Oil Kings sign six players to WHL Standard Player Agreements
Edmonton, AB – The Edmonton Oil Kings have signed six players to Western Hockey League Standard Player Agreements, the team announced today.
Forwards John Szabo (05) and Ben Wright (05), defencemen Carter Kowalyk (05), Eric Johnston (04) and Braeden Wynne (04) and goaltender Alex Worthington (05) all put pen to paper, committing to the Oil Kings organization.
“It’s obviously a big day for the organization when you’re bringing in six new players,” said Oil Kings President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kirt Hill. “It’s a variety of guys – it’s guys that are going to help us right now with our roster and it’s guys that are going to help us next year and years down the road. The guys put the work in off the ice and it showed dividends at our camp and now they’re going to be a big part of things moving forward.”
Szabo, a Lethbridge, Alberta product, was originally selected by the Oil Kings in the sixth round, 111th-overall, of the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft.
During the 2020-21 season, the 6-foot, 181-pound forward appeared in five games with the Lethbridge Hurricanes U18 AAA team, registering five points (3G. 2A) and six penalty minutes.
Wright, a Mill Bay, BC product, was originally selected by the Oil Kings in the 10th round, 218th-overall, of the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft.
The 6-foot-1, 155-pound forward last appeared in 30 games with the Shawnigan Lake School U15 Prep team during the 2019-20 season, recording 47 points (22G, 25A) and 14 penalty minutes.
Kowalyk, a St. Albert, Alberta product, was originally selected by the Oil Kings in the fourth round, 86th-overall, of the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft.
During the 2020-21 season, the 6-foot-3, 181-pound defenceman appeared in three games with the Northern Alberta U16 Prep team and recorded one assist and two penalty minutes. The year previous with the Northern Alberta U15 Prep team he tallied 18 points (6G, 12A) and 10 penalty minutes in 28 games.
Johnston, a Regina, Saskatchewan product, was originally selected by the Oil Kings in the sixth round, 126th-overall, of the 2019 WHL Prospects Draft.
During the 2020-21 season, the 6-foot, 179-pound defenceman appeared in seven games with the Regina Pat Canadians U18 AAA team, registering four points (3G, 1A) and eight penalty minutes.
The left-shot rearguard was a member of Team Saskatchewan at the 2019 WHL Cup and helped his team capture the gold medal.
Wynne, a Coquitlam, BC product, was listed by the Oil Kings in October of 2020.
During the 2020-21 season, the 6-foot-1, 155-pound defenceman appeared in four games for the Burnaby Winter Club Prep team recording one assist. The year previous, he suited up in 31 games and tallied 11 points (1G, 10A) and six penalty minutes with the Burnaby Winter Club Elite 15’s.
Worthington, a Waldheim, Saskatchewan product, was originally selected by the Oil Kings in the fifth round, 108th-overall, of the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft.
During the 2020-21 season, the 6-foot-1, 150-pound netminder made three starts with the Warman Wildcats U18 AAA team going 1-2-0 with a 3.31 goals-against average and a .895 save-percentage.
