Wenatchee Wild Select Colorado, Minnesota Forwards Thursday in U.S. Priority Draft
WENATCHEE, Wash. – The Wenatchee Wild are pleased to announce the selection of two players in the 2025 Western Hockey League U.S. Priority Draft, held Thursday morning. The Wild held the 10th and 38th overall selections in the two-round draft, in which 2010-born players were selected from the western half of the United States only.
Wenatchee’s selections in Thursday’s U.S. Priority Draft included:
ROUND 1, PICK 10 – JAKE MINTENKO (C – Colorado Springs, Colo. – Colorado Rampage 14U)
Jake recently finished his second season with the Rampage program, and made a strong impression with his scoring ability, notching 76 points in 50 games at the 14-and-under level. His 2024-25 production more than kept pace with his 2023-24 marks, posting 71 points in 43 games against 13-year-old competition.
ROUND 2, PICK 38 – OWEN KRAFT (F – Moorhead, Minn. – Minnesota Blue Ox 14U)
Owen made the most of his first season of AAA hockey, registering 39 points in 22 games for the Blue Ox, while also racking up 88 points in 55 games with his bantam squad in Moorhead. He played a key role in leading the Blue Ox to USA Hockey’s 14-and-under national championship, registering a pair of assists – one of those came in a pool-play win against Little Caesars, the tournament’s top-seeded team. Kraft’s name is likely to become a familiar one in the Wenatchee Valley – the Wild announced the acquisition of his older brother, Mason, in a trade with the Victoria Royals early Thursday morning.
The WHL draft sequence continues Thursday morning with the second and subsequent rounds of the WHL Prospects Draft. All selections will be announced via the WHL website, with all Wenatchee selections to be announced on the team’s social media platforms as well.
