Road to the WHL Draft: 2022
Swift Current, SK – With the 1st Round of the WHL Prospects Draft upcoming on May 7th, The Swift Current Broncos continue their preparations for the 2025 edition of the Draft. We’ll look back at the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft, where a future NHL Draft pick would find his way onto the draft board first in a very deep 2007 born prospect class. The Top 3 picks went to the Medicine Hat Tigers, Tri-City Americans and Victoria Royals. Medicine Hat had the number one pick and selected F Gavin McKenna first overall, The Americans grabbed defenceman Jackson Smith at 2 while the Royals nabbed Cole Reschny at 3.
The Broncos finished on the outside looking in for the playoffs and drew the Number 5 pick in the Draft before swinging a deal with the Regina Pats to swap picks in the first round. The Broncos began the day by trading the fifth overall pick, along with a 2024 fourth-round selection, to the Regina Pats in exchange for the sixth and 54th overall picks.
With that sixth overall pick the Broncos drafted defenceman Peyton Kettles (Winnipeg, MB) from Rink Hockey Academy’s U15 team in Winnipeg. Kettles served as RHA’s captain during the 2021-22 season while scoring 35 points (9-26-35) in 30 games. Kettles’s father, Kyle, was a three-year goalie in the WHL with Medicine Hat and Moose Jaw from 1999-2002 and a seventh-round pick of the Nashville Predators in 1999. Peyton has competed for Canada on two different tournaments starting with the U17’s in 2023 & in 2024 he won a gold medal with the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. During the 2024-25 season Kettles ended up being ranked #39 among North American Skaters heading into the 2025 NHL Draft.
Swift Current then made another trade, acquiring the 26th overall pick from the Vancouver Giants in exchange for a 2023 first-round pick and the 54th overall pick.
With the newly-acquired pick the Broncos drafted right-handed defenceman Jace McFaul (Edmonton, AB) from the Pacific Coast Hockey Academy. The 5’8’’ Edmonton native posted 46 points (13-33-46) in 30 games during the 2021-22 season, finishing third on his team in scoring. His 46 points was third-most amongst defenceman in the U15 CSSHL age group. McFaul was the Broncos Most Scholastic Player in the 2024-25 season.
The Broncos then picked again at 30th overall, selecting Parker Rondeau (Swift Current, SK). Playing for the U15 AA Swift Current Broncos, Rondeau led the team in scoring with 68 points (42-26-68) in just 31 games. He then added 16 points (7-9-16) in 10 playoff games. Rondeau is the son of Broncos alum Jeremy Rondeau, who played for the Broncos from 1995-1999. Rondeau played in 59 games during the 2024-25 season.
With the 42nd overall pick the Broncos went to Ty Coupland (North Vancouver, BC). The right-shot forward posted some gaudy numbers for the Vancouver Northwest Hawks, collecting 65 points (36-29-65) in just 21 games played. Coupland was the Broncos 2024 Rookie of the Year along with Peyton Kettles.
Off to the third-round, the Broncos drafting forward Brennan Brown (Milestone, SK) of the Weyburn Wings. ABrennan scored 45 points (20-25-45) in 29 games with the Wings in 2021-22. He played his 2024-25 season with the Moose Jaw U18 AAA Warriors.
The Broncos next selected at 74th overall, returning to their backyard by drafting goaltender Berney Weston (Gull Lake, SK) from the U15 AA Swift Current Broncos. Weston, from Gull Lake, posted a 12-4-0 record with a .922 save percentage and a 2.66 goals against average for the Broncos in 2021-22. Weston has played one game with the Broncos back in 2023-24 and backed up during the 2025 WHL Playoffs.
After no picks in the fifth round, the Broncos drafted forward Levi Benson 118th overall in the sixth round. The Rosedale, B.C. native spent the 2021-22 season with Yale Hockey Academy and posted 28 points (4-24-28) in 30 games.
At 140th overall in the seventh round the Broncos looked to Alberta selected forward Jaxen Gauchier (Peavine, AB) from the Grand Prairie Storm. The High Prairie, Alta. native recorded 35 points (24-11-35) in 34 games with the U15 Grand Prairie Storm. Gauchier was voted the teams Most Popular Player in 2024-25, scoring 7 goals, 3 assists in 48 games as a Broncos rookie.
With their ninth-round pick, 184th overall, the Broncos drafted defenceman Brennen Hocher (Calgary, AB) from Edge School Prep U15 AAA. The left-shot defenceman picked up six points (1-5-6) in 22 games in 2021-22.
The Broncos used their 10th round selection, 206th overall, to draft a third member of the U15 Swift Current Broncos by selecting forward Wesley Olson (Chaplin, SK).
In the 2022 US Prospects Draft the Broncos selected Aidan Eskit (Calgary, AB) from the Dallas Junior Stars program sporting a 20-3-0-0 record with a .939 save percentage paired with a 1.96 goals against average and signed his WHL Scholarship & Development Agreement on December 4, 2024.
With their second pick in the US Draft the Broncos Dominic Diebert from Fargo, ND.
The 2025 Prospects Draft is scheduled from May 7-8, starting with the Expansion Draft for the Penticton Vees, followed by Round 1 of the Prospects Draft is at 5 PM. May 8 will start with the US Priority Draft at 9 AM followed by the remaining rounds of the Prospects Draft after, stay tuned on the Broncos website & social media for the latest updates throughout draft day.
| RD | Pick | Name | Hometown | Position | 2023-24 Team | Ht | Wt |
| 1 | 6 | Peyton Kettles | Winnipeg, MB | D | Rink Winnipeg U15 Prep | 6’3 | 155 |
| 2 | 26 | Jace McFaul | Edmonton, AB | D | Pacific Coast Academy | 5’9 | 143 |
| 2 | 30 | Parker Rondeau | Swift Current, SK | F | Swift Current Broncos U15AA | 5’10 | 143 |
| 2 | 42 | Ty Coupland | North Vancouver, BC | F | Vancouver NW Hawks U15 AAA | 5’10 | 148 |
| 3 | 52 | Brennan Brown | Milestone, SK | F | Weyburn Redwings U15 AA | 6’3 | 168 |
| 4 | 74 | Berney Weston | Gull Lake, SK | G | Swift Current U15 AA | 5’8 | 134 |
| 6 | 118 | Levi Benson | Winnipeg, MB | F | Rosedale. BC | 5’2 | 110 |
| 7 | 140 | Jaxen Gauchier | Peavine, AB | F | Grande Prairie Storm U18 AAA | 5’10 | 147 |
| 9 | 184 | Brennan Hocher | Calgary, AB | D | Edge U15 Prep | 5’10 | 156 |
| 10 | 206 | Wesley Olson | Chaplin, SK | F | Swift Current Broncos U15 AA | 5’5 | 113 |
| 11 | 228 | Jack Clark | Wawanesa, MB | F | Southwest Cougars U15 AAA | 5’9 | 150 |
