0, allowing just four goals on 95 shots, to backstop CIHA to the U15 Prep Championship. He made 34 saves in the Championship game to lift CIHA over Edge School Prep with a 4-2 win.<\/p>\n

With their final pick of the draft the Americans added a teammate of Nash\u2019s by selecting defenseman Max Aldrich from Minnetonka Bantam AA. In 53 games Aldrich recorded 40 points (6-34-40).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Americans would like to welcome all 10 players and their families to the Americans organization.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Kennewick, WA. \u2013 The 2026 WHL Prospects Draft wrapped up Thursday afternoon with the Tri-City Americans made 10 selections over the two-day event, drafting five forwards, four defensemen and one goaltender. With their first pick on Wednesday, at sixth overall, the Americans drafted forward Kenzo Gibson from North Vancouver, British Columbia. He played the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":515,"featured_media":39937,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[409],"tags":[{"term_id":12,"name":"press releases","slug":"press-releases","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":74,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":560,"filter":"raw","term_order":"426"}],"class_list":["post-39927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-press-releases","category-409","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/05\/07163939\/2026-draft-recap-16_9.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/515"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39927"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39927\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":39919,"date":"2026-05-06T21:49:55","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T01:49:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/?p=39919"},"modified":"2026-05-06T21:49:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T01:49:55","slug":"americans-add-two-forwards-in-first-round-of-2026-whl-prospects-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/article\/americans-add-two-forwards-in-first-round-of-2026-whl-prospects-draft","title":{"rendered":"Americans add two forwards in first round of 2026 WHL Prospects Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Kennewick, WA. \u2013 <\/strong>The first round of the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft was held Wednesday and for the first time in 25 years the Americans had two first-round picks, using them to draft forwards Kenzo Gibson sixth overall and forward Ethan Zhang 19th<\/sup> overall.<\/p>\n

Gibson, from North Vancouver, British Columbia, played the 2025-26 season with the Burnaby Winter Club U15 team, leading them in scoring 58 points (34-24-58) in just 23 games. He also served as the team\u2019s captain.<\/p>\n

During the CSSHL playoffs Gibson scored twice and added two assists in four games.<\/p>\n

At the John Reid Tournament he posted an additional seven points (4-3-7) in five games.<\/p>\n

Gibson skated in a pair of tournaments shortly before the WHL Prospects Draft picking up six points (2-4-6) in five games at the BC U16 Cup before heading to Toronto, Ontario and recording nine points (5-4-9) at the Toronto Exposure U15 Cup.<\/p>\n

With their second selection at 19th<\/sup> overall the Americans took forward Ethan Zhang from Plano, Texas<\/p>\n

Zhang spent the 2025-26 season with the Dallas Stars 14U AAA program, racking up 87 points (36-51-87) in 51 games.<\/p>\n

The draft marked the first time since 2001 that the Americans had multiple picks in the first round.<\/p>\n

Day two of the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft goes Thursday, beginning at 9:00 AM PDT. The Americans hold two picks in the second round at 37th<\/sup> and 39th<\/sup> overall.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Kennewick, WA. \u2013 The first round of the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft was held Wednesday and for the first time in 25 years the Americans had two first-round picks, using them to draft forwards Kenzo Gibson sixth overall and forward Ethan Zhang 19th overall. Gibson, from North Vancouver, British Columbia, played the 2025-26 season…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":515,"featured_media":39926,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[409],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-39919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-409","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/05\/06214947\/Day-1-Recap-16_9_.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/515"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39919"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39919\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":39913,"date":"2026-05-01T17:43:52","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T21:43:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/?p=39913"},"modified":"2026-05-01T17:43:52","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T21:43:52","slug":"prospect-profile-trae-peterson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/article\/prospect-profile-trae-peterson","title":{"rendered":"Prospect Profile: Trae Peterson"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Trae Peterson\u2019s upbringing was a little different than a lot of WHL players.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s probably about 600 people who live here,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s really small, so you basically know everyone who lives there. There are kids who have the same interests as you so you\u2019re able to hang out with them. There\u2019s lots of forests around the town so you can go build forts and just get outside. There isn\u2019t a lot of big attractions around here, so you have to kind of build your own, but I think it\u2019s pretty cool that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just the NHL that\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

When Peterson\u2019s parents first tried to get Trae on the ice, it didn\u2019t go as planned.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was about three years old my parents tried to get me to skate and I hated it,\u201d he recalled. \u201cI would just step onto the ice and cry non-stop. They gave me three strikes to try, and each time it didn\u2019t work, so they stopped trying. Then the next year they tried to get me on the ice again, and that time I loved it.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the old saying goes: if at first you don\u2019t succeed, try, try again.<\/p>\n

Peterson believes he was more receptive to hockey the second time around because of his older brother, Shae.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really looked up to him, and I think watching him over that year really made me want to be like him,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Not only did Shae help Trae get into hockey, he also served as motivation to continue getting better as there\u2019s a six-year age difference between them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith him being so much older than me, I always wanted to play with him and his friends,\u201d he said. \u201cI was always told if I couldn\u2019t play at their level, I couldn\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was playing for the U9 team I got called up to play for the U11 team in Preeceville, where I was playing,\u201d he said. \u201cI ended up being one of their top scorers and thought I might be able to play high-level hockey in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Preeceville is a slightly larger town of roughly 1,000 people, just a few miles west of Sturgis.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The following year, his WHL Draft year, Peterson\u2019s commute stretched to an hour and a half as he played for the Sask East Oilers who were based out of Melville.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad was an assistant coach on the team, so we made that drive multiple times a week,\u201d he said. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peterson\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\"\"Teams reached out to Peterson all throughout that season, showing him just how close the WHL was.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was cool to go through that process and get the questionnaires from every team,\u201d he said. \u201cI thought it was interesting to see how each team has so many different people working along the way. It\u2019s not just coaches and general managers; there\u2019s a lot that goes into it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

While he didn\u2019t know exactly where he would end up on draft day, when the Americans were on the clock at 56th<\/sup> overall, he had a feeling that would be his moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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,\u201d he said. \u201cTri-City was one of the teams that I felt was highest on me, so when that 56th<\/sup> pick came up I thought that could be it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Driving from the Toyota Center to Sturgis would take you nearly 18 hours if you didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an eye opener for sure,\u201d he said. \u201cI remember being on Smith\u2019s team and just seeing how good he was. He was so smart and so mobile. It makes you realize what it\u2019s going to take for you to get to their level when you\u2019re their age.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was mostly just what I thought was going to be the best place for me to develop,\u201d he said. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sturgis to Swift Current is a five-hour drive.<\/p>\n

