6 Former T-Birds Part of 137 WHL Alumni listed on NHL Opening Day rosters
Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League is proud to announce that 137 WHL Alumni have been named among National Hockey League opening day rosters to start the 2018-19 season.
All 31 NHL teams boast at least one WHL Alumni, with the Edmonton Oilers holding the largest number of WHL graduates on opening night with eight players listed. The Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers and Winnipeg Jets all include seven previous WHL players each while the Vegas Golden Knights and the Vancouver Canucks start the season with six WHL graduates.
The Portland Winterhawks take the title this season, providing the most WHL Alumni to NHL opening night rosters with 18 players. Next behind Portland in supplying WHL graduates to NHL opening night rosters is the Kelowna Rockets (16), Brandon Wheat Kings (12), Red Deer Rebels (11), Calgary Hitmen (10) and Moose Jaw Warriors (nine).
Of the 137 number of WHL Alumni on NHL opening day rosters, three are currently on the injured reserve lists for their respective NHL Clubs.
Listed below are the WHL Alumni who are on NHL opening day rosters for the 2018-19 season:
Anaheim Ducks (3):
Ryan Getzlaf, C — Calgary Hitmen
Sam Steel, C — Regina Pats
Luke Schenn, D — Kelowna Rockets
Arizona Coyotes (3):
Michael Grabner, RW — Spokane Chiefs
Kevin Connauton, D – Vancouver Giants
Darcy Kuemper, G — Spokane Chiefs/Red Deer Rebels
Boston Bruins (3):
Jake DeBrusk, LW – Swift Current Broncos/Red Deer Rebels
Brandon Carlo, D – Tri-City Americans
Zdeno Chara, D – Prince George Cougars
Buffalo Sabres (1):
Sam Reinhart, C/RW, Kootenay ICE
Calgary Flames (7):
Mikael Backlund, C — Kelowna Rockets
Dillon Dube, C/RW — Kelowna Rockets
Curtis Lazar, C — Edmonton Oil Kings
Derek Ryan, C/RW — Spokane Chiefs
Travis Hamonic, D — Moose Jaw Warriors/Brandon Wheat Kings
Michael Stone, D — Calgary Hitmen
Juuso Valimaki, D — Tri-City Americans
Carolina Hurricanes (4):
Micheal Ferland, LW – Brandon Wheat Kings/ Saskatoon Blades
Jordan Martinook, LW – Vancouver Giants
Victor Rask, C – Calgary Hitmen
Haydn Fleury, D – Red Deer Rebels
Chicago Blackhawks (6):
Brandon Davidson, D – Regina Pats
Henri Jokiharju, D – Portland Winterhawks
Brandon Manning, D – Chilliwack Bruins
Duncan Keith, D – Kelowna Rockets
Brent Seabrook, D – Lethbridge Hurricanes
Cam Ward, G – Red Deer Rebels
Colorado Avalanche (2):
Matt Calvert, LW- Brandon Wheat Kings
Tyson Barrie, D – Kelowna Rockets
Columbus Blue Jackets (4):
Oliver Bjorkstrand, RW/LW – Portland Winterhawks
Brandon Dubinsky, C/LW – Portland Winterhawks
*Seth Jones, D – Portland Winterhawks
Ryan Murray, D – Everett Silvertips
Dallas Stars (7):
Jamie Benn, LW — Kelowna Rockets
Blake Comeau, LW/RW — Kelowna Rockets
*Martin Hanzal, C — Red Deer Rebels
Tyler Pitlick, C/RW — Medicine Hat Tigers
Julius Honka, D — Swift Current Broncos
Roman Polak, D — Kootenay ICE
Anton Khudobin, G — Saskatoon Blades
Detroit Red Wings (4):
Darren Helm, C/LW – Medicine Hat Tigers
Michael Rasmussen, C – Tri-City Americans
Dennis Cholowski, D – Prince George Cougars / Portland Winterhawks
Mike Green, D – Saskatoon Blades
Edmonton Oilers (8):
Kyle Brodziak, C – Moose Jaw Warriors
Leon Draisaitl, C – Prince Albert Raiders / Kelowna Rockets
Jujhar Khaira, LW – Everett Silvertips
Milan Lucic, LW – Vancouver Giants
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C – Red Deer Rebels
Ty Rattie, RW – Portland Winterhawks
Kailer Yamamoto, RW – Spokane Chiefs
Kris Russell, D – Medicine Hat Tigers
Florida Panthers (5):
Troy Brouwer, RW/LW – Moose Jaw Warriors
Colton Sceviour, C – Portland Winterhawks/ Lethbridge Hurricanes
Alexander Petrovic, D – Red Deer Rebels
Mark Pysyk, D – Edmonton Oil Kings
James Reimer, G – Red Deer Rebels
