2026 WHL Draft Preview
Ladner, B.C. — The Western Hockey League will hold their annual drafts this week, with the first round of the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft taking place on Wednesday, May 6 at 5 p.m. PT.
The remainder of the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft will be held Thursday, May 7.
The Vancouver Giants own two first round picks – second and fourth overall – which was announced on March 27 following the annual draft lottery. The extra first round pick is courtesy of the Wenatchee Wild, which still stems from the 2023 Zack Ostapchuk trade with the then Winnipeg Ice.
The G-Men also hold two second-round picks, thanks to a January 5 trade that sent Colton Alain to the Swift Current Broncos.
Below are all the Giants selections:
2026 WHL Prospects Draft
| ROUND | OVERALL | TEAM | FROM |
| 1 | 2 | Vancouver | Wenatchee |
| 1 | 4 | Vancouver | |
| 2 | 26 | Vancouver | |
| 2 | 33 | Vancouver | Portland via Swift Current |
| 3 | 49 | Vancouver | |
| 7 | 149 | Vancouver | Seattle |
| 9 | 187 | Vancouver | |
| 10 | 210 | Vancouver | |
| 11 | 233 | Vancouver | |
| 12 | 256 | Vancouver |
*The Giants technically hold picks into Round 15, however most clubs end up passing by Round 12.
The Last Time Vancouver Picked 2nd Overall…
The Giants have selected second overall in the WHL Draft only once before, back in 2002 when they held the first and second overall picks.
At the time, Vancouver selected Gilbert Brulé first and Dan Bertram second. Bertram never played for the Giants, but that was at a time when players were forced to decide between the major junior route and the Junior A route. That is no longer the case.
The Giants have never held the fourth overall pick in the Prospects Draft, so that will be a first for the organization.
This draft will also be the first time since 2002 that the Giants will hold two picks in the top four overall.
Looking Back at the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft
| ROUND | OVR | PLAYER | POS | HOMETOWN | 2024-25 TEAM |
| 1 | 6 | Louis-Oscar Holowaychuk* | C | Vancouver, B.C. | St. George’s School U15 Prep |
| 1 | 13 | Crosby Mateychuk* | D | Dominion City, Man. | Eastman Selects U15 |
| 5 | 101 | Tony Cabelka | LW | Port Coquitlam, B.C. | Yale Hockey Academy U15 Prep |
| 5 | 103 | Jakob Schmidt | D | Prince Albert, Sask. | Prince Albert Mintos U18 AAA |
| 7 | 157 | Leonardo Domenichelli* | RW | Lugano, Swi | HC Lugano U20 |
| 8 | 169 | Adrian Ferro | G | Drumheller, Alta. | Sherwood Park Flyers U15 |
| 8 | 172 | Ethan Mah | D | North Vancouver, B.C. | North Shore Warriors U15 Prep |
| 9 | 192 | Nathaniel Moore | F | Tsawwassen, B.C. | St. George’s School U15 Prep |
| 9 | 195 | William Mateychuk | D | Zhoda, Man. | Eastman Selects U15 |
| 10 | 218 | Thomas Ogee | D | Vancouver, WA | Star Hockey Academy U15 Prep |
* Denotes player is signed to a WHL Scholarship & Development Agreement
To read about each prospects’ 2025-26 season, read the Giants April prospect update HERE.
Fans can stream the first round of the WHL Prospects Draft on May 6 for free on Victory+. The WHL Prospects Draft Pre-Show will begin at 4:30 p.m. PT, with the draft getting underway at 5 p.m. PT.
Real-time results from the draft will be available at WHL.ca, as well as with our live tracker right here at vancouvergiants.com.
There is no WHL U.S. Priority Draft for the first time since 2019.
The WHL U.S. Priority Draft was introduced in 2020 as a two-round draft for U15 players residing in 20 U.S. states and territories to be selected by WHL clubs. Those selections will now merge into the WHL Prospects Draft starting in 2026.