Peterson\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"\"After the event, Peterson was told the Americans were looking to sign him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were at the event and not long after they called me and said they really liked the way I played,\u201d he said. \u201cI was really excited and after talking to my agent we got it all taken care of and made official.\u201d<\/p>\n

Returning to Tri-City for his second training camp this past year, Peterson\u2019s goal was to make the team as a 16-year-old.<\/p>\n

While he didn\u2019t end up making the team, he took being sent back to Saskatchewan as motivation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I got sent back, I just thought \u2018I never want to get sent back again,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cI us\"\"ed 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

He said it all happened quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we lost out, they talked to my dad right away and said they wanted me to come out,\u201d he said. \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

It was a moment nearly 17 years in the making for Peterson.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was like the hard work had finally paid off,\u201d he said. \u201cGetting 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peterson went 5-for-11 in the faceoff circle as the Americans fell 6-1 to the Blazers.<\/p>\n

\"\"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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was cool to see what it\u2019s like,\u201d he said. \u201cIt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Tri-City\u2019s season was over, Yorkton\u2019s head coach reached out asking if I wanted to join them,\u201d he said. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s already excited to get to work on his offseason training in preparation for training camp in the fall.<\/p>\n

He has a clear goal of what he wants to accomplish when he walks into the rink in Tri-City in August.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mindset is just prove that you can be here,\u201d he stated. \u201cProve that you want to be here and do anything that you can to be able to stay. I think I\u2019m a guy that likes to score goals but also throw the body around.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Trae Peterson\u2019s 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. \u201cThere\u2019s probably about 600 people who live here,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s really small, so you basically…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":515,"featured_media":39914,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[409],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-39913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-409","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/05\/01173518\/D85_4179-scaled.jpg",2560,1707,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/515"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39913"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39913\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":39845,"date":"2026-04-29T11:47:38","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T15:47:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/?p=39845"},"modified":"2026-05-05T17:54:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T21:54:25","slug":"2026-whl-prospects-draft-preview-2025-draft-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/article\/2026-whl-prospects-draft-preview-2025-draft-review","title":{"rendered":"2026 WHL Prospects Draft Preview, 2025 Draft Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Kennewick, WA –\u00a0<\/strong>The 2026 WHL Prospects Draft is set for Wednesday and Thursday, May 6 and 7. The top 2011-born players from Western Canada and the WHL region of the United States will be selected by the 23 WHL clubs, looking to build the future of their organizations. Day one of the draft features the first round only, beginning at 5:00 PDT, while day two features the rest of the draft.<\/span><\/p>\n

This draft is key for the Tri-City Americans as they hold four of the top-40 picks in the draft, and for the first time since 2001, have two first round selections.<\/span><\/p>\n

Below is a full list of selections the Americans currently hold for the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Round<\/td>\nOverall<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\n19*<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/td>\n37**<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/td>\n39***<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/td>\n61****<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/td>\n76<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/td>\n99<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/td>\n111*****<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/td>\n122<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7<\/td>\n141******<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8<\/td>\n165*******<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
9<\/td>\n191<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

* This pick, along with the 37th overall pick in the 2025 CHL Import Draft (David Krcal), a 2029 3rd-round pick and a conditional 2027 5th-round pick, originally belonging to the Edmonton Oil Kings, was acquired by the Americans on June 23, 2025 in exchange for Max Curran.<\/span><\/p>\n

** This pick, originally belonging to the Saskatoon Blades, along with a conditional 2029 5th-round pick was acquired from the Edmonton Oil Kings on December 27, 2025 in exchange for Austin Zemlak.<\/span><\/p>\n

*** This pick, originally belonging to the Calgary Hitmen, was acquired on October 15, 2023 in exchange for Tyson Greenway.<\/span><\/p>\n

**** This pick, originally belonging to the Brandon Wheat Kings, was acquired along with Charlie Elick on January 7, 2025 in exchange for Jordan Gavin and Merrek Arpin.<\/span><\/p>\n

***** This pick, originally belonging to the Edmonton Oil Kings, was acquired on May 11, 2023 in exchange for Marc Lajoie.<\/span><\/p>\n

****** This pick, originally belonging to the Vancouver Giants, was acquired on January 10, 2023 in exchange for Ben Feenan<\/span>.<\/p>\n

******* This pick, along with a 2027 10th, was acquired from the Wenatchee Wild in exchange for a 2026 10th and a 2027 8th.<\/span><\/p>\n

Below is a list of picks that belonged to the Americans but were traded:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Round 2, 30th overall<\/strong> \u2013 This pick, along with a 2025 5th, was traded to the Spokane Chiefs on August 28, 2023 in exchange for Jake Gudelj.<\/span><\/p>\n

Round 3, 53rd overall<\/strong> \u2013 This pick was traded to the Calgary Hitmen on November 23, 2023 in exchange for Carter MacAdams.<\/span><\/p>\n

Round 7, 145th overall<\/strong> \u2013 This pick, along with Deagan McMillan and a 2028 4th, was traded to the Victoria Royals on August 21, 2024 in exchange for Austin Zemlak<\/span><\/p>\n

Round 8, 168th overall<\/strong> \u2013 This pick was traded to the Edmonton Oil Kings on January 9, 2024 in exchange for Mason Finley.<\/span><\/p>\n

2025 U.S. Priority Draft Review<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The WHL announced in March that there will no longer be a U.S. Priority Draft moving forward, as U.S. prospects will now be selected in the WHL Prospects Draft. Last year the Americans had the 11th and 37th overall picks, drafting forward Riley Wolkove and defenseman Blake Redpath with those selections.<\/span><\/p>\n

Riley Wolkove \u2013 Forward \u2013 11th Overall<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Wolkove was taken by the Americans after 2024-25 season in which he recorded 38 points (25-13-38) in 54 games with the U14 Los Angeles Jr Kings. Born in Toronto, Ontario but now living in the U.S., Wolkove headed East and spent the 2025-26 season playing for Eden Prairie High School in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. In 27 games he scored 19 points (12-7-19) He attended Americans training camp last fall.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Blake Redpath \u2013 Defenseman \u2013 37th Overall<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

With their second pick the Americans took Colorado native Blake Redpath at 37th overall. Playing in 52 games with the U14 Colorado Thunderbirds in 2024-25, Redpath scored 43 points (18-25-43). Playing with the U15 program this year, Redpath served as the captain for the U15 Colorado Thunderbirds and recorded 15 points (7-8-15) in 26 games.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

