Get Brek’d: Silvertips defenceman and Flyers prospect Liske bringing new skills and confidence after breakout season
Everett, Wash. — So much of Brek Liske’s hockey journey just seems right.
There’s no shortage of pictures of a beaming kid in small-town Manitoba proudly repping a tiny Philadelphia Flyers jersey… And hat. And flag. Standing next to a Jeep painted a particular shade of orange.
There are stories of Liske eagerly trying to convince his childhood teammates — including current Seattle Thunderbirds centreman Matthew Gard — to become Flyers fans, too.
When NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly announced Liske as Philadelphia’s 53rd overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, it seemed like fate.
“Had a little watch party at my cabin with a lot of family and friends, and kind of was just excited for the day to get started,” Liske recalled. “I’m just sitting there all nervous and jittery, and then my favourite team growing up has the pick, and it’s me, and I’m just kind of in shock. Didn’t say a word or anything!”
It’s almost easy to forget just how hard the 18-year-old has had to work to get to this point.
In September of 2025, few had the 6-foot-2, 190-pound defender pegged for a second-round pick.
NHL Central Scouting tagged him as a potential fourth-to-fifth round selection in the agency’s Preliminary Players to Watch list that October.
Throughout the season, Liske chugged along with 24 points (7G-17A) and a +36 rating in 52 games in a depth role on a stacked Everett Silvertips blueline.
But when his opportunity came knocking, he was ready to answer.
With Tips captain and Anaheim Ducks prospect Tarin Smith knocked out of the WHL Playoffs with an upper-body injury, Liske was elevated to play on Everett’s top pairing alongside elite defender Landon DuPont.
Liske responded with an electric four-goal, 13-assist run through 18 games to help Everett hoist the Ed Chynoweth Cup for the first time in franchise history.
He hit the scoresheet in four of five games in the 2026 WHL Championship Series and even scored the championship-clinching goal on the road.
“We talk a lot about bringing value that might not show up on the score sheet, and I think for a long time that was Brek,” Silvertips bench boss and 2026 WHL Coach of the Year Steve Hamilton said. “He always brought value, whether it was time on ice, or blocks, hard plays on the penalty kill, whatever that looked like- those were kind of immeasurable to some degree, but incredibly valuable.
I think Brek elevated to the responsibility and elevated to the moment, and a lot of teams saw that, so it didn’t surprise me at all where he was drafted. I might have thought he’d even go higher.”
Now it’s up to Liske to show how high he can rise.
After the initial shock of the pick wore off, he started tallying how many people he already knew within the Flyers’ system, including his Silvertips teammate and 2025 fifth-round selection, Luke Vlooswyk.
“It was pretty crazy, right?” Liske added. “I was rooming with him all throughout playoffs, and then the draft comes, same team as him. He’s one of my best friends, so it worked out well with how we got to kind of go through the experience together, especially at main camp. You know, we’re little fish in the big, big pond there, so it’s good having him around for sure.”
His old pal Matthew Gard was also on hand, and, funnily enough, one of the people who happened to be in the background of one of his childhood Flyers fan pictures — former Flyers assistant director of player development and current Lehigh Valley Phantoms assistant coach Nick Schultz.
With his first development camp under his belt and a new swagger in his step, Liske even earned an invitation to join Team Canada at the 2026 World Junior Showcase.
“I think when he was younger, he probably looked at guys in his age group and Hockey Canada opportunities, under-17 opportunities, little things like that, and sometimes he was on the outside looking in,” Hamilton said. “Not because he wasn’t a good player, but you look at that ’08 age group of defencemen, and it’s pretty stacked. I like to think Brek is exactly where he needs to be, and I think his projection is a future NHLer. I truly believe that.”
The Silvertips were slightly shorthanded for their home opener last Saturday, though they collected a single point in a 3-2 overtime loss to Portland in front of more than 7,200 fans.
On the opposite side of the country, Liske and Vlooswyk sat together as they watched new captain Jaxsin Vaughan skate the Ed Chynoweth Cup to centre ice at Angel of the Winds Arena and stand with his teammates as Everett’s championship banner was raised to the rafters.
Between seeing the trophy and his teammates, getting a taste of his childhood NHL dream, representing Canada and seeing how NHLers operate on a day-to-day basis, Liske is eager to hit the ice, potentially as a top-line pairing with Vlooswyk, and set the tone for the Tips in 2026-27.
“I’m gonna try and almost be them (the Flyers) to the rest of the league,” Liske explained. “Try and just be faster and stronger and play guys harder. It’s very intense, so I’m looking to bring that back and kind of reiterate that we’ve got to play hard, and that’s the Everett way.”
Liske is expected to make his season debut on Friday, September 25, as the Silvertips host the Wenatchee Wild.
Fans can stream WHL regular-season action on the league’s YouTube channel.
