Wenatchee Pair Selected Saturday in National Hockey League Draft
WENATCHEE, Wash. – The Wenatchee Wild, proud members of the Western Hockey League (WHL), are excited to announce the selections of 2007-born forward Blake Vanek and 2006-born defenseman Brendan Dunphy Saturday in the National Hockey League (NHL) Draft. Vanek was taken by the Ottawa Senators in the third round with the 93rd overall pick, while Dunphy earned a seventh-round pick from the Florida Panthers, at 197th overall.
June has been quite the month for Vanek, a Stillwater, Minnesota native, signing with the Wild in early June and wrapping up the month with his selection in the NHL Draft Saturday morning. Vanek comes to Wenatchee, and the Senators organization, off a 2024-25 season in which he led the Stillwater High School Ponies to Minnesota’s state high school championship game. Over 29 appearances with the Ponies, he racked up 22 goals and 31 assists, and posted points in 17 of his final 19 outings. He also earned recognition as one of the Ponies’ alternate captains this season, in his third year of varsity play. His 53 points ranked fourth on the roster, as Stillwater reached the Class AA state tournament for the first time in nine years, and nearly earned its first-ever state title. He finished his varsity career with 114 points in 79 Minnesota State High School League games.
Upon appearing in his first Wild game, he will become the fourth player in Wenatchee’s brief WHL history to step onto the ice after being selected in the NHL Draft. Wenatchee’s 2023-24 roster featured three players who appeared in a regular-season game after being drafted by an NHL club.
Dunphy snagged a late-round nod thanks to a strong 2024-25 campaign with the Wild and the Langley Riverman of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). The 6-foot-5-inch blueliner from San Diego, California joined Wenatchee in November after being acquired in a trade from the Regina Pats, and signing with the club from Langley. He tallied 12 points in 68 BCHL games over a season-and-a-half with the Rivermen and immediately flourished with the Wild, posting 22 points in 47 WHL games this past year. His 22 points ranked third among Wenatchee defensemen, despite joining the team two months into the regular season.
Both players were on draft boards across the NHL going into the weekend, with Vanek earning the 146th ranking among North American skaters on NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking list, and Dunphy tagged with the 194th ranking among North American skaters. Dunphy holds an NCAA Division I commitment to the University of Connecticut, and is currently set to join the Huskies for the upcoming campaign.
The Wenatchee Wild congratulate Blake Vanek and Brendan Dunphy on their selections in this weekend’s National Hockey League Draft, and wish them continued success as the 2025-26 season nears.
