Seventeen Western Hockey League alumni named to Canada West All-Star and All-Rookie teams

Calgary, Alta.- Seventeen Western Hockey League graduates have been recognized for their outstanding performances at the university level, as Canada West revealed its 2025-26 All-Star and All-Rookie selections.

The news comes in the midst of the Canada West playoff race, with semifinal matchups set to kick off on Friday night.

The Rival Calgary Dinos and Mount Royal Cougars will square off in one semifinal showdown, while the conference’s two most recent champions, the Saskatchewan Huskies and UBC Thunderbirds, will go head-to-head for a berth in the Finals.

2025-26 Canada West First Team All-Stars

G- Brett Mirwald- UBC Thunderbirds (Moose Jaw Warriors, Vancouver Giants)

D- Landon Kosior- Saskatchewan Huskies (Prince Albert Raiders)

D- Jake Lee- UBC Thunderbirds (Seattle Thunderbirds, Kelowna Rockets)

F- Connor Bouchard- Mount Royal Cougars (Tri-City Americans)

F- Adam Kydd- Calgary Dinos (Calgary Hitmen, Kelowna Rockets)

F- Sasha Mutala- UBC Thunderbirds (Tri-City Americans)

Mirwald, 22, went 11-1-1-1 with a 2.27 goals-against average, a .907 save percentage and two shutouts in his second season with UBC. The Saskatoon, Sask. product was named WHL Goaltender of the Year in 2024 after leading all WHL netminders in saves (1,723) and minutes played (3,190) while tying for third in save percentage (.913) and wins (29), while also cracking the 2023-24 WHL B.C. Division First All-Star team.

Kosior, 23, finished second in scoring among all Canada West defencemen with four goals and 25 assists for 29 points in 28 games. The Regina-born blueliner played four seasons with the Prince Albert Raiders, earning the alternate captaincy in his final campaign. He closed out his WHL career with 135 points (44G-91A) in 213 regular-season games and made the 2022-23 WHL East Division Second All-Star team. Kosior was named to the Canada West All-Rookie team back in 2023-24 and was a part of the Huskies squad that captured the Conference Championship and U SPORTS bronze last season.

Lee, 24, led all CW rearguards with 34 points (14G-20A) in 28 outings while boasting a conference-best +37 rating. Lee was a part of Seattle’s 2017 WHL Championship-winning squad as a rookie and went on to post 120 points (31G-89A) in 277 games over parts of six seasons with the Thunderbirds and Kelowna Rockets, while earning 2021-22 B.C. Division First All-Star Team honours. His storied university career has seen him crack the 2022-23 U SPORTS All-Rookie team and 2023-24 U SPORTS All-Canadian Second Team. The Sherwood Park, Alta. native helped the Thunderbirds claim CW glory in 2024 and captured gold at the 2025 Universiade.

Bouchard, 24, continued to roll with 39 points (11G-28A) in 27 turns as an alternate captain for the Cougars. The speedy centreman was also named U SPORTS Player of the Year in 2024 after becoming the first Canada West player to break the 50-point mark since 2000-01 with a 57-point (23G-34A) run. The Cochrane-born, Okanagan-raised forward played his entire major junior career with the Tri-City Americans, tallying 133 points (36G-97A) in 262 games. He also registered three assists in one game for the Cougars at the 2025 University Cup. Despite suffering a 5-4 overtime loss to Toronto Metropolitan University, Bouchard and the Cougars set a record for the longest game in U SPORTS history, with MRU and TMU battling it out for five overtime periods.

Kydd, 23, notched 41 points (8G-33A) in 28 games to finish second in the CW points race, while leading all skaters in assists. The Regina, Sask. product suited up for parts of four seasons with the Calgary Hitmen and Kelowna Rockets, bagging 134 points (53G-81A) in 193 games. Kydd was also named WHL Grad of the Month in November of 2025.

Mutala, 24, paced the conference with 46 points (14G-32A) in 28 games to help the Thunderbirds earn a program-record 23 wins. The 2025 November/December WHL Grad of the Month has earned his first First Team All-Star recognition after making the Second All-Star Team twice and the All-Rookie Team in 2023. The Vancouver, B.C. product won gold at the 2025 FISU Games and helped the T-Birds win the team’s first program championship in 53 years with a dominant run in 2023-24. Mutala racked up 196 points (84G-112A) in 266 games over parts of six seasons in Tri-City.

2025-26 Canada West Second Team All-Stars

G- Carl Stankowski- Calgary Dinos (Seattle Thunderbirds, Calgary Hitmen, Winnipeg ICE)

D- Dawson Davison- Alberta Golden Bears (Kamloops Blazers, Regina Pats, Saskatoon Blades)

D- Clay Hanus- Mount Royal Cougars (Portland Winterhawks)

F- Dawson Holt- Saskatchewan Huskies (Vancouver Giants, Regina Pats)

F- Chantz Petruic- Saskatchewan Huskies (Moose Jaw Warriors)

F- Ty Thorpe- UBC Thunderbirds (Brandon Wheat Kings, Vancouver Giants)

Stankowski, 25, had a shining season with a 10-4-0-1 record, a .230 goals-against average, a .910 save percentage and two shutouts, while facing the sixth-most shots against of all CW goaltenders. The Calgarian made a splash in the WHL when he backstopped Seattle to the 2017 WHL Championship as a 16-year-old.  Stankowski went 16-2-2 in the 2017 WHL Playoffs with a 2.50 GAA and .911 save percentage. Stankowski was also part of the U Calgary team that won the Canada West in 2023, forming a formidable tandem with fellow WHL grad Carl Tetachuk.

