Giants Prospect Update April 2026
Langley, B.C. – With the 2026 Western Hockey League Prospects Draft less than a week away, it’s time to take a look back on the 2025-26 season for recent Giants draft picks and listed prospects.
During the 2025-26 season, four different Giants prospects were named to all-star teams in their respective leagues, including Louis-Oscar Holowaychuk, Crosby Mateychuk, and Adam Neilson.
Now let’s dive deeper into the last two drafts, plus players that have been added to the Giants protected list.
2025 WHL Prospects Draft
(* indicates they are signed)
*Louis-Oscar Holowaychuk (F) – 1st Round – 6th Overall – St. George’s School U18 Prep (CSSHL)
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P | PIM |
| 2024-25 | St. George’s School U15 Prep | CSSHL | 34 | 50 | 33 | 83 | 32 |
| 2025-26 | St. George’s School U18 Prep | CSSHL | 28 | 23 | 21 | 44 | 44 |
Holowaychuk won multiple awards in his first U18 prep season. He was named the top freshman and a first-team U18 Prep all-star after posting 23 goals and 44 points in 28 games for St. George’s School. The Vancouver native finished fifth in goals and eighth in points-per-game among all U18 skaters, leading his team in both categories. He also added five goals and a pair of assists in five playoff games.
The right-shot forward dressed in seven games with the Giants as a call-up this past season – making his WHL debut on December 6 – during which he tallied a pair of assists.
*Crosby Mateychuk (D) – 1st Round – 13th Overall – Eastman Selects U18 AAA (MU18HL)
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P | PIM |
| 2024-25 | Eastman Selects U15 AAA | WAAA U15 | 31 | 32 | 39 | 71 | 26 |
| 2025-26 | Eastman Selects U18 AAA | MU18HL | 37 | 24 | 35 | 59 | 18 |
Mateychuk was named a second-team all-star in his first U18 AAA season with the Eastman Selects, after producing 59 points in 37 games (24G-35A). While his 59 points were the third-most in the league by a defenceman, his 1.59 points-per-game actually ranked first. The Dominion City, Man. product led his team in scoring too.
The left-shot blueliner also dressed in seven games with the Giants as a call-up, making his WHL debut on December 28.
Tony Cabelka (F) – 5th Round – 101st Overall – Yale Hockey Academy U18 Prep (CSSHL)
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P | PIM |
| 2024-25 | Yale Hockey Academy U15 Prep | CSSHL | 35 | 17 | 22 | 39 | 28 |
| 2025-26 | Yale Hockey Academy U18 Prep | CSSHL | 27 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 24 |
Cabelka was one of just three rookies on Yale’s U18 prep squad and got better and better as the year progressed. After recording just two points in his first 15 games, the forward from Coquitlam finished the season with five goals and eight points in his final 12 games, and then added three goals and four points in three playoff games.
Jakob Schmidt (D) – 5th Round – 103rd Overall – Prince Albert Mintos U18 AAA (SMAAAHL)
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P | PIM |
| 2024-25 | Prince Albert Pirates U15 AA | SAAHL | 28 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 18 |
| 2025-26 | Prince Albert Mintos U18 AAA | SMAAAHL | 43 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 14 |
Schmidt played on a very young Mintos team and supplied 10 points from the back end in his first season of U18 hockey.
Adrian Ferro (G) – 8th Round – 169th Overall – Sherwood Park Squires U17 AAA (AEHL)
| Season | Team | League | GP | W-L-T | GAA | SV% | SO |
| 2024-25 | Sherwood Park Flyers U15 AAA | AEHL | 22 | 5-8-6 | 3.20 | .914 | 1 |
| 2025-26 | Sherwood Park Squires U17 AAA | AEHL | 23 | 11-8-1 | 2.96 | .905 | 2 |
Ferro finished his first U17 season three games above .500, helping the Sherwood Park Squires finish fourth in the conference. Unfortunately they were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs.
Ethan Mah (D) – 8th Round – 172nd Overall – North Shore Warriors U18 Prep (CSSHL)
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P | PIM |
| 2024-25 | North Shore Warriors U15 Prep | CSSHL | 35 | 5 | 21 | 26 | 86 |
| 2025-26 | North Shore Warriors U18 Prep | CSSHL | 29 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 32 |
Mah, a 6-foot-3 left-shot defenceman, was second on the Warriors in rookie scoring with 14 points, while also adding two points (1G-1A) in four playoff games.
Nathaniel Moore (F) – 9th Round – 192nd Overall – St. George’s U17 Prep (SMAAAHL)
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P | PIM |
| 2024-25 | St. George’s School U15 Prep | CSSHL | 34 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 51 |
| 2025-26 | St. George’s School U17 Prep | CSSHL | 29 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 54 |
Moore had a very strong playoff for St. George’s U17 Prep squad, tallying six points in four games (2G-4A) after registering 12 points in 29 regular season games.
