WHL This Week: September 26, 2024

Calgary, Alta. – Opening week of the 2024-25 WHL Regular Season got underway with a bang this past weekend and as NHL-calibre talent returns to rosters across the League, the intensity is about to ratchet up even further this weekend.

WHL HEADLINES

WHL Live packages available for 2024-25
All Dub. All the time. Every dangle, every snipe, every celly – See every heart-stopping moment on WHL Live. With access starting as low as $9.99 (plus taxes), you can enjoy every pretty passing play to every glorious glove save right from the comfort of home. – DETAILS

NHL-calibre talent returning to WHL rosters
A total of 134 players eligible to return to the WHL made their way to NHL training camps in recent weeks, each with the hope of impressing and cracking an NHL Opening Night roster. While many made NHL preseason debuts, not all can advance to the NHL’s regular season puck drop, which means WHL Clubs will enjoy the benefit of highly skilled reinforcements. Players recently returned to WHL Clubs from NHL camps include Berkly Catton (Spokane Chiefs), Tanner Howe (Regina Pats), Charlie Elick (Brandon Wheat Kings), Evan Gardner (Saskatoon Blades), Carson Wetsch (Calgary Hitmen), Julius Miettinen (Everett Silvertips), Caden Price (Kelowna Rockets), Lukas Dragicevic (Prince Albert Raiders), Kalan Lind (Red Deer Rebels), and many more.

Wheat Kings star McQueen named Tempo WHL Player of the Week
A four-goal eruption on opening night of the 2024-25 WHL season helped 2025 NHL Draft-eligible forward Roger McQueen stake out the first Tempo WHL Player of the Week honours of the campaign. The 6-foot-5 product of Saskatoon added two helpers on Saturday to round out a six-point opening weekend. Heading into the second weekend of the season, McQueen is tied atop the WHL scoring charts with six points. McQueen is considered a top prospect for the 2025 NHL Draft. – READ MORE

Hurricanes netminder Cleaver named WHL Goaltender of the Week
Rookie puckstopper Koen Cleaver turned aside 30 of 31 shots in a 2-1 overtime victory over rival Red Deer on Saturday night, good enough to earn WHL Goaltender of the Week honours to start the season. – READ MORE

Royals defenceman Verhoeff named WHL Rookie of the Week
Keaton Verhoeff led all WHL defencemen with three goals this past weekend. He added an assist alongside a plus-6 rating as the Victoria Royals opened the season 1-0-1-0. Selected fourth overall by the Royals in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, the 6-foot-4, 212-pound Verhoeff made his WHL debut during the 2023-24 season. He is eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft. – READ MORE

Cougars defenceman Kmec signs entry-level contract with Vegas Golden Knights
Slovakian defenceman Viliam Kmec signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights Monday. The 6-foot-3, 209-pound blueliner finished second among Prince George defencemen with 34 points (9G-25A) during the 2023-24 campaign. Kmec went unselected in the NHL Draft and was invited to Golden Knights Development Camp in July. Upon signing with the Golden Knights, the 20-year-old Kmec was assigned to the Cougars where he will play his final season of major junior hockey. – READ MORE

Rockets forward Gojsic signs entry-level contract with Nashville Predators
Hiroki Gojsic of the Kelowna Rockets signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the NHL’s Nashville Predators Monday. The 6-foot-3, 207-pound forward was selected in the third round (94th overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft in June. A product of Langley, B.C., Gojsic finished the 2023-24 season with 50 points (21G-29A) in 68 games.  – READ MORE

Tigers defenceman Paranych comes to aid of woman in medical distress
Matt Paranych of the Medicine Hat Tigers jumped into action, when he came across a woman in medical distress in August 2024. The 17-year-old was driving to meet a friend when he saw a car parked in the middle of a boulevard with a woman slumped over the wheel. – READ MORE

