WHL Stars of Tomorrow: Chase Petersen, Lethbridge Hurricanes

In the eyes of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Chase Petersen has it all – powerful strides, a 200-foot playstyle, and a booming stature.

The perfect build for hockey in the prairies.

Wanting to be known as a club that can wear their opposition down while putting pucks in the net, Petersen is the type of player that the Hurricanes are always on the lookout for.

So, when he was still available in the second round of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, it was an easy decision to scoop the forward up.

“Our scouts were a big fan of his that whole draft year because of how good of a skater he is and how powerful he is. At that age, he was already a relatively big kid for his age. You could see that he was going to be a Western Hockey Leaguer with his size, but mostly his power and his sakting,” Hurricanes Assistant General Manager and Associate Head Coach, Matt Anholt, admitted. “We had a first-round grade on Chase and we were fortunate enough to pick him up in the second round.”

Hailing from the compact town of Mossbank, Sask., Anholt believes that Petersen’s size and strength come from a life of farming and choring. It’s also the type of lifestyle that produces countless down-to-earth, coachable, and responsible players.

“Being a farm kid, he’s had a lot of life lessons growing up. So, he’s an extremely coachable, very respectful young man,” he shared. “He’s kind of a cliche example of an old Saskatchewan kid that comes from a farm family that has been working his whole life, probably driving behind a combine since he was 12.”

With the 23rd overall selection in the #2023WHLProspectsDraft, the #WHLCanes select forward Chase Petersen!

Welcome, Chase! pic.twitter.com/yLisvkmtE7

— Lethbridge Hurricanes (@WHLHurricanes) May 11, 2023

While Petersen is the newest hard-hitting, Saskatchewan-born player to join the Hurricanes’ group, he certainly isn’t the first to hit the ice with the Club.

Prior to Petersen, former captain and recent WHL graduate Joe Arntsen was the perfect role model when it came to a Saskatchewan-born player who embraced the rough-and-tumble, hard-nosed identity that Lethbridge has built.

Not only does Petersen have the potential to fill in Arntsen’s absence, but the two second-round selections also conduct themselves in a similar fashion.

“You can see a lot of similarities in their personality and as well as their family, their background, where they come from. They’re just very respectful young men who know what it takes to get their hands dirty,” Anholt continued. “Chase is a prime example of what we like in our players. The humility, and an understanding of what it takes to come to work every day and put your work boots on.”

Albeit – the 16-year-old still has a long way to go if he’s to reach Arntsen’s 268-game Western League tenure and 106-point plateau. But, he is making some headway.

Petersen managed to log his first career regular season game with the Hurricanes last season, as he got the nod to suit up in front of a home crowd in November 2023.

Although held off the scoresheet, Petersen was beyond grateful for the opportunity, as it helped him get acclimated to the speed of the WHL.

“It definitely helped me get to know the feeling of how the play. It’s just one game, but you learn a lot when you’re there. It was definitely special going there to play that game,” Petersen shared.

The #WHLCanes have announced the signing of 2008-born forward Chase Petersen to a WHL Scholarship & Development Agreement!

Details 👉 https://t.co/57SXDZRHjB pic.twitter.com/cTvS6eDw0U

— Lethbridge Hurricanes (@WHLHurricanes) June 1, 2023

In what was a night he will never forget, the forward also admitted the only thing missing in his debut was the iconic rookie lap ritual. And he has his fellow farm boy and captain, Joe Arntsen, to thank.

“It’s a funny story actually, because I didn’t end up doing the rookie lap,” Petersen chuckled. “We were out in the tunnel waiting to go out, and then in warm-ups [Joe] comes up to me. He’s like, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry, Petey. I totally forgot about the rookie lap.'”

And, while the 6-foot-1 forward did miss out on a lone lap around the VisitLethbridge.com Arena, he’s motivated to soak up every Western League experience that stands ahead of him – including cracking the opening night roster.

No doubt a tough task ahead for him, Anholt made sure to relay some words of wisdom to the rookie.

“As coaches, we’re looking for guys who can just get better every day, understand the systems that we’re trying to put in place and come to work ready to improve every single day,” Anholt said. “It’s not about just putting up tons of numbers every game, it’s just about doing things hard and playing a Hurricanes style of play.”

Lethbridge will kick off the 2024-25 regular season when they welcome the Edmonton Oil Kings into VisitLethbridge.com Arena on Friday, September 20. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 p.m. MT.