William Mateychuk (D) – 9th Round – 195th Overall – Eastman Selects U17 AAA (WAAAHL)
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P | PIM |
| 2024-25 | Eastman Selects U15 AAA | WAAA U15 | 29 | 4 | 24 | 28 | 24 |
| 2025-26 | Eastman Selects U17 AAA | WAAA U17 | 34 | 2 | 26 | 28 | 40 |
Mateychuk finished 6th in scoring among all U17 defencemen in his league this past season with 28 points and then added 10 points in nine playoff games (3G-7A).
Thomas Ogee (D) – 10th Round – 218th Overall – STAR Hockey Academy U17 Prep (CSSHL)
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P | PIM |
| 2024-25 | STAR Hockey Academy U15 Prep | CSSHL | 36 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 16 |
| 2025-26 | STAR Hockey Academy U17 Prep | CSSHL | 30 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 26 |
Ogee was second on STAR Hockey Academy in scoring among defencemen with 19 points, improving his point totals and points-per-game from his U15 season.
2025 US DRAFT
*Drew Wilkinson (F) – 1st Round – 5th Overall – Calgary Edge School U18 Prep (CSSHL)
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P | PIM |
| 2024-25 | Edge Hockey School U15 Prep | CSSHL | 34 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 61 |
| 2025-26 | Edge Hockey School U18 Prep | CSSHL | 30 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 24 |
Wilkinson ranked fourth on Edge in scoring this past season with 22 points. The 15-year-old 6-foot-1 forward finished the regular season with 15 points in his final 16 games.
Daniel Makovetskiy (F) – 2nd Round – 43rd Overall – Norhtern Alberta Xtreme U17 Prep (CSSHL)
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P | PIM |
| 2024-25 | STAR Hockey Academy U15 Prep | CSSHL | 36 | 35 | 35 | 70 | 16 |
| 2025-26 | NAX U17 Prep | CSSHL | 27 | 19 | 13 | 32 | 10 |
Makovetskiy followed up an incredible U15 season by tying for 8th in the U17 Prep division in goals with 19. The 5-foot-6 forward scored 14 of his goals in the final 16 games.
2024 WHL Prospects Draft:
*Landon Horiachka (F) – 3rd Round – 55th Overall – Sherwood Park Kings U18 AAA (AEHL)
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P | PIM |
| 2024-25 | Sherwood Park Kings U18 AAA | AEHL | 28 | 13 | 19 | 32 | 38 |
| 2025-26 | Sherwood Park Kings U18 AAA | AEHL | 33 | 14 | 20 | 34 | 30 |
Horiachka’s injury at Giants training camp in the fall set him back a bit, but he finished his second season of U18 hockey in the AEHL with 13 points in his final 10 regular season games, before adding six points in four playoff games (2G-4A).
*Dylan Hurren (D) – 4th Round – 70th Overall – Delta Hockey Academy U18 Prep (CSSHL)
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P | PIM |
| 2024-25 | Delta Hockey Academy U17 Prep | CSSHL | 32 | 4 | 27 | 31 | 39 |
| 2025-26 | Delta Hockey Academy U18 Prep | CSSHL | 30 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 20 |
Hurren was a key cog for Delta, finishing fourth in the U18 Prep division in points by a defenceman with 30. He was the only d-man to hit double digits in goals and finished the regular season on an eight-game point streak (6G-8A-14P).
The 6-foot-1 right-shot blueliner also dressed in three games with the Giants as a call-up this season, after making his WHL debut last year.
*Richard Wonyeneh (F) – 7th Round – 143rd Overall – White Rock Whalers (PIJHL)
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P | PIM |
| 2024-25 | Burnaby Winter Club U18 Prep | CSSHL | 35 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 34 |
| 2025-26 | White Rock Whalers | PIJHL | 26 | 18 | 10 | 28 | 50 |
| 2025-26 | Salmon Arm Silverbacks | BCHL | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21 |
Wonyeneh had a standout training camp, which led to his signing and playing in three games with the Giants at the beginning of the season.
He was then reassigned to the White Rock Whalers, where he showed his scoring touch with 18 goals in 26 games. He transferred again after that to the BCHL, joining the Silverbacks for the end of the year and for their playoff run, where they made it to Game 7 of the second round. He chipped in with two points (1G-1A) in 10 playoff games.
*Oliver Bryks (G) – 12th Round – 253rd Overall – Delta Hockey Academy U18 Prep (CSSHL)
| Season | Team | League | GP | W-L-T | GAA | SV% | SO |
| 2024-25 | Edmonton Jr. Oilers U18 AAA | AEHL | 21 | 10-5-3 | 2.63 | .916 | 3 |
| 2025-26 | Delta Hockey Academy U18 Prep | CSSHL | 13 | 9-4-0 | 2.96 | .913 | 2 |
Bryks played locally this year, allowing him to practice with the Giants here and there and be around the team more.