WHL Commissioner Dan Near meets with media in Prince Albert
Listen in as WHL Commissioner Dan Near takes questions from members of the media in Prince Albert prior to the Raiders home opener last Friday. – WATCH

WHL Commissioner Dan Near goes one-on-one with Marc Smith
Marc Smith of the Moose Jaw Warriors sat down for a one-on-one conversation with WHL Commissioner Dan Near during the first intermission Saturday at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. – WATCH

CHL announces five WHL Clubs submit bids to host 2026 Memorial Cup
The Canadian Hockey League announced Monday that five WHL Clubs – the Brandon Wheat Kings, Kelowna Rockets, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Medicine Hat Tigers, and Spokane Chiefs – have officially submitted formal written bids to secure the hosting rights for the 2026 Memorial Cup. – READ MORE

COMMUNITY CORNER

Hurricanes partner with City of Lethbridge for Indigenous cultural celebration Friday
The City of Lethbridge and Lethbridge Hurricanes will recognize Reconciliation in the community by highlighting Indigenous cultural identity and heritage Friday at VisitLethbridge.com Arena. This will represent the first time the Hurricanes have hosted a theme night celebrating Indigenous culture. – DETAILS

Pats to donate net proceeds from limited-edition orange t-shirts to Newo Yotina Friendship Centre
In recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the Regina Pats are selling limited-edition Regina Pats t-shirts, with all net proceeds directly supporting the Newo Yotina Friendship Centre. The Newo Yotina Friendship Centre is a member of the Aboriginal Friendship Centres of Saskatchewan and the National Association of Friendship Centres. Friendship Centres are Canada’s most significant off-reserve Indigenous service delivery infrastructure and are the primary providers of culturally enhanced programs and services to urban Indigenous residents. – GET YOUR T-SHIRT

Blades defenceman Tastad named Hockey Gives Blood player ambassador for Saskatoon
Morgan Tastad of the Saskatoon Blades will serve as a Hockey Gives Blood player ambassador during the 2024-25 season. In his role, as a Hockey Gives Blood player ambassador, Tastad will work to encourage and educate people on the benefits of becoming a blood and stem cell donor. – DETAILS

Raiders visit John Diefenbaker Public School for Feed the Future Day
Led by newly minted captain Justice Christensen, members of the Prince Albert Raiders paid a visit to John Diefenbaker Public School in Prince Albert this week. – PHOTOS

Royals contest to select theme for WHL Nickelodeon Night in Support of Children’s Miracle Network
Attention fans! Have your say on the Nickelodeon theme the Victoria Royals will embrace during WHL Nickelodeon Night in Support of Children’s Miracle Network this season. Hop on over to the Royals social channels to share your favourite Nickelodeon theme – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, SpongeBob SquarePants, Paw Patrol, or Dora the Explorer. – VOTE NOW

Wild players assist with Wenatchee Amateur Hockey Association’s Learn to Play
A number of Wenatchee Wild players took to the ice this week to assist with youth Learn to Play sessions run by the Wenatchee Amateur Hockey Association. – PHOTOS

OTHER NEWS

Hitmen unveil 30th anniversary sweater
The Calgary Hitmen unveiled a special 30th anniversary edition sweater Thursday morning. The black uniform includes the iconic Hitmen crest with a detailed ‘XXX’ tape job depicted on the hockey stick, representing 30 years of Hitmen hockey in Calgary. The accent colours of the sweater include shimmering copper, white and red. The shoulder patch harkens back to the original Calgary Hitmen wordmark. – SEE IT

Warriors reveal new alternate sweater
The Moose Jaw Warriors unveiled a brand new, red alternate sweater Thursday morning. The new sweater combines the ruby red colour from the Club’s 40th anniversary throwback sweater with the current Snowbirds-inspired crest found on both home and away sweaters. Moose Jaw’s new alternate sweater will make its on-ice debut this Friday at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. – DETAILS

