Rebels confident Wilke will flourish in Red Deer
By DANNY RODE
The Rebels made a move to add some offensive depth to their current lineup prior to the start of Thursday’s WHL Prospects Draft.
The club traded for 18-year-old forward Trae Wilke from the Lethbridge Hurricanes for a pair of fourth-round picks – one in Thursday’s draft and another in 2026.
Wilke, a native of Saskatoon, was a second-round selection, 29th overall by the Hurricanes in 2021.
He just finished his first full season with the Hurricanes, scoring nine goals and 16 assists in 64 games. His rookie season saw him net two goals and five helpers in 35 games after a couple of solid seasons with the Saskatoon Blazers U18 AAA.
Rebels Associate GM Shaun Sutter felt it was a worthwhile trade to make.
“Trae has a good shot and good skill set,” he said. “For different reasons a change of scenery could be good for him.
“Sometimes high picks have high expectations where they’re drafted, which isn’t the same with us. He can come in to work, put on his hard hat and not have those same expectations.”
The Rebels obviously see something in the six-foot 195-pound Wilke.
“We wanted to improve our offence and we feel there’s something there … some potential.
“There’s talent there and now we can help him get to the point where he can be an offensive contributor for us.
“At the back end of last year, he may have wanted to be better but if you look at the front end he was producing.
“We have faith in him and hope it works out for him and has a big year.”
Wilke recorded 33 points in 100 games with the Hurricanes.
He joins a group of 2006-born Rebels forwards that currently includes Ollie Josephson, Samuel Drancak, Zane Saab and Evan Smith.