2025 WHL Prospects Draft Review<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Americans made 10 selections in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft; six forwards, three defenseman and one goaltender. As of May 1, the Americans have signed two of their 10 selections; Ben Oliverio (9th) and Karter Gibson (65th).<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben Oliverio \u2013 Forward \u2013 9th Overall<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

For a fourth straight year the Americans looked to the province of Alberta to make their first selection of the draft, taking Calgary native Ben Oliverio ninth overall. He was coming off a 2024-25 campaign with the U15 Calgary Northstars where he finished third in the Alberta Elite U15 League in scoring with 77 points (37-40-77) while also tying for the league lead with 88 penalty minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jumping to the U18 Northstars for 2025-26, Oliverio had little trouble adjusting to playing against older players, leading all 2010-born skaters in the Alberta U18 League in scoring with 47 points (23-24-47) while continuing to play with an edge, finishing with 114 penalty minute, second most in the league.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Team<\/td>\nG<\/td>\nA<\/td>\nPts<\/td>\nGP<\/td>\nPIM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Calgary Northstars U18<\/td>\n23<\/td>\n24<\/td>\n47<\/td>\n36<\/td>\n114<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Drumheller Dragons (AJHL)<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Easton Arndt \u2013 Forward \u2013 55th Overall<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Americans stayed in Alberta with their second pick in the draft with Edmonton native Easton Arndt 55th overall in the third round. He spent his 2024-25 draft year with the Northern Alberta Xtreme U15 team posting 55 points (24-31-55) in 31 games.<\/span><\/p>\n

Arndt then split the 2025-26 season with NAX’s U18 team and HC Edmonton’s U18 team of the JPHL, finishing strong with 11 points (6-5-11) in six playoff games with HC Edmonton.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Team<\/td>\nG<\/td>\nA<\/td>\nPts<\/td>\nGP<\/td>\nPIM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
NAX U18 (CSSHL)<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n12<\/td>\n22<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
HC Edmonton U18 (JPHL)<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Karter Gibson \u2013 Goaltender \u2013 65th Overall<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

With their second third-round pick of the draft the Americans selected the lone goaltender of their draft class, taking Airdrie’s Karter Gibson 65th overall. Gibson was teammates with Arndt at NAX in 2024-25, posting an incredible 17-1 record, 1.30 goals against average and .936 save percentage, along with six shutouts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gibson played with NAX’s U18 team this past season, helping them reach the championship game of the CSSHL U18 Division with an 8-5-1 record during the regular season.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Team<\/td>\nRec.<\/td>\nGAA<\/td>\nSav %<\/td>\nSO<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
NAX U18 (CSSHL)<\/td>\n8-5-1<\/td>\n3.25<\/td>\n.883<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Justin Moon \u2013 Forward \u2013 124th Overall<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

With no picks in rounds four or five, the Americans had to wait until 124th overall in the sixth round for their next pick, drafting forward Justin Moon (below, right) from the Burnaby Winter Club. In 35 games with BWC’s U15 club Moon posted 68 points (28-40-68), adding four assists in three playoff games.<\/span><\/p>\n

Moon stayed at Burnaby Winter Club for 2025-26 playing for their U18 team and adjusting nicely with 36 points (12-24-36) in 27 games. He had an impressive showing at the WHL Cup for Team B.C., scoring five goals and an assist in five games, helping Team B.C. claim the silver medal.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Team<\/td>\nG<\/td>\nA<\/td>\nPts<\/td>\nGP<\/td>\nPIM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Burnaby Winter Club U18 (CSSHL)<\/td>\n12<\/td>\n24<\/td>\n36<\/td>\n27<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Deacon Gayfer \u2013 Defenseman \u2013 147th Overall<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Americans remained in British Columbia and looked to the backend with their next selection, taking defenseman Deacon Gayfer from Rink Hockey Academy Kelowna at 147th overall. The Kamloops native played in 36 games during his draft year recording 17 points (5-12-17).<\/span><\/p>\n

Gayfer then returned home to Kamloops for the 2025-26 season, playing alongside fellow Americans prospect Carter Bylyica with the U18 Thompson Blazers. He posted nine points (2-7-9) in 28 games during the regular season before adding two assists in seven playoff games.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Team<\/td>\nG<\/td>\nA<\/td>\nPts<\/td>\nGP<\/td>\nPIM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Thompson Blazers U18 (BCEHL)<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n28<\/td>\n60<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Charlie Marin \u2013 Defenseman \u2013 150th Overall<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Just three picks later the Americans remained on defense, but looked to the Prairies to draft defenseman Charlie Marin of Winnipeg 150th overall. Playing for the U15 Winnipeg Wild, Marin scored 13 points (2-11-13) in 32 games, adding a goal and an assist in six playoff games.<\/span><\/p>\n

This past season Marin joined the CSSHL ranks playing for Rink Hockey Academy Winnipeg’s U17 program, picking up two goals and five assists in 30 games.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Team<\/td>\nG<\/td>\nA<\/td>\nPts<\/td>\nGP<\/td>\nPIM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rink Hockey Academy Winnipeg U17 (CSSHL)<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n30<\/td>\n20<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Kaleb Peters \u2013 Defenseman \u2013 167th Overall<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Americans took another Manitoba-born defenseman with their next selection, drafting Winkler native Kaleb Peters 167th overall. Peters was a point-per-game defender with the Pembina Valley Hawks U15 team in 2024-25, recording 32 points (5-27-32) in 32 games.<\/span><\/p>\n

Peters stayed with Hawks and played for their U17 program this past season, recording 13 points (6-7-13) in 33 games. He added two assists in five playoff games.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Team<\/td>\nG<\/td>\nA<\/td>\nPts<\/td>\nGP<\/td>\nPIM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pembina Valley Hawks U17 (WAAA 17)<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n13<\/td>\n33<\/td>\n22<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Blake Saulou \u2013 Forward \u2013 193rd Overall<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In the ninth round the Americans drafted forward Blake Saulou from Edmonton, Alberta at 193rd overall. Saulou played his WHL draft year with the MLAC U15 team in Edmonton scoring 42 points (19-23-42) in 34 games.<\/span><\/p>\n