Los Angeles Kings (4):
Jaret Anderson-Dolan, C — Spokane Chiefs
Nate Thompson, C/LW — Seattle Thunderbirds
Dion Phaneuf, D — Red Deer Rebels
Austin Wagner, LW — Regina Pats
Minnesota Wild (5):
Eric Fehr, C/RW — Brandon Wheat Kings
Nino Niederreiter, RW/LW — Portland Winterhawks
Matt Dumba, D — Red Deer Rebels/Portland Winterhawks
Jared Spurgeon, D — Spokane Chiefs
Devan Dubnyk, G — Kamloops Blazers
Montreal Canadiens (7):
Brendan Gallagher, RW – Vancouver Giants
Nikita Scherbak, RW/LW – Saskatoon Blades/ Everett Silvertips
Karl Alzner, D – Calgary Hitmen
Noah Juulsen, D – Everett Silvertips
David Schlemko, D – Medicine Hat Tigers
Shea Weber, D – Kelowna Rockets
Carey Price, G – Tri-City Americans
Nashville Predators (3):
Ryan Johansen, C — Portland Winterhawks
Colton Sissons, C —Kelowna Rockets
Dan Hamhuis, D, Prince George Cougars
New Jersey Devils (3):
John Quenneville, C – Brandon Wheat Kings
Mirco Muller, D – Everett Silvertips
Damon Severson, D – Kelowna Rockets
New York Islanders (7):
Mathew Barzal, C – Seattle Thunderbirds
Jordan Eberle, RW – Regina Pats
Andrew Ladd, LW – Vancouver Giants/ Calgary Hitmen
Johnny Boychuk, D – Calgary Hitmen/ Moose Jaw Warriors
Thomas Hickey, D – Seattle Thunderbirds
Ryan Pulock, D – Brandon Wheat Kings
Luca Sbisa, D – Lethbridge Hurricanes/ Portland Winterhawks
New York Rangers (2):
Brett Howden, C – Moose Jaw Warriors
Cody McLeod, LW – Portland Winterhawks
Ottawa Senators (3):
Zack Smith, LW/C – Swift Current Broncos
Mark Stone, RW – Brandon Wheat Kings
Maxime Lajoie, D – Swift Current Broncos
Philadelphia Flyers (7):
Taylor Leier, LW – Portland Winterhawks
Nolan Patrick, C – Brandon Wheat Kings
Jordan Weal, C/W – Regina Pats
Dale Weise, RW – Swift Current Broncos
Radko Gudas, D – Everett Silvertips
Ivan Provorov, D – Brandon Wheat Kings
Travis Sanheim, D – Calgary Hitmen
Pittsburgh Penguins (1):
Tristan Jarry, G – Edmonton Oil Kings
San Jose Sharks (4):
Rourke Chartier, C – Kelowna Rockets
Evander Kane, LW – Vancouver Giants
Brenden Dillon, D – Seattle Thunderbirds
Martin Jones, G – Calgary Hitmen
St. Louis Blues (3):
Brayden Schenn, C — Brandon Wheat Kings
Jay Bouwmeester, D —Medicine Hat Tigers
Joel Edmundson, D — Moose Jaw Warriors/Kamloops Blazers
Tampa Bay Lightning (4):
Tyler Johnson, C/RW – Spokane Chiefs
Brayden Point, C – Moose Jaw Warriors
Braydon Coburn, D – Portland Winterhawks
Ben Thomas, D – Calgary Hitmen
Toronto Maple Leafs (4):
Tyler Ennis, LW/RW – Medicine Hat Tigers
Patrick Marleau, LW – Seattle Thunderbirds
Martin Marincin, D – Prince George Cougars/ Regina Pats
Morgan Rielly, D – Moose Jaw Warriors
Vancouver Canucks (6):
Sven Baertschi, LW/RW — Portland Winterhawks
Brandon Leipsic, C/LW — Portland Winterhawks
Brandon Sutter, C — Red Deer Rebels
Jake Virtanen, RW — Calgary Hitmen
Alexander Edler, D — Kelowna Rockets
Derrick Pouliot, D — Portland Winterhawks
Vegas Golden Knights (6):
*Cody Eakin, C – Swift Current Broncos
Ryan Reaves, RW – Brandon Wheat Kings
Deryk Engelland, D – Moose Jaw Warriors
Nick Holden, D – Chilliwack Bruins
Brayden McNabb, D – Kootenay ICE
Shea Theodore, D – Seattle Thunderbirds
Washington Capitals (4):
Brett Connolly, RW/LW – Prince George Cougars
Chandler Stephenson, C/LW – Regina Pats
Madison Bowey, D – Kelowna Rockets
Braden Holtby, G – Saskatoon Blades
Winnipeg Jets (7):
Adam Lowry, C — Swift Current Broncos
Nic Petan, C — Portland Winterhawks
Josh Morrissey, D — Prince Albert Raiders/Kelowna Rockets
Tyler Myers, D — Kelowna Rockets
Joe Morrow, D — Portland Winterhawks
Dustin Byfuglien, D — Brandon Wheat Kings/Prince George Cougars
Laurent Brossoit, G — Edmonton Oil Kings
*Denotes player on the injured reserved list
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 350 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.
