Carson Carels Named Team West Captain for 2026 WHL Prospects Game presented by Showpass
Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League announced today the leadership groups for Team East and Team West ahead of the 2026 WHL Prospects Game presented by Showpass, which is scheduled to be held Wednesday, February 18, at the Langley Events Centre in Langley, B.C.
Team East will be captained by Prince Albert Raiders defenceman Daxon Rudolph, while Team West will be captained by Prince George Cougars defenceman Carson Carels.
Tickets for the 2026 WHL Prospects Game presented by Showpass are available now by visiting vancouvergiants.com/tickets.
Joining Rudolph on the leadership group for Team East are alternate captains Ben MacBeath of the Calgary Hitmen and twin brothers Liam and Markus Ruck of the Medicine Hat Tigers.
Joining Carels on the leadership group for Team West are alternate captains JP Hurlbert of the Kamloops Blazers, Ryan Lin of the Vancouver Giants, and Jakub Vanecek of the Tri-City Americans.
TEAM EAST LEADERSHIP
Captain – Daxon Rudolph (D) – Prince Albert Raiders / Lacombe, Alta.
Ranked sixth among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, Rudolph is tied for first in scoring on the Raiders with 56 points (21G-35A) in 49 games.
The 6-foot-2, 202-pound defenceman represented Team CHL at the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge in November.
Originally selected by the Raiders in the first round (first overall) of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, Rudolph has notched 97 points (28G-69A) in 113 career WHL regular season games.
Alternate Captain – Ben MacBeath (D) – Calgary Hitmen / Calgary, Alta.
Ranked 20th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, MacBeath leads all Hitmen blueliners in scoring with 37 points (6G-31A) in 47 games.
The 6-foot-2, 181-pound defenceman was originally selected by the Kelowna Rockets in the seventh round (136th overall) of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft. He was acquired by the Hitmen in May as part of a deal that sent San Jose Sharks prospect Carson Wetsch to the Kelowna Rockets.
Alternate Captain – Liam Ruck (RW) – Medicine Hat Tigers / Osoyoos, B.C.
Ranked 26th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, Ruck leads the Tigers in scoring with 69 points (29G-40A) in 48 games.
The 6-foot, 175-pound right winger represented Team CHL at the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge in November.
Originally selected by the Tigers in the first round (ninth overall) of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, Ruck has secured 112 points (55G-57A) in 113 career WHL regular season games.
Alternate Captain – Markus Ruck (C) – Medicine Hat Tigers / Osoyoos, B.C.
Ranked 31st among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, Ruck sits second in Tigers scoring with 68 points (12G-56A) in 49 games.
The 6-foot, 167-pound twin brother of Liam was originally selected by the Tigers in the first round (21st overall) of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft.
TEAM WEST LEADERSHIP
Captain – Carson Carels (D) – Prince George Cougars / Cypress River, Man.
Ranked third among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, Carels has secured 47 points (15G-32A) in 40 games.
The 6-foot-1, 175-pound rearguard represented Team CHL at the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge before representing Canada at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship in Minnesota.
Originally selected by the Cougars in the first round (16th overall) of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, Carels has notched 85 points (21G-64A) in 107 career WHL regular season games.
Alternate Captain – JP Hurlbert (RW) – Kamloops Blazers / Allen, Texas
Leading the WHL in scoring with 79 points (34G-45A) in 50 games, Hurlbert is ranked 10th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
Hurlbert represented Team CHL at the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge in November.
The 6-foot, 182-pound Hurlbert was originally selected by the Blazers in the first round (20th overall) of the 2023 WHL U.S. Priority Draft. He signed a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement in August 2025.
Alternate Captain – Ryan Lin (D) – Vancouver Giants / Richmond, B.C.
Ranked 13th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, Lin leads the Giants in scoring with 50 points (11G-39A) in 42 games.
The 6-foot, 177-pound right-shot defenceman represented Team CHL at the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge in November.
Originally selected by the Giants in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, Lin has posted 103 points (16G-87A) in 103 career WHL regular season games.
Alternate Captain – Jakub Vanecek (D) – Tri-City Americans / Humpolec, Czechia
Ranked 21st among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, Vanecek leads all Americans defencemen in scoring with 28 points (11G-17A) in 39 games.
The 6-foot-1, 191-pound blueliner was originally selected by the Ams in the first round (25th overall) of the 2025 CHL Import Draft.
The 2026 WHL Prospects Game will serve as the first all-WHL event of its kind since January 19, 2000, when Kelowna hosted the 2000 WHL All-Star Game, in which the Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference by a score of 10-8 in front of 5,420 fans at Prospera Place.
Since the WHL was established in 1966-67, there have been 26 previous WHL all-star or top prospects-style events.
Vancouver last hosted a WHL All-Star Game on January 19, 1972, when the East Division defeated the West Division by a 4-2 margin.
For more information on the 2026 WHL Prospects Game presented by Showpass, please visit WHL.ca.
About the Western Hockey League
Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 23 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and six in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.
