FROM THE FARM Presented by Alberta Chicken Producers: Parker Alcos & Landon Hanson
There are many ways to make it to the Western Hockey League and a pair of Edmonton Oil Kings prospects are proving that.
After Parker Alcos and Landon Hanson did not have their names called at the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft, which was uniquely held in December — seven months later than usual due to the pandemic — they would not let that deter their path to the league.
Alcos, a Port Moody, BC product, is a 6-foot-1, 158-pound defenceman who played the 2021-22 season with the Vancouver NE Chiefs U18 AAA where he had five points (1G, 4A) in 31 regular season games and would go on to help the team win the 2022 BCEHL U18 Championship after adding two assists in seven post-season games.
“We had identified Parker early in the COVID year,” said Oil Kings Director of Scouting Michael Chan. “He played on a high-profile Burnaby Winter Club team that featured multiple future first-round picks. There was a lot to like about his game, but at the time he was undersized.
“When things restarted the next year, he transitioned to playing for the Vancouver NE Chiefs U18 team of the BCEHL. He was still undersized and receiving limited ice time, but we continued to identify him as a player to track after the draft. At the Telus Cup in Okotoks later in the year, his team ran into injury trouble and he had the opportunity to run the power play while also having recently hit a growth spurt. You could really see signs of his game taking off and his then coach, Jamie Jackson, who also scouts for our organization, heavily advocated for us to bring him to our training camp”
Hanson, a Grande Prairie, AB product, is a 5-foot-11, 166-pound forward who played the 2021-22 season with the U16 OHA Edmonton Prep where he amassed 62 points (21G, 41A) in 36 games to finish fifth in the CSSHL U16 Prep division’s scoring race.
“With Landon, we saw him in Edmonton during the COVID year playing in a game for OHA Edmonton at the Downtown Community Arena — it was one of the few minor hockey games we were able to actually scout in person that year,” said Chan. “The next fall, he captained OHA Edmonton’s U16 team and we liked what we saw, from both a skill and leadership perspective. Following the Draft, we identified him as a player we wanted to follow closely, despite being undrafted, and continued to watch him.
“After a strong performance at a showcase in late January, our Winnipeg-based scout Scott Coates indicated that we should strongly consider adding him to our protected list. With his feedback on Landon, along with what we had previously seen, it was a relatively easy decision to make.
Despite getting passed over in the draft, each player had clearly caught the eye of the Oil Kings scouting staff and earned an invite to the Club’s 2022-23 training camp.
In camp, both players would perform at a level that exceeded expectations resulting in them signing their WHL Scholarship and Development Agreements.
“Parker showed up to our camp and just continued to improve on the progression we had seen the season prior,” added Chan. “His skating ability and instincts immediately stood out amongst the crowd. When paired with his noticeable physical growth, our coaching staff and scouting staff felt they were watching a player who had the potential to be a mainstay on our d-core moving forward.”
“At training camp, Landon strongly followed up his previous year’s performance with a mix of solid two-way play and offensive ability,” said Chan. “He was comfortable playing his game amongst our veteran players and didn’t let the moment get to him which stood out in our eyes.”
Though neither player is from Edmonton, the team wanted to keep a close eye on their development leading to both being assigned to the Northern Alberta Xtreme U18 Prep team.
“With Jason Stewart and Matt Tassone at the helm, NAX is a program we place a lot of trust in,” noted Chan on the Oil Kings relationship with the school. “They work tirelessly to provide an environment that helps players reach the next level.”
NAX has long been an excellent partner for the Oil Kings as they have overseen the development of future Oil Kings like Dylan Guenther, Carter Souch, Cole Miller, Carter Kowalyk and Rhys Pederson, to name just a few.
“With Matt specifically, he has spent quite a bit of time with our coaching staff, so he understands the details they stress” added Chan. “He has assisted us on ice with practices, training camps, development camps and has even acted as an assistant coach when current staff members have had conflicts.
“Another unique element that Matt and his assistant coach, Derek Claffey, bring to Landon and Parker is the fact that they were both also undrafted WHL players. Matt was eventually drafted to the NHL by Dallas and Derek became captain in Swift Current, so they are able to impart lessons learned from a similar path of being the underdog and needing to “prove it” along the way.”
As teammates with NAX, Alcos and Hanson would help the Club to a 17-12-0-4 record while both having excellent individual campaigns.
Hanson led the team in both goals (20) and points (32) after suiting up in 29 games.
“Landon has continued to grow as an every-situation player for NAX,” said Chan. “He has often been an offensive driver for the team, while continuing to focus on the battle requirements and details that will smooth his transition to the next level.”
Alcos, meanwhile, was NAX’s highest point-producing defenceman with 16 points (0G, 16A) in 27 games.
“Parker has made a lot of strides in his game, it has been a great chance to play a featured role and be the “leader of the pack” of his D corps,” added Chan. “He began to add more and more responsibilities as the year went on to the point of being NAX’s number one defenceman by the end of the year.
“He’s always had the ability with the puck and the mind for the game, but the number of reps and physical growth have added the confidence to execute even higher-level plays, while also allowing him to be more assertive and aggressive in ending plays earlier defensively.”
Both players would make their WHL debuts on November 15 against the Red Deer Rebels as the Oil Kings were dealing with a rash of injuries at the time.
Hanson finished the season suiting up in total of 18 games with the Oil Kings as an affiliate player and on January 10 in a game at Rogers Place against the Moose Jaw Warriors, he scored his first career WHL goal early in the third period, which ended up as the game-winning goal.
Alcos got into 12 games as an affiliate player and notched a pair of assists, picking up his first career WHL point in just his third career game.
After getting their feet wet at the WHL level this season, both players are expected to compete for full-time roster spots during training camp ahead of the 2023-24 season.
