WHL to announce 2021 Prospects Draft Lottery results Wednesday
Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League announced today the details for the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft Lottery.
The results for the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft Lottery will be announced Wednesday, June 2 at 10 a.m. MT, premiering on the WHL’s YouTube channel and available via WHL.ca.
2021 WHL Prospects Draft Lottery – Wednesday, June 2
The 2021 WHL Prospects Draft is scheduled to be conducted Thursday, December 9, 2021. The WHL Prospects Draft Lottery will determine the order of selection for all 22 WHL Clubs in the first round of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft. Inverse order of final standing from the 2020-21 WHL Regular Season will determine the order of selection for the second round through conclusion of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft.
The WHL Prospects Draft Lottery will be conducted in four phases with teams divided into three pools based on 2020-21 WHL Regular Season performance as determined by points-per-game percentage.
Pool A – WHL Division Champions from 2020-21 (four teams)
Brandon Wheat Kings
Edmonton Oil Kings
Everett Silvertips
Kamloops Blazers
Each team in Pool A will have one (1) ball entered into Phase 1 of the lottery. Teams from Pool A have the potential to select as high as sixth overall in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft.
Pool C – lowest place Club from each of the B.C., Central & U.S. Divisions, and the two lowest place Clubs in East Division (five teams)
Moose Jaw Warriors
Red Deer Rebels
Swift Current Broncos
Tri-City Americans
Victoria Royals
Each team in Pool C will have four (4) balls entered into Phase 1 of the lottery. Teams from Pool C have the potential to select as high as first overall and no lower than sixth overall in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft.
Pool B – remaining 13 WHL teams
Calgary Hitmen
Kelowna Rockets
Lethbridge Hurricanes
Medicine Hat Tigers
Portland Winterhawks
Prince Albert Raiders
Prince George Cougars
Regina Pats
Saskatoon Blades
Seattle Thunderbirds
Spokane Chiefs
Vancouver Giants
Winnipeg ICE
Each team in Pool B will have two (2) balls entered into Phase 1 of the lottery. Teams from Pool B have the potential to select as high as first overall and no lower than 19th overall in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft.
Phase 1 – 50 selection balls entered into lottery
One ball will be drawn during Phase 1 of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft Lottery.
Should a selection ball belonging to a team from Pool A be drawn during Phase 1, that team will move up to sixth overall in the order of selection for the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft.
Should a selection ball belonging to a team from Pool B or Pool C be drawn during Phase 1, that team will obtain the first overall selection in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft.
Phase 2 – three to four selection balls entered into lottery
Phase 2 of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft Lottery will determine the order of selection for all teams from Pool A. If a team from Pool A had its selection ball drawn during Phase 1, it will not be eligible to participate in Phase 2. One (1) ball for each eligible team from Pool A will be entered into the Phase 2 lottery.
The highest draft position that a team may obtain during the Phase 2 lottery is 19th overall, assuming that a team from Pool A did not win the Phase 1 lottery. If a team from Pool A wins the Phase 1 lottery, then the highest draft position the remaining teams may obtain during the Phase 2 lottery is 20th overall.
Selection balls will be drawn until there are none remaining in the lottery.
Phase 3 – 12 to 13 selection balls entered into lottery
Phase 3 of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft Lottery will determine the order of selection for all teams from Pool B. If a team from Pool B had its selection ball drawn during Phase 1, it will not be eligible to participate in Phase 3. One (1) ball for each eligible team from Pool B will be entered into the Phase 3 lottery.
The highest draft position that a team may obtain during the Phase 3 lottery is sixth overall, assuming that a Pool C team wins the Phase 1 lottery. If a team from Pool A or Pool B wins the Phase 1 lottery, then the highest draft position a team may obtain during the Phase 3 lottery is seventh overall.
Selection balls will be drawn until there are none remaining in the lottery.
Phase 4 – four to five selection balls entered into lottery
Phase 4 of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft Lottery will determine the order of selection for all teams from Pool C. If a team from Pool C had its selection ball drawn during Phase 1, it will not be eligible to participate in Phase 4. One (1) ball for each eligible team from Pool C will be entered into the Phase 4 lottery.
The highest draft position that a team may obtain during the Phase 4 lottery is first overall, assuming a team from Pool A wins the Phase 1 lottery to obtain the sixth overall selection. If a team from Pool B or Pool C wins the Phase 1 lottery, the highest draft position that a team may obtain during the Phase 4 lottery is second overall.
The lowest position that a team may obtain during the Phase 4 lottery is sixth overall, assuming a team from Pool B wins the Phase 1 lottery to obtain the first overall selection.
Selection balls will be drawn until there are none remaining in the lottery.
The selection process for all four phases of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft Lottery will be performed by Kevin Jenken of KPMG. The 2021 WHL Prospects Draft will be conducted digitally on Thursday, December 9, 2021.
Players eligible for the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft will be 2006-born players who reside in Alberta, B.C., Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Yukon, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
2021 WHL Prospects Draft – Traded First Round Selections
A number of selections in the first round of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft have been traded from their original Clubs, as follows:
- Kelowna Rockets selection belongs to Edmonton Oil Kings
- Moose Jaw Warriors selection belongs to Brandon Wheat Kings
- Portland Winterhawks selection belongs to Swift Current Broncos
- Saskatoon Blades selection belongs to Moose Jaw Warriors
- Victoria Royals selection belongs to Brandon Wheat Kings
2021 WHL U.S. Priority Draft Lottery – Thursday, June 3
The WHL will announce the results of the 2021 WHL U.S. Priority Draft Lottery on Thursday, June 3 at 10 a.m. MT. Further details on the 2021 WHL U.S. Priority Draft Lottery will be provided Tuesday, June 1.
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 22 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and five 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.