Saulou then split the 2025-26 season between the U18 Edmonton Oilers Blue team and U17 MLAC program, scoring once and adding an assist in 10 games with the Jr. Oilers and posting 17 points (7-10-17) in 29 games with MLAC.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Team<\/td>\nG<\/td>\nA<\/td>\nPts<\/td>\nGP<\/td>\nPIM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
MLAC U17 AAA<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n17<\/td>\n29<\/td>\n18<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Edmonton Jr. Oilers Blue U18<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Colton Brum \u2013 Forward \u2013 216th Overall<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

With their first of two picks in the 10th round the Americans drafted forward Colton Brum out of Delta Hockey Academy’s U15 program. He scored 44 points (20-24-44) in 35 games before adding two goals and an assist in five playoff games, helping Delta win the U15 championship.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2025-26 Brum split time between Delta’s U17 team, scoring 21 points (7-14-21) in just 13 games, and also with Star Hockey Academy’s U17 team, recording 22 points (5-17-22) in only nine games. He chipped in four assists in three playoff games with Star.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Team<\/td>\nG<\/td>\nA<\/td>\nPts<\/td>\nGP<\/td>\nPIM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Delta Hockey Academy U17<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n14<\/td>\n21<\/td>\n13<\/td>\n18<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Star Hockey Academy U17<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n17<\/td>\n22<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Peter Budaj Jr \u2013 Forward \u2013 225th Overall<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

With their final selection of the draft the Americans selected a player with NHL bloodlines, drafting forward Peter Budaj Jr. 225th overall. Budaj played his draft year with the Colorado Goldrush U14 team, posting 29 points (12-17-29) in 44 games. His father, Peter, had a 17-year pro career as a goalie, playing 338 NHL games with Colorado, Montreal, Tampa Bay and Los Angeles.<\/span><\/p>\n

Budaj Jr. played in Philadelphia this past season, suiting up for three different teams and combining for 37 points (21-16-37) across 36 games.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Team<\/td>\nG<\/td>\nA<\/td>\nPts<\/td>\nGP<\/td>\nPIM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Downingtown High West<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n11<\/td>\n21<\/td>\n11<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Philadelphia Jr Flyers U15 (AYHL U15)<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n13<\/td>\n20<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Philadelphia Jr Flyers U15 (T1EHL U15)<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n12<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Kennewick, WA –\u00a0The 2026 WHL Prospects Draft is set for Wednesday and Thursday, May 6 and 7. The top 2011-born players from Western Canada and the WHL region of the United States will be selected by the 23 WHL clubs, looking to build the future of their organizations. Day one of the draft features…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":515,"featured_media":39911,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[409],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-39845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-409","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/04\/28192213\/Draft-Preview_-16_9.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/515"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39845"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39845\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":39894,"date":"2026-04-24T13:11:38","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T17:11:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/?p=39894"},"modified":"2026-04-24T13:11:38","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T17:11:38","slug":"prospect-profile-ryan-sadovia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/article\/prospect-profile-ryan-sadovia","title":{"rendered":"Prospect Profile: Ryan Sadovia"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Ryan Sadovia\u2019s path in hockey began just down the road from his house in Edmonton, Alberta.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve loved hockey since I was three or four years old,\u201d he said. \u201cWe had an outdoor rink in our neighborhood, and you\u2019d go out there with your friends for hours at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Growing up in Edmonton but now living in Kelowna, Sadovia says going to Edmonton Oilers games as a kid and seeing what the peak of hockey looks like increased his passion for the game.<\/p>\n

As he got older Kelowna\u2019s Rink Hockey Academy program is where Sadovia was able to develop his game, a place he says brought his performance to another level.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was tough for that first year,\u201d he admitted. \u201cBut after that it was seamless. It\u2019s really nice that everything is in unison, your trainers know what\u2019s happening with your on-ice work and the on-ice program helps reflect what\u2019s going on in the gym.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he entered his second year at RHA, his WHL draft year, he says his attention toward the WHL grew exponentially.<\/p>\n

It was hard not to, seeing scouts at nearly every game, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce you get into all those tournaments you see scouts all over the building,\u201d he said. \u201cIt starts to put it into perspective that the WHL is right around the corner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sadovia finished the 2023-24 season with 32 points (10-22-32) in 27 games with RHA Kelowna\u2019s U15 team.<\/p>\n

As the day of the draft arrived, Sadovia said he had no expectations on where or when he might go in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft, just that he was hoping to see his name at some point throughout the day.<\/p>\n

It helped that he still had school on the day of the draft, allowing his mind to be focused elsewhere as the picks went by.<\/p>\n

His name flashed across the screen at 165th<\/sup> overall in the eighth round as the Edmonton Oil Kings, his hometown team, drafted him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got a call from their general manager letting me know they were drafting me,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was pretty special going to Edmonton, being able to see family more often and seeing friends from early in my childhood.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"As he returned to Edmonton for his first WHL training camp, the Oil Kings were starting to build their way toward the 45-win team they were this past season.<\/p>\n

The difference in what he saw during that training camp compared to what he was used to was evident.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just remember how fast everyone seemed,\u201d Sadovia said. \u201cThey had a few NHL drafted players on the team that year and being on the ice with those guys added a level to the game that I hadn\u2019t seen before. Getting out there helped me see what I needed to work on if I wanted to reach that same level, which I believed was my skating.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 2024-25 Oil Kings featured four NHL drafted players, and another who went on to be drafted in 2025 in Blake Fiddler.<\/p>\n

Sadovia took his experience from that camp back to the Okanagan as he jumped to RHA\u2019s U18 program for the 2024-25 season.<\/p>\n

Much like his training camp experience, that was an adjustment as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was hard at first and I really felt like I had to find my game more,\u201d he said. \u201cOnce I did that, I felt it helped me to find my personal identity as a player and made the game easier for me because I knew what I needed to do to help the team succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sadovia posted 16 points (4-12-16) in 34 game with RHA\u2019s U18 team, saving his best for last as he recorded five points (3-2-5) in five playoff games to help them win the U18 Division Championship.<\/p>\n

He said the win was a little unexpected.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a surreal experience,\u201d he said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t really expect it at the time because we were a lower seed, but we got hot at the right time, kept rallying and really came together as a group.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sadovia scored to tie the championship game against Delta mid-way through the second period before RHA scored six of the game\u2019s final eight goals in the 7-3 victory.<\/p>\n

\"\"To make it even more memorable, he was able to share the championship with his older brother, Marcus.<\/p>\n

Playing a second year with RHA\u2019s U18 team, Sadovia says he was looking forward to the Circle K Classic in Calgary when he received a phone call from the Oil Kings informing him, they were dropping him from their 50-man protected list.<\/p>\n