He split duties for DHA with Matthew Wong, where the two helped Delta go 24-5-1 in the regular season. Bryks only got one playoff start, stopping 36 of 37 shots in a 2-1 shootout win over St. George’s. He won his final four regular season starts in a row.
2023 WHL Prospects Draft
Kaden Hayes (F) – 10th Round – 205h Overall – Okotoks Oilers U18 AAA (AEHL)
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P | PIM |
| 2024-25 | Okotoks Oilers U18 AAA | AEHL | 38 | 27 | 22 | 49 | 24 |
| 2025-26 | Okotoks Oilers U18 AAA | AEHL | 25 | 22 | 23 | 45 | 22 |
Hayes scored nearly a goal-per-game this season for the Okotoks Oilers. He was named a first-team U18 AAA all-star after potting 22 goals and registering 45 points in just 25 games. His 1.8 points-per-game led the league, as did his five shorthanded goals.
Hayes also made his WHL debut with the the Giants this season, dressing in seven games and debuting on January 18.
Listed Prospects
Adam Neilson (F) – 2010-born – STAR Hockey Academy U17 Prep (CSSHL)
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P | PIM |
| 2024-25 | STAR Hockey Academy U15 Prep | CSSHL | 34 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 2 |
| 2025-26 | STAR Hockey Academy U17 Prep | CSSHL | 30 | 19 | 27 | 46 | 8 |
Neilson blossomed this season, more than doubling his point total from his U15 season. The 5-foot-10 forward was named a first-team U17 Prep all-star after posting 46 points in 30 games for STAR Hockey Academy, a season that included 14 multi-point games.
Tomas Figura (F) – 2010-born – Calgary IHA U17 Prep (CSSHL)
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P | PIM |
| 2024-25 | Calgary IHA U15 AAA | CSSHL | 35 | 18 | 44 | 62 | 24 |
| 2025-26 | Calgary IHA U17 Prep | CSSHL | 29 | 13 | 27 | 40 | 6 |
Figura was second on CIHA in scoring this season with 40 points in 29 games. The recently turned 16-year-old added seven points in five playoff games.
Santino Iriberri (D) – 2010-born – Yale Hockey Academy U17 Prep (CSSHL)
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P | PIM |
| 2024-25 | Yale Hockey Academy U15 Prep | CSSHL | 28 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 12 |
| 2025-26 | Yale Hockey Academy U17 Prep | CSSHL | 18 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 18 |
The right-shot defenceman was limited to 18 games, but managed eight points on two goals and six assists.
Conor Nicolson (F) – 2010-born – Delta Hockey Academy U18 Prep (CSSHL)
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P | PIM |
| 2024-25 | Delta Hockey Academy U15 Prep | CSSHL | 18 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 2 |
| 2025-26 | Delta Hockey Academy U18 Prep | CSSHL | 29 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 6 |
Nicolson was second in rookie scoring on the DHA 18 Prep team with 24 points. He added three points (2G-1A) in four playoff games.
McKye Duncan (D) – 2009-born – Red Deer Chiefs U18 AAA (AEHL)
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P | PIM |
| 2024-25 | Red Deer Chiefs U17 AAA | AEHL | 33 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 79 |
| 2025-26 | Red Deer Chiefs U18 AAA | AEHL | 30 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 40 |
Duncan got better and better as the year wore on. While he had four points in his first 20 games, he recorded 10 points in the final 10 games of the regular season.
Linden Delleman (F) – 2009-born – Thompson Blazers U18 AAA (BCEHL)
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P | PIM |
| 2024-25 | Thompson Blazers U18 AAA | BCEHL | 36 | 15 | 28 | 43 | 14 |
| 2025-26 | Thompson Blazers U18 AAA | BCEHL | 33 | 21 | 21 | 42 | 25 |
Dellman led the Thompson Blazers in scoring this season with 42 points on 21 goals and 21 assists, which was good for top-10 in league scoring. The 16-year-old added seven points in seven playoff games (4G-3A).
Finn McKiernan (G) – 2008-born – Okanagan Rockets (BCEHL)
| Season | Team | League | GP | W-L-T | GAA | SO |
| 2024-25 | Okanagan Rockets U18 AAA | BCEHL | 18 | 10-4-3 | 2.68 | 1 |
| 2025-26 | Okanagan Rockets U18 AAA | BCEHL | 16 | 12-4-0 | 2.47 | 0 |
McKiernan helped the Okanagan Rockets win provincials and qualify for the Telus Cup, where the Rockets reached the semifinal.
In four games at the Telus Cup, McKiernan had a .906 save percentage.
