Rockets gear up for busy 2024 WHL Draft Week
The next group of Rockets prospects will join the fold later this week as the Western Hockey League will conduct the 2024 WHL U.S. Priority Draft and 2024 WHL Prospects Draft online this Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. Real-time results will be available here for the US Draft and here for the WHL Prospects Draft.
Following this week one more draft will take place this off-season, with the CHL Import Draft slated for July 3.
2024 WHL U.S. Priority Draft
Wednesday, May 8 at 9 a.m. PT
The Kelowna Rockets will select eleventh overall selection in the first round of the 2024 WHL U.S. Priority Draft.
The 2024 WHL U.S. Priority Draft will consist of two rounds and 44 selections, with each WHL Club presented with the opportunity to make two draft choices. Players eligible for the 2024 WHL U.S. Priority Draft are 2008-born players who reside in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
2024 WHL U.S. Priority Draft – Round Order of Selection
FIRST ROUND | SECOND ROUND |
1. Regina Pats | 23. Kamloops Blazers |
2. Seattle Thunderbirds | 24. Tri-City Americans |
3. Calgary Hitmen | 25. Regina Pats |
4. Tri-City Americans | 26. Seattle Thunderbirds |
5. Edmonton Oil Kings | 27. Edmonton Oil Kings |
6. Kamloops Blazers | 28. Calgary Hitmen |
7. Spokane Chiefs | 29. Spokane Chiefs |
8. Victoria Royals | 30. Victoria Royals |
9. Prince Albert Raiders | 31. Prince Albert Raiders |
10. Vancouver Giants | 32. Vancouver Giants |
11. Kelowna Rockets | 33. Kelowna Rockets |
12. Wenatchee Wild | 34. Wenatchee Wild |
13. Lethbridge Hurricanes | 35. Lethbridge Hurricanes |
14. Brandon Wheat Kings | 36. Brandon Wheat Kings |
15. Red Deer Rebels | 37. Red Deer Rebels |
16. Medicine Hat Tigers | 38. Medicine Hat Tigers |
17. Swift Current Broncos | 39. Swift Current Broncos |
18. Moose Jaw Warriors | 40. Moose Jaw Warriors |
19. Everett Silvertips | 41. Everett Silvertips |
20. Portland Winterhawks | 42. Portland Winterhawks |
21. Prince George Cougars | 43. Prince George Cougars |
22. Saskatoon Blades | 44. Saskatoon Blades |
Players not selected in the 2024 WHL U.S. Priority Draft will remain eligible to be selected in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft on Thursday, May 11, or listed by a WHL Club at any time thereafter.
In 2022 the Rockets selected defenceman Jackson Gillespie seventeenth overall in the first round. Last year, Kelowna drafted Kalder Varga seventh overall, he signed a WHL Scholarship and Development agreement with the Rockets and will be eligible to play full time for the Rockets this upcoming season.
2024 WHL Prospects Draft
Thursday, May 9
WATCH LIVE – Pre-show at 9:30 a.m. MT / WHL Prospects Draft at 10 a.m. MT
The first round of the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft, including a 30-minute pre-show, will be livestreamed FREE via WHL Live on CHL TV and the WHL’s YouTube channel. The 2024 WHL Prospects Draft pre-show begins at 9:30 a.m. MT with host Cami Kepke and analyst Taylor Green, with live draft coverage beginning at 10 a.m. MT.
The Rockets will select fourth overall in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft, originally Regina’s pick Kelowna acquired it from the Seattle Thunderbirds last January in the Colton Dach deal. While the Rockets own first-round pick, which is 11th overall, was dealt to Seattle in the Tij Iginla deal last spring.
The Rockets have only had two first round picks since 2018, selecting Trevor Wong 18th overall in 2018 and Andrew Cristall 8th overall in 2020.
Kelowna has only made a top five pick in franchise history five times:
- 1991 (1): Adam Smith (D)
- 2007 (2): Luke Moffatt (F)
- 2000 (4): Josh Lepp (G)
- 1992 (5): Kyle McLaren (D)
- 1999 (5): Jason Ryznar (F)
2024 Rockets WHL Prospects Draft Pick Inventory
- First round (4) – originally Regina’s pick, acquired from Seattle in the Colton Dach trade
- Second Round (33) – Kelowna’s own pick
- Second Round (38) – originally Medicine Hat’s pick, acquired from Saskatoon in the John Babcock trade
- Third Round (60) – acquired from Red Deer in the Elias Carmichael trade
- Third Round (61) – acquired from Medicine Hat in the Marcus Pacheco trade
- Fourth Round (78) – Kelowna’s own pick
- Fifth Round (93) – originally Seattle’s pick, acquired from Brandon in the Nolan Flamand trade
- Eighth Round (163) – acquired from Victoria in the Jake Poole Trade
- Ninth Round (188) – Kelowna’s own pick
- Ninth Round (189) – acquired from Wenatchee (formally Winnipeg) in the Jarod Newell trade
- Eleventh Round (232) – Kelowna’s own pick
- Twelfth Round (254) – Kelowna’s own pick
- Thirteenth Round (276) – Kelowna’s own pick
- Fourteenth Round (298) – Kelowna’s own pick
- Fifteenth Round (320) – Kelowna’s own pick
2024 WHL Prospects Draft – First Round Order of Selection
- Everett Silvertips (from Kamloops)
- Prince Albert Raiders (from Seattle)
- Tri-City Americans
- Kelowna Rockets (via trades from Regina)
- Edmonton Oil Kings
- Calgary Hitmen
- Spokane Chiefs
- Victoria Royals
- Prince Albert Raiders
- Vancouver Giants
- Seattle Thunderbirds (via trades from Kelowna)
- Wenatchee Wild
- Lethbridge Hurricanes
- Brandon Wheat Kings
- Red Deer Rebels
- Medicine Hat Tigers
- Swift Current Broncos
- Victoria Royals (from Moose Jaw)
- Everett Silvertips
- Portland Winterhawks
- Prince George Cougars
- Kamloops Blazers (from Saskatoon)
The order of selection for the second round and all other rounds will be the inverse order of final 2022-23 WHL Regular Season standings. The complete order of selection for the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft can be found at https://whl.ca/draft.
Players eligible for the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft are 2008-born players who reside in Alberta, British Columbia, 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.
Players not selected in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft will remain eligible to be listed by WHL Clubs at any time thereafter.
2024 CHL Import Draft
July 3 at 8:00 a.m. PT
The CHL has not yet announced the order of selection for the upcoming CHL Import Draft set for later this year on July 3rd.
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.