While it was a hard phone call to take, he says he understood it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey told me they needed some room on their list because they were going to make some trades for their playoff push,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was pretty straight forward and there\u2019s no hard feelings about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sadovia wasn\u2019t a free agent for very long, however, as less than two weeks after being released by Edmonton the Americans added him to their 50-man list.<\/p>\n

Even though he wasn\u2019t without a WHL team for long, Sadovia says it was still a relief to get the news.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt definitely took a lot of the pressure off,\u201d he admitted. \u201cBob Tory reached out after the tournament to let me know I was on their list and complimented on how I played during that tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sadovia had an excellent performance at the Circle K Classic, a tournament that brings U18 teams from around the globe to Calgary, posting 10 points (3-7-10) in six games, finishing tied for fourth in tournament scoring.<\/p>\n

His performance at that event was a continuation of what he had done all year as his production during his second season at RHA Kelowna took a big step forward. He more than doubled his offensive production with 33 points (14-19-33) in 29 games.<\/p>\n

This year RHA Kelowna finished with a record of 24-2-3 and were the number one team in the U18 Division. They lived up to the billing with another championship win, this time with a 6-3 win over the Northern Alberta Xtreme.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year we were the top seed all year long,\u201d he said. \u201cI like the sense of pressure though. I find it helps me reach another level. It helps my overall game because it gives you that sense of urgency.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not long after celebrating another championship, Sadovia was told to pack his bags and meet the Americans at their hotel in Kelowna to join them for the remainder of the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were playing Penticton, so I met them at the hotel and joined them on the bus,\u201d he said. \u201cKnowing that I had made it to my goal was pretty surreal, but I also knew that the work wasn\u2019t done yet and that I had to keep working.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a few practices with the team Sadovia was told he would be making his WHL debut on March 20 against the Portland Winterhawks, the Americans final home game of the season.<\/p>\n

\"\"

KENNEWICK, Washington – March
20: Tri-City Americans
Photo credit: Tyler Adams\/Rattlesnake Mountain Photography<\/p><\/div>\n

Fans who watched that know full-well how impactful Sadovia looked during that game, setting up numerous scoring chances and looking like a player who had been playing in the league for years.<\/p>\n

He says his surrounding cast made it easy for him to jump in.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was easy to have confidence because everyone was so supportive on the ice and on the bench,\u201d he said. \u201cThey were all helping me with where to go and positioning. I was able to play my game which I felt everyone else was able to help me do. That game gave me a lot of confidence and helped remind me why I play.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sadovia also played in the season finale in Spokane, and the Americans had seen enough to offer him a Scholarship and Development Agreement the following week.<\/p>\n

\u201cBob had reached out the day before that they would be signing me,\u201d he said. \u201cIt just really helped solidify for next year that this is my destination and this could be where I\u2019m playing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Getting into the final two games of the regular season also gave him a preview of what to expect as he looks to make the Americans roster next season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think being able to be stronger and faster on the puck to help win races and battles,\u201d he said. \u201cMaking sure I capitalize on any chances I get to help the team create offense. I\u2019d like to think I\u2019m a 200-foot forward who can generate chances offensively and use his body physically to create offense.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Ryan Sadovia\u2019s path in hockey began just down the road from his house in Edmonton, Alberta. \u201cI\u2019ve loved hockey since I was three or four years old,\u201d he said. \u201cWe had an outdoor rink in our neighborhood, and you\u2019d go out there with your friends for hours at a time.\u201d Growing up in Edmonton…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":515,"featured_media":39895,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[409],"tags":[{"term_id":626,"name":"ryan sadovia","slug":"ryan-sadovia","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":626,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2"}],"class_list":["post-39894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-ryan-sadovia","category-409","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/04\/21123411\/D85_4105-scaled.jpg",2560,1707,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/515"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39894\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":39898,"date":"2026-04-23T15:07:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T19:07:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/?p=39898"},"modified":"2026-04-23T17:17:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T21:17:51","slug":"graduation-jake-gudelj","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/article\/graduation-jake-gudelj","title":{"rendered":"Graduation: Jake Gudelj"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]When a lot of kids his age might have been sleeping, Jake Gudelj was playing hockey with grown-ups on Thursday mornings in Vancouver.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember my mom used to always take me to this little rink near Sunset Beach in downtown Vancouver on Thursday mornings before school,\u201d he said. \u201cI was probably in grade 2 or 3, and afterwards we\u2019d always go to Safeway and get a bun to eat before she took me to school. Hockey was kind of always me and my dad\u2019s thing, but this is a memory that my mom and I always have.\u201d<\/p>\n

He says his first foray into hockey didn\u2019t go as smoothly, as he was the only kid in his group that didn\u2019t know how to skate when he first started. Gudelj credits his parents with encouraging him to stick with it, and the rest, as they say, is history.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t as though hockey was Gudelj\u2019s only athletic endeavor, however.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say hockey was always a sport that stood a bit above the others, but it wasn\u2019t something I was specializing in,\u201d he said. \u201cI played soccer and tennis right up until I was 14 years old. I was playing basketball and lacrosse and baseball when I was younger too. I was always a kid who loved being active and being involved in sports.\u201d<\/p>\n

Entering the 2019-20 hockey season, the WHL Draft looming in the distance is what jumpstarted Gudelj\u2019s dedication solely to the game of hockey.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember sitting at the kitchen table talking to my dad and he was talking about how this season was my draft year,\u201d he recalled. \u201cThat\u2019s when I started realizing that it was becoming more serious. When I started learning about the Draft and realizing I could get drafted and play in the best junior league in North America, that\u2019s when things started to change for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

After 35 points (19-16-35) points in 30 games with is West Van Academy U15 team during that year, Gudelj and his family sat down at the table and watched the draft unfold on April 22.<\/p>\n

He says he didn\u2019t know where he was going to go, but seeing his name appear on screen at 84th<\/sup> overall to the Spokane Chiefs is one of his most cherished memories.<\/p>\n

With the pandemic ongoing at the time, Gudelj couldn\u2019t make his way to Spokane for almost a year and a half until training camp in 2021.<\/p>\n

Well before that he signed his contract with the Chiefs, a decision that came together easily.<\/p>\n

“Before the draft I was still teetering a bit between the BCHL and the WHL,\u201d he said. \u201cEducation is very important to my parents so I wanted to make sure I kept an open mind, but when I saw my name appear on screen I realized I wanted to give hockey the best shot I could.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because he didn\u2019t attend his first WHL camp until he was 16, he was eligible to play in the WHL as a full-time player for the 2021-22 season.<\/p>\n

