Utah and the WHL: A Brief History
As the hockey world embarks on a new adventure with the arrival of the NHL in Utah, we take a look back at the four Utah-born WHL Alumni to have graced ice surfaces across the Western Hockey League.
Steve Konowalchuk
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah
Born: November 11, 1972
WHL Champion: 2017 – Seattle Thunderbirds, Head Coach
Lauded as one of the NHL’s best two-way forwards of his generation, Salt Lake City’s Steve Konowalchuk got his start with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks.
The 6-foot-1, 198-pound left winger broke into the WHL during the 1990-91 season, registering 92 points (43G-49A) in 72 games. That was good enough to catch the eye of NHL scouts and Konowalchuk was selected by the Washington Capitals in the third round (58th overall) of the 1991 NHL Draft.
Konowalchuk returned to the WHL for the 1991-92 season, where he recorded 104 points (51G-53A) in 64 games en route to being named WHL Player of the Year and a WHL West Division First All-Star.
Over the course of 136 career WHL Regular Season contests, Konowalchuk collected 196 points (94G-102A).
Following his playing career, the Salt Lake City native returned to the WHL as Head Coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds. From 2011-12 through 2016-17, Konowalchuk put his stamp on the Thunderbirds, culminating in a WHL Championship in 2017 – the first WHL title in Seattle’s franchise history.
Over eight seasons as a WHL head coach, including six with the Thunderbirds and two with the Red Deer Rebels (2021-22 to 2022-23), Konowalchuk owns a career regular season record of 307-218-43.
Konowalchuk currently serves as the Associate Head Coach for the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League.
Mason Mannek
Hometown: Herimman, Utah
Born: April 10, 2000
From 2017 through 2021, 5-foot-8, 169-pound Mason Mannek was a mainstay for the Portland Winterhawks, dressing in 212 career WHL Regular Season games.
Hailing from Herriman, Utah, located approximately 27 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, Mannek continually improved over the course of his sojourn, wrapping up with a career best 0.71 points per game during the abbreviated 2020-21 regular season (10-7–17 points in 24 games).
Mannek appeared in a career-high 68 games during the 2018-19 WHL Regular Season, tallying 25 points (11G-14A). His career-best mark for points came during the 2019-20 season, when he collected 30 points (12G-18A) in 62 games.
Mannek was signed to a WHL Standard Player Agreement May 5, 2017, after being passed over in the WHL Draft.
He last played for the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies, appearing in 72 games and notching 51 points (23G-28A) during the 2021-22 campaign.
Aidan Lawson
Hometown: Providence, Utah
Born: April 21, 2001
The 6-foot-5, 201-pound defenceman carved out a respectable WHL career, appearing in 89 regular season games from 2017-18 through 2019-20.
Hailing from Providence, Utah, located approximately 82 miles north of Salt Lake City and within 25 miles of the Utah-Idaho border, Lawson secured 11 points (1G-10A) over his 89 games.
He appeared in a career-high 52 games during the 2019-20 season, splitting time between the Edmonton Oil Kings and Tri-City Americans.
Randy King
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah
Born: May 22,1987
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound defenceman appeared in 154 career WHL Regular Season games from 2004-05 through 2006-07.
The product of Salt Lake City joined the Everett Silvertips during the 2004-05 season, appearing in 31 games. Splitting the 2005-06 season between the Silvertips, Prince George Cougars and Lethbridge Hurricanes, King racked up a career-best 20 points (3G-17A) in 58 games.
He wrapped up his WHL playing days by posting 15 points (1G-14A) in 65 games with the Hurricanes during the 2006-07 season.
Wedged between Nevada to the west and Colorado to the east, Utah is one of 20 States that falls within WHL territory. It shares a northern border with Idaho and Wyoming, with Arizona across the border to the south.
Though a WHL Club has never made its home in Utah, history has seen a variety of WHL Clubs in the western United States, including:
- Montana
- Billings Bighorns (1977-78 to 1981-82)
- Great Falls Americans (1979-80)
- Oregon
- Portland Winterhawks (1976-77 to present)
- Washington
- Seattle Breakers (1977-78 to 1984-85)
- Spokane Flyers (1980-81 to 1981-82)
- Seattle Thunderbirds (1985-86 to present)
- Spokane Chiefs (1985-86 to present)
- Tri-City Americans (1988-89 to present)
- Tacoma Rockets (1991-92 to 1994-95)
- Everett Silvertips (2003-04 to present)
- Wenatchee Wild (2023-24 to present)
The WHL’s U.S. recruitment territory includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
On an annual basis, the WHL conducts its WHL U.S. Priority Draft.
In 2023, Salt Lake City product Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll was selected in the first round (ninth overall) by the Medicine Hat Tigers. Gordon-Carroll sign a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement with the Tigers on April 19, 2024.
The 2024 WHL U.S. Priority Draft is scheduled for Wednesday, May 8, 2024.