Yager one of 21 WHL Players to participate in 2023 NHL Scouting Combine
Calgary, Alta. – 21 WHL Players have been invited to the 2023 NHL Scouting Combine at the KeyBank Center and HarborCenter in Buffalo, N.Y. The annual Combine is taking place from June 4-10 and will give NHL Clubs the chance to connect with prospects while assessing their medicals and physical fitness.
Led by NHL Central Scouting’s top-ranked North American skater and Regina Pats’ captain, Connor Bedard, the 21 WHL representatives are among 106 skaters (65 forwards, 34 defencemen, and seven goaltenders) selected to participate in the Combine.
A total of 12 WHL forwards will head to Buffalo and will be joined by seven defencemen and two goaltenders.
All 19 WHL skaters taking part in the event sit in the top-75 of North American skaters in the NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings while the two WHL goaltenders, Brandon’s Carson Bjarnason and Seattle’s Scott Ratzlaff sit first and fourth in the North American goaltender rankings, respectively.
Over half of the WHL Clubs are well represented at the Combine, as 13 of our 22 organizations will have at least one player present in Buffalo. 2023 WHL Champions, the Seattle Thunderbirds are sending the most prospects, with four — forwards Nico Myatovic and Gracyn Sawchyn, defenceman Sawyer Mynio, and goaltender Scott Ratzlaff. Five other clubs – Brandon Wheat Kings, Kelowna Rockets, Prince George Cougars, Portland Winterhawks, and Vancouver Giants – will also send two representatives each.
The 2023 Scouting Combine will be home to seven more WHL prospects as the year prior, when only 14 League representatives participated in the 2022 Combine.
2023 NHL Scouting Combine Invitees – WHL Players
WHL Skaters
| Last Name | First Name | Hometown | Team | Height | Weight | Position |
| Bedard | Connor | North Vancouver, B.C. | Regina Pats | 5’10” | 185 | C |
| Benson | Zach | Chilliwack, B.C. | Winnipeg ICE | 5’9” | 163 | C |
| Cagnoni | Luca | Burnaby, B.C. | Portland Winterhawks | 5’9” | 180 | D |
| Cristall | Andrew | Burnaby, B.C. | Kelowna Rockets | 5’10” | 167 | LW |
| Danielson | Nate | Red Deer, Alta. | Brandon Wheat Kings | 6’2” | 185 | C |
| Dragicevic | Lukas | Richmond, B.C. | Tri-City Americans | 6’1” | 190 | D |
| Goldsmith | Terrell | Fort St. James, B.C. | Prince Albert Raiders | 6’4” | 223 | D |
| Heidt | Riley | Saskatoon, Sask. | Prince George Cougars | 5’10” | 178 | C |
| Honzek | Samuel | Trencin, Slovakia | Vancouver Giants | 6’4” | 186 | LW |
| Lind | Kalan | Shaunavon, Sask. | Red Deer Rebels | 6’0” | 158 | LW |
| Lipinski | Jaden | Scottsdale, Ariz. | Vancouver Giants | 6’4” | 204 | C |
| Molendyk | Tanner | McBride, B.C. | Saskatoon Blades | 6’0” | 182 | D |
| Myatovic | Nico | Prince George, B.C. | Seattle Thunderbirds | 6’2” | 182 | LW |
| Mynio | Sawyer | Kamloops, B.C. | Seattle Thunderbirds | 6’1” | 173 | D |
| Price | Caden | Saskatoon, Sask. | Kelowna Rockets | 6’1” | 185 | D |
| Sawchyn | Gracyn | Grande Prairie, Alta. | Seattle Thunderbirds | 5’11” | 157 | C |
| Sotheran | Carter | Sanford, Man. | Portland Winterhawks | 6’3” | 197 | D |
| Yager | Brayden | Saskatoon, Sask. | Moose Jaw Warriors | 5’11” | 166 | C |
| Ziemmer | Koehn | Mayerthorpe, Alta. | Prince George Cougars | 6’0” | 202 | RW |
WHL Goaltenders
| Last Name | First Name | Hometown | Team | Height | Weight | Position |
| Bjarnason | Carson | Carberry, Man. | Brandon Wheat Kings | 6’3” | 186 | G |
| Ratzlaff | Scott | Irma, Alta. | Seattle Thunderbirds | 6’1” | 175 | G |
The Combine is often seen as the final opportunity NHL Clubs have to see the next wave of top prospects prior to the 2023 NHL Draft held at the end of June.
“The NHL combine is the final showcase event before the NHL Draft and it’s a week full of interviews, medicals and fitness testing where the players get to interact with NHL personnel and the NHL Clubs get to learn as much as possible about the future stars of our game,” NHL Central Scouting vice president Dan Marr said in an interview with NHL.com.
“The NHL Combine is a rite of passage on a players’ path to the NHL and is an event that NHL Clubs and prospects look forward to participating in,” Marr continued.
Medical examinations are set to take place on June 7, while a majority of the fitness testing will be held on June 10.
The 2023 NHL Draft is set to take place at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., and will run from June 28-29.
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.