Being a fourth-round pick, Gudelj knew nothing was guaranteed when he set foot on the ice in Spokane for the first time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI definitely went there with the mindset that I wanted to make the team,\u201d he said. \u201cBeing a fourth-round pick, you\u2019re not put in a favorable position to make it, so I knew I had to work extremely hard. I was worried I was going to get sent home, but eventually I made the team and was able to spend my 16-year-old season there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"After sitting out the first few games of the year, in a full-circle type of moment, Gudelj made his WHL debut at the Toyota Center against the Americans on October 9, 2021.<\/p>\n

Still just 15-years-old, the nerves were at an all-time high.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember being so nervous before the game and the older players were telling me to relax and that it was just another game,\u201d he laughed. \u201cI don\u2019t think I played too much, but I remember getting into a huge battle in the corner with Jake Sloan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gudelj played in 51 games during his rookie season, scoring three goals and adding three assists.<\/p>\n

\"\"Having only played a handful of competitive hockey games heading into that season due to minor hockey being shut down across Canada the year before, Gudelj says there were times that rookie season was a struggle.<\/p>\n

He credits his roommate, Nick McCarry, with helping him adjust to the WHL.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are all these things you\u2019re trying to juggle like living away from home for the first time, doing your schoolwork, practicing every day,\u201d he said. \u201cI was fortunate to live with Nick, and I think that was one of my best experiences in the WHL. He was a guy who had gone through all those things years before me, and he was able to really help me adjust. He showed me the ropes of the league so heading into my second season I felt like I was in a much better position.\u201d<\/p>\n

McCarry was traded to the Chiefs in January of that season and wrapped up his WHL career in 2021-22 with 174 games played with Medicine Hat, Kamloops and Spokane.<\/p>\n

Gudelj\u2019s second WHL season saw more success on the ice as he nearly tripled his point total with 16 points (8-8-16) while playing in all 68 games. Despite that, the lack of team success put a damper on his positive strides.<\/p>\n

\u201cYear two was still pretty tough,\u201d he admitted. \u201cI was playing a bit more, but we weren\u2019t a very good team that year. We didn\u2019t make the playoffs, and the Chiefs were going through some changes at the time. I think I learned a lot that year, lessons that I was able to take forward in my career for adversity that I faced later on.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 2022-23 Spokane Chiefs finished last in the Western Conference with a 15-43-4-6 record.<\/p>\n

Just before training camp began in 2023 Gudelj was traded to the Americans. Playing for Tri-City\u2019s biggest rival for two years, he admits some of his first thoughts were what was going to happen the first time he played the Chiefs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was thinking what it was going to be like the first time you match up against them,\u201d he said. \u201cOur first game in Spokane that year, we spoiled their home opener with a 3-1 win. It was funny because those other guys are giving you the gears all game long, but it was a nice taste of victory to beat them in that first match up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gudelj got off to a fine start that season with six points through the team\u2019s first 10 games, but a devastating injury suffered on November 1 nearly ended his season.<\/p>\n

\"\"After a fight with Vancouver Giants forward Matthew Edwards, Gudelj suffered a major shoulder injury that cost him the next three and a half months.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was definitely a tough day for my family and I,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it was the way I fell after the fight. I was bleeding a little bit after the fight, so I went to the room and noticed my arm was dangling down. You have so much adrenaline after the fight you don\u2019t feel the pain until afterwards.\u201d<\/p>\n

Going to the hospital and getting his shoulder looked it, it became clear that surgery was the best option to ensure he was able to continue playing without the risk of re-injuring his shoulder.<\/p>\n

Undergoing surgery and going through the recovery process gave Gudelj a different perspective on things.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I look back on it, you almost have to be grateful,\u201d he said. \u201cI wasn\u2019t allowed to skate or workout. I had to be in a cast for eight weeks. That\u2019s when you realize how grateful you should be to do what you get to do playing in the WHL; being with your teammates every day and practicing with them. I don\u2019t think I would have had that perspective if I had never gotten hurt. You can be negative and frustrated, or you can look at it from a positive perspective and I\u2019m glad that\u2019s what I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gudelj was able to work himself back into game shape and play the final two games of the 2023-24 season, scoring a goal in the last game of the year in Everett.<\/p>\n

With his shoulder fully recovered, Gudelj was told he was invited to attend St. Louis Blues development camp in the summer.<\/p>\n

He says it was the perfect way to start a new year.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter such a tough year I think that was the boost I needed,\u201d he said. \u201cI got invited to rookie camp and knew I had to work hard if I wanted to get to main camp, and I remember them calling me down to the hotel lobby after rookie camp and telling me they wanted me to come to their main training camp.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jumping on the ice with NHL regulars, Gudelj was able to get the Big-League experience during his time in St. Louis.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose guys were extremely down to earth,\u201d he said. \u201cA guy like Colton Parayko, an established NHL star and a guy who\u2019s played for Team Canada, was just having normal conversations with me. These guys are making millions of dollars and you\u2019re just some junior hockey player, but they were really welcoming.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Speaking of Parayko, he was the focal point of one of Gudelj\u2019s biggest memories of that camp.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were doing a drill and the puck got rimmed around the boards towards me,\u201d he said. \u201cI looked behind me and saw Parayko coming down the wall and I thought \u2018I need to throw a reverse hit on this guy\u2019. I threw my hips out to try and hit him, but he didn\u2019t move an inch. It was like getting run into by a brick wall. I told my parents about it that night, I tried to hit Colton Parayko, and it did not go well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parayako is listed at 6-foot-6, 229 pounds and has 800 career NHL games under his belt. He also played for Team Canada at the Olympics in February.<\/p>\n

A rejuvenated Gudelj returned to the Americans for the 2024-25 season and played a key role in helping them rattle off 12 consecutive victories, recording 16 points (8-8-16) during the winning streak.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had high expectations for myself and for the team, but unfortunately we weren\u2019t able to get the job done,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was great to play again. Things felt like they were normal after missing almost the whole season the year before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gudelj set career highs across the board with 33 points (14-19-33) in 62 games during the 2024-25 season.<\/p>\n

As he prepared for his 20-year-old season this past year, he says he couldn\u2019t believe how quickly the previous four years had gone by.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not even joking when I say it goes by in the snap of your fingers,\u201d he said. \u201cOne minute you\u2019re 16-years-old and the next minute you\u2019re 20. I remember thinking \u2018I\u2019ve got five years\u2019 and then all the sudden I\u2019m in my 20-year-old season. Time flies by and you have to be grateful for the time you spend in the WHL because the next thing you know, you\u2019re graduating.\u201d<\/p>\n

