2023 WHL Graduates – Tri-City Americans
Throughout the month of July, WHL.ca will be featuring the WHL Graduates from the 2022-23 season in a 22-part, team-by-team series.
We continue with the graduating players from the Tri-City Americans!
Reese Belton
A fifth-round selection by the Kamloops Blazers in the 2017 WHL Draft, forward Reese Belton spent each of his four WHL seasons in the Western Conference. Belton, from Winnipeg, Man., debuted with Kamloops in September of 2019 and curiously enough, scored each of his four goals during the 2019-20 campaign versus the Tri-City Americans, including a two-goal effort at Toyota Center March 7, 2020. Belton skated in 22 games during the shortened 2020-21 season, then put up 34 points, on the strength of 14 goals and 20 assists, with the Blazers in 2021-22 as Kamloops captured its third straight B.C. Division championship. Belton chipped in with a goal and four assists during the 2022 WHL Playoffs, helping the Blazers reach the Western Conference Championship series. In 2022-23, Belton joined the Tri-City Americans via trade and put up career numbers, totalling 58 points (18G-40A) in 66 games to finish third among Americans forwards. He produced at a point-per-game pace during his five post-season outings this past spring to close out his WHL career. Overall, Belton put up 103 points (38G-65A) over his 184 WHL regular season games.
Happy Birthday, Reese Belton! 🚨🧁️#WHLPlayoffs | #FeedingTheFuture pic.twitter.com/bIAMLvEMd3
— Tri-City Americans (@TCAmericans) April 10, 2023
Ethan Ernst
The elder of two Ernst brothers to skate in the WHL, Ethan Ernst graduates from the League in 2023 after five full seasons, beginning in 2018-19 with the Kelowna Rockets, who selected him in the third round of the 2017 WHL Draft. Ernst, from Weyburn, Sask., skated in 61 games during his rookie season in Kelowna, scoring his first WHL goal October 20, 2018 at Victoria. He improved his numbers from one goal to six during the 2019-20 season, but an injury limited him to just two games during the shortened 2020-21 campaign. After starting 2021-22 in Kelowna, Ernst found a home with the Tri-City Americans, scoring 12 times and totalling 24 points in 61 games over his 19-year-old season. This past year, he enjoyed a career-best season, leading the Americans with 32 goals as part of a 63-point campaign. Ernst made his WHL Playoffs debut in 2023, scoring one goal in Tri-City’s first-round series versus the Prince George Cougars. In all, Ernst tallied 112 points (51G-61A) from his 246 WHL regular season games. This fall, Ernst will take advantage of his WHL Scholarship at Acadia University.
Ethan Ernst has committed to furthering his academic and hockey career at Acadia University.
Congratulations, Ethan!#AmsAlumni
READ » https://t.co/VfwzOrU3N7 pic.twitter.com/ECDZcCWbpp
— Tri-City Americans (@TCAmericans) April 28, 2023
Jalen Luypen
Forward Jalen Luypen was selected in the ninth round of the 2017 WHL Draft and proceeded to skate in more than 250 WHL games with the Edmonton Oil Kings and Tri-City Americans. Luypen, from Kelowna, B.C., spent four seasons in Edmonton, beginning in 2018-19, where he earned 13 points in 47 games during his rookie campaign. He tallied nine times in 2019-20, then finished third among Oil Kings skaters with 29 points (16G-13A) in 2020-21, helping Edmonton to a second successive Central Division crown. NHL scouts took notice of Luypen’s performance during the shortened season; he was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the seventh round of the 2021 NHL Draft. In 2021-22, Luypen scored a career-high 29 goals and 64 points, then added nine points in 19 post-season apperances as the Oil Kings won the WHL Championship. After missing the first half of the 2022-23 season, Luypen joined the Tri-City Americans during their stretch run, chalking up 39 points in 38 games including a six-point effort in his final WHL regular season game March 24 versus Spokane. During the playoffs, Luypen finished among the Americans’ top offensive producers with six points in as many games. Overall, he graduates from the WHL with 163 career regular season points (79G-84A) from 238 games played. He’ll make his full-time professional debut in the fall in the Blackhawks organization after skating in three AHL playoff games with the Rockford IceHogs this past spring.
The name's Luypen. Snipin' Luypen.@TCAmericans | @NHLBlackhawks | #WHLHatTricks pic.twitter.com/H37SrEjdJx
— The WHL (@TheWHL) March 25, 2023
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