Davidson, 27, shone in his final season of CW eligibility with 26 points (2G-24A) in 27 games, tying for first in points on the Golden Bears. The Moosomin, Sask. product enjoyed tours with the Blazers, Pats and Blades, wearing an ‘A’ for the two Saskatchewan teams. He piled up 191 points (37G-154A) in 301 games and was named an East Division First Team All-Star in 2019. At the university level, Davidson and the Golden Bears earned the conference championship in 2022, while picking up All-Rookie honours in 2020 and a Second All-Star Team nod in 2023.

Hanus, 24, roared through his fourth season with MRU with 23 points (5G-18A) in 18 outings. The former Portland Winterhawks captain registered 142 points (37G-105A) in 257 matches with the Rose City crew and was named a U.S. Division First All-Star Team member in 2022. Hanus, from Minnetonka, Minn., was named the CW Top Defenceman in 2024 and 2025. 2024-25 saw the 5-foot-11 blueliner win U SPORTS Defenceman of the Year and U SPORTS Player of the Year.

Holt, 27, is coming off a career-best turn with the Huskies that saw him pot 36 points (14G-22A) while continuing to flex his academic excellence in medical school. Holt is on the hunt for a second consecutive CW Championship and wants to upgrade the bronze medal he won at the 2025 University Cup. The Saskatoon, Sask. product suited up for parts of six seasons with the Vancouver Giants and Regina Pats, compiling 79 points (25G-54A) in 208 games.

Petruic, 26, is one of four Huskies with WHL experience to get the All-Star nod. The Moose Javian led Saskatchewan with 37 points (18G-19A) in 26 tilts. Petruic represented his hometown Warriors in 2016-17, putting up four assists in 55 games.

Thorpe, 24, finished fourth in the conference scoring race with 38 points (9G-29A). He cracked the 2024 CW All-Rookie Team in 2024- the same season the Thunderbirds ended their championship drought. The Winnipeg, Man. product spent parts of five seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings and Vancouver Giants, who he captained in his final season. Thorpe graduated from the WHL with 145 points (63G-82A) in 263 outings.

2025-26 Canada West All-Rookie Team

G- Ethan Buenaventura- Mount Royal Cougars (Calgary Hitmen)

D- Keaton Dowhaniuk- MacEwan Griffins (Prince George Cougars, Moose Jaw Warriors, Red Deer Rebels)

D- Jace Weir- UBC Thunderbirds (Red Deer Rebels)

F- Hayden Pakkala- Calgary Dinos (Prince Albert Raiders, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Seattle Thunderbirds)

F- Conner Roulette- Saskatchewan Huskies (Seattle Thunderbirds, Saskatoon Blades, Spokane Chiefs)

Buenaventura, 21, posted the strongest numbers of any rookie netminder with a 8-3-0-1 record, a 2.31 GAA and a .890 save percentage. The Winnipeger backstopped the Calgary Hitmen for four seasons, highlighted by a 21-win campaign in 2023-24.

Dowhaniuk, 22, tied for third in scoring among first-year blueliners with 18 points (3G-15A) in 28 games. The Sherwood Park, Alta. product ranks 35th in all-time games played by a Prince George Cougar, and split his final season in the Dub with PG, Red Deer and Moose Jaw. Dowhaniuk logged 87 points (10G-77A) and 226 penalty minutes in 274 games across six seasons.

Weir, 21, led all rookie defencemen with 26 points (4G-22A) in 28 games, good for third among all defenders. The Coldstream, B.C. native spent his entire major junior career with the Red Deer Rebels, amassing 87 points (13G-74A) in 279 games. Weir ranks eighth in all-time games played for the Rebels and remains the team’s second-highest tenured defenceman.

Pakkala, 22, finished third in rookie scoring with 26 points (15G-11A) in 28 games. Hailing from Okotoks, Alta., Pakkala posted 104 points (48G-58A) in 259 contests with the Prince Albert Raiders, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Seattle Thunderbirds.

Roulette, 22, paced all first-year players with 35 points (15G-20A) in 28 tilts- which was also enough to tie him for seventh in points among all skaters. Roulette’s offensive dominance mirrors the success he had in the Western League, where he potted 288 points (118G-170A) in 259 games across six seasons, highlighted by a 108-point campaign in 2023-24. Roulette was dubbed a U.S. Division Second Team All-Star in 2024 and suited up for the ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers before making the jump to the University of Saskatchewan.