Americans fans know the 2025-26 season was a disappointing one for the team as they failed to reach the playoffs for just the eighth time in franchise history.<\/p>\n

Gudelj took another step forward in his personal game, hitting 40 points (11-29-40), and says he tried to enjoy his final year in the league despite the team\u2019s struggles.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re all memories I\u2019ll carry with me for a lifetime,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m so grateful for the friendships that I\u2019ve made, all the fans who came out to watch us, the 12-hour bus rides to Prince George, I\u2019ll always remember the good and the bad moments.\u201d<\/p>\n

A highlight for Gudelj during his overage season was announcing his commitment to attend Princeton University and play Division 1 hockey for the Tigers next season.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Jake Gudelj
KENNEWICK, Washington – February
27: Tri-City Americans
Photo credit: Tyler Adams\/Rattlesnake Mountain Photography<\/p><\/div>\n

He says it\u2019s extra special for his family, considering the importance his parents place on education.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents were both extremely happy for me,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re both scholars and my mom always wanted to go to an Ivy League school, so I\u2019m really happy that I could make her proud with this commitment. Princeton is a place where people go to become the best version of themselves. When I went there for a visit, the moment I set foot on campus I knew that\u2019s where I wanted to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

After being the most veteran player on the Americans roster last season, Gudelj now prepares to revert to rookie status as he takes the next step in his career.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a step he\u2019s ready to embrace.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely a big transition, but it\u2019s a transition I\u2019ve done before coming from the academy to the WHL,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m prepared for anything it throws at me, both school wise and hockey wise. You\u2019re in an environment where everyone is focused on the same things, and I think that\u2019s an environment that I\u2019ll be able to thrive in.\u201d<\/p>\n

While he may never wear a Tri-City Americans jersey again, Gudelj says he won\u2019t soon forget his time spent in Eastern Washington.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a really great spot to be and I\u2019m super grateful that I got to spend three years there,\u201d he said. \u201cTri-Cities will always hold a special place in my heart. When people say those are the best fans in the league, they\u2019re not kidding. I\u2019ll forever be thankful for the opportunity I was given there.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]When a lot of kids his age might have been sleeping, Jake Gudelj was playing hockey with grown-ups on Thursday mornings in Vancouver. \u201cI remember my mom used to always take me to this little rink near Sunset Beach in downtown Vancouver on Thursday mornings before school,\u201d he said. \u201cI was probably in grade…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":515,"featured_media":39904,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[409],"tags":[{"term_id":577,"name":"jake gudelj","slug":"jake-gudelj","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":577,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3,"filter":"raw","term_order":"42"}],"class_list":["post-39898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-jake-gudelj","category-409","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/04\/23150734\/D75_9581-scaled.jpg",2560,1709,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39898","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/515"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39898"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39898\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":39891,"date":"2026-04-20T15:09:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T19:09:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/?p=39891"},"modified":"2026-04-20T15:09:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T19:09:36","slug":"jakub-vanecek-to-play-for-team-czechia-at-iihf-under-18-mens-world-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/article\/jakub-vanecek-to-play-for-team-czechia-at-iihf-under-18-mens-world-championship","title":{"rendered":"Jakub Vanecek to play for Team Czechia at IIHF Under 18 Men’s World Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Kennewick, WA \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>The Tri-City Americans are proud to announce that 2008-born defenseman Jakub Vanecek has made Team Czechia\u2019s roster for the upcoming 2026 IIHF World Under-18 Hockey Championship. The tournament runs from April 22 to May 2 in Trencin and Bratislava, Slovakia.<\/p>\n

The tournament features 10 teams, Canada, United States, Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Slovakia, Latvia, Norway, Germany and Denmark. Czechia\u2019s first game of the tournament goes Wednesday, April 22 at 7:00 AM PDT against the USA.<\/p>\n

Vanecek had an excellent rookie season in the WHL after being drafted 25th<\/sup> overall by the Americans in the 2025 CHL Import Draft. In 59 games Vanecek scored 35 points (14-21-35) with his 14 goals leading all rookie defensemen in the WHL.<\/p>\n

He was drafted after splitting the 2024-25 season with Bili Tygri\u2019s U17 and U20 teams in Czechia, posting 12 points (1-11-12) in 21 games with the U17 team and four assists in 31 games with the U20 team.<\/p>\n

The World U18 Championship will be the third time this calendar year Vanecek has represented Czechia on the international stage as he played at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup in August, picking up two assists in four games, and was with Team Czechia at the World Junior Championships in Minnesota over the holiday break, but did not get into game action. He came home with a silver medal from that event.<\/p>\n

Vanecek was ranked 31st<\/sup> among North American Skaters by NHL Central Scouting in their final rankings for the 2026 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

This marks the fifth straight season the Americans have had a player at the World Under-18 Championship as Jackson Smith won a gold medal with Team Canada last year.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Kennewick, WA \u2013\u00a0The Tri-City Americans are proud to announce that 2008-born defenseman Jakub Vanecek has made Team Czechia\u2019s roster for the upcoming 2026 IIHF World Under-18 Hockey Championship. The tournament runs from April 22 to May 2 in Trencin and Bratislava, Slovakia. The tournament features 10 teams, Canada, United States, Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Slovakia,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":515,"featured_media":39893,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[409],"tags":[{"term_id":622,"name":"jakub vanecek","slug":"jakub-vanecek","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":622,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw","term_order":"6"},{"term_id":12,"name":"press releases","slug":"press-releases","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":74,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":560,"filter":"raw","term_order":"426"}],"class_list":["post-39891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-jakub-vanecek","tag-press-releases","category-409","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/04\/20150928\/Artboard-1-1.jpg",2200,1256,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39891","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/515"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39891"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39891\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39893"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39891"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39891"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39891"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":39886,"date":"2026-04-20T12:57:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T16:57:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/?p=39886"},"modified":"2026-04-20T12:58:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T16:58:22","slug":"prospect-profile-carter-bylycia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/article\/prospect-profile-carter-bylycia","title":{"rendered":"Prospect Profile: Carter Bylycia"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Carter Bylycia loves the game of hockey. His first foray into the game didn\u2019t go so smoothly, however.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember being out on the ice with my dad and I hated it at first,\u201d he said. \u201cI was losing my mind out there. But eventually I went back out a few more times and then I started to love it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sometimes persistence pays off, and a second chance at hockey has turned into Bylycia becoming a legitimate WHL prospect.<\/p>\n

He says he wouldn\u2019t be where he is without the support of his family.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve been my support system since I was a little guy,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019ve always been there supporting me, pushing me and getting me from point A to point B.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of those points was often the Sandman Centre in Kamloops where Bylycia watched his hometown Blazers hit the ice.<\/p>\n

He says having a WHL team in your hometown makes you view those players as superstars as a young kid. He cites Olen Zellweger as a favorite of his.<\/p>\n

The Blazers, along with a minor hockey coach, helped put Bylycia on the path towards the WHL.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight from my first or second year of Peewee that was the goal,\u201d he said. \u201cMy coach, Mike Newman, whose son played in the WHL, really motivated me and pushed me to get to that level.<\/p>\n

Newman\u2019s son is Reggie Newman, who just wrapped up his WHL career serving as captain of the Victoria Royals this past season.<\/p>\n

For his first year of U15 Bylycia elected to join the CSSHL ranks and went west to Yale Hockey Academy in Abbotsford. He says the history of players from his area going to Yale was a big factor in why he went.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a bunch of Kamloops native who went there,\u201d he said. \u201cI thought following in the footsteps of them would be pretty cool. It turned out to be a really good decision. You\u2019re at the rink all day with your buddies, you\u2019re in the classroom with them, on the ice with them, it helps create a special bond with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

After playing his 13-year-old season at the Varsity level, posting 25 points (8-17-25) in 27 games, Bylycia moved to the U15 Prep level for his WHL Draft season. He transitioned there smoothly with 20 points (2-18-20) in 25 games.<\/p>\n

Talking to WHL teams throughout that season leading up to the draft, he says that 2023-24 year was one of the most fun years he\u2019s ever had playing hockey, despite some outside pressure with scouts watching.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like the pressure,\u201d he stated. \u201cI think it\u2019s good, it gives you more confidence and something to play for.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the season was over and the draft finally arrived Bylycia admitted he didn\u2019t have a clue where he was going to go, both to what team and where in the draft.<\/p>\n

After finishing up a practice that took place while the draft was happening Bylycia found out he had been drafted 68th<\/sup> overall by the Americans.<\/p>\n

The news came as a surprise as Bylyica says the Americans were a team he had never spoken to throughout that season. Despite that, he was excited as he knew a few other Yale Academy players, like Kainoah Brankovic and Savin Virk, who had been drafted by the Americans previously.<\/p>\n

Before training camp even began, it was announced that Bylycia had signed a Scholarship and Development Agreement with the Americans. It was something he says he worked all summer for.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really exciting,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was one of the goals I worked up to all summer, training as hard as I could. When they offered me the player development plan I was really excited.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being close to WHL size already, listed at 6-foot-1 and 182 pounds on draft day, Bylycia had a distinct advantage heading into his first WHL training camp. There were still nerves, he admits.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cI remember I was a little scared,\u201d he said. \u201cBut once you get into a rhythm, you\u2019re just one of the guys doing your thing. It was a really cool experience; I tried to get as much out of it as I could. The speed was definitely a big change. You have to think so much faster and move quicker than I was used to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bylycia parlayed his experience from training camp to the U18 Prep level at Yale Academy, picking up 14 points (4-10-34) in 32 games during the 2024-25 season.<\/p>\n

He says adjusting to playing against older competition took a little while to get used to, and he had to fight for every opportunity as there were four defenseman older than him on the roster that season.<\/p>\n

Following his second training camp with the Americans this past year, Bylyica elected to return to Kamloops and play for the Thompson Blazers rather than play another season at Yale Hockey Academy.<\/p>\n

He says the coaching staff with the Blazers was the deciding factor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had Ed Patterson and Darryl Sydor, a couple of former NHL players,\u201d he said. \u201cThey taught me a lot this year, what they had been through and how I could use their experiences to help grow my game. I also hadn\u2019t been home in a few years, so it was nice to finally have a year at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paterson appeared in 68 NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1990s while Sydor had an 18-year NHL career skating in 1,291 games, recording 274 points (77-197-274) and winning a pair of Stanley Cups in 1999 and 2004.<\/p>\n

The decision to play for the Blazers paid off in spades as Bylycia\u2019s game reached new heights by scoring 37 points (7-30-37) in 30 games, leading all defenseman in the British Columbia U18 League in scoring.<\/p>\n

He says the work he put in during the summer paid huge dividends.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think my offseason was a big contributor to that,\u201d he said. \u201cI trained as hard as I could, training with pros trying to elevate my game. I was able to work out with guys like Logan Stankoven, Josh Doan, Ryan Chyzowski and Aidan Sutter. It gives you a lot of motivation to see the kind of work those guys are putting in. They were in my shoes at one point, so you take what they\u2019re doing now and realize that you have to do it yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Bylycia\u2019s performance was a key factor in the Blazers having team success, making it all the way to the league final of the BC U18 League.<\/p>\n

That included knocking out the number one seed in the second round.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a great playoff run with a four vs five matchup that went to a deciding game three to start,\u201d he said. \u201cWe played the number one seed in round two and had a few tight games, 7-5 and 6-5, including scoring with about 30 seconds left to win one of those games. Unfortunately, we couldn\u2019t get the job done in the final, but it was a heck of a run.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Blazers fell to the Okanagan Rockets in the league final with Bylycia tacking on eight points (1-7-8) in seven playoff games.<\/p>\n

With an excellent 16-year-old season under his belt, Bylycia turns his attention to becoming a full-time WHL player for 2026-27.<\/p>\n

He knows the Americans have a lot of young players on the roster and in the system and hopes to be part of that core group moving forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a bunch of young guys who are going to be driving the bus,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be really exciting. I\u2019m a two-way player who can shut down opposing team\u2019s top lines. My compete level is really high and I think my skating is pretty good too.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Carter Bylycia loves the game of hockey. His first foray into the game didn\u2019t go so smoothly, however. \u201cI remember being out on the ice with my dad and I hated it at first,\u201d he said. \u201cI was losing my mind out there. But eventually I went back out a few more times and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":515,"featured_media":39888,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[409],"tags":[{"term_id":625,"name":"carter bylycia","slug":"carter-bylycia","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":625,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"3"}],"class_list":["post-39886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-carter-bylycia","category-409","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/04\/20125241\/IMG_0259.jpg",1000,850,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/515"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39886"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39886\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39888"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-americans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}]