Kraken prospect Caswell named Broncos captain
Forward Clarke Caswell has been named captain of the Swift Current Broncos. The 17-year-old product of Brandon, Man., was selected by the NHL’s Seattle Kraken in the fourth round (141st overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft. The 2023-24 season saw the 17-year-old record 77 points (26G-51A) in 68 games. – READ MORE

Kraken prospect Josephson named Rebels captain
Forward Ollie Josephson has been named captain of the Red Deer Rebels. The 18-year-old product of Victoria, B.C., was selected by the NHL’s Seattle Kraken in the fourth round (105th overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft. Josephson enjoyed a career campaign in 2023-24, notching 47 points (12G-35A) in 68 games. – READ MORE

Wheat Kings mourn passing of Glen Lawson
The Brandon Wheat Kings are mourning the passing of Wheat Kings Hall of Famer Glen Lawson. The 89-year-old Lawson was a lifelong member of the Wheat Kings family, born and raised in Brandon. He played junior hockey for the Wheat Kings in the 1950s, coached the team when it was part of the Senior Big Six Hockey League, and served as the Club’s first General Manager after helping it join the Western Canada Hockey League in 1967. – READ MORE

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

Americans sign former second overall U.S. Priority Draft pick Rios
Shaun Rios, a 2005-born forward from San Jose, Calif., signed a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement with the Tri-City American Saturday. Rios was selected second overall by the Americans in the 2020 WHL U.S. Prospects Draft. – READ MORE

Oil Kings acquire 20-year-old forward Roersma from Wheat Kings
Edmonton added the services of 20-year-old Rylen Roersma on Tuesday, sending a pair of draft picks to the Wheat Kings. Roersma logged a career season in 2023-24, recording 58 points (20G-38A). – DETAILS

Silvertips acquire goaltender Garrett from Hitmen; move defenceman Sytsma to Blades
The Everett Silvertips swung a pair of trades Tuesday, acquiring 19-year-old goaltender Alex Garrett from the Calgary Hitmen before sending 18-year-old blueliner Cameron Sytsma to the Saskatoon Blades.

Cougars solidify goaltending depth with trade for veteran Michaluk
The Prince George Cougars added veteran depth in the crease by trading for 19-year-old Cooper Michaluk from the Spokane Chiefs Thursday afternoon. – DETAILS

Pats add Bear and Chichkin in deal with Hitmen
The Regina Pats bolstered their lineup with the acquisition of forward Connor Bear and defenceman Aleksey Chichkin from the Calgary Hitmen Thursday afternoon. – DETAILS

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Friday, September 27
Swift Current at Lethbridge – 7 p.m. MT
Regina at Moose Jaw – 7 p.m. MT
Brandon at Prince Albert – 7 p.m. MT
Medicine Hat at Red Deer – 7 pm. MT
Seattle at Kamloops – 7 p.m. PT
Prince George at Vancouver – 7 p.m. PT
Spokane at Wenatchee – 7 p.m. PT
Victoria at Kelowna – 7:05 p.m. PT

Saturday, September 28
Calgary at Edmonton – 2 p.m. MT
Victoria at Kamloops – 6 p.m. PT
Red Deer at Medicine Hat – 7 p.m. MT
Brandon at Saskatoon – 7 p.m. MT
Prince Albert at Swift Current – 7 p.m. MT
Portland at Everett – 6:05 p.m. PT
Wenatchee at Seattle – 6:05 p.m. PT
Tri-City at Spokane – 6:05 p.m. PT 

Sunday, September 29
Lethbridge at Calgary – 2 p.m. MT
Moose Jaw at Regina – 2 p.m. MT
Prince George at Wenatchee – 4 p.m. PT
Kelowna at Everett – 4:05 p.m. PT

About the Western Hockey League
Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL offers a world-class player experience featuring three key cornerstones: hockey development, education, and a safe and positive environment for all participants. A diverse and inclusive organization, the WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 16 located in Western Canada and six in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for close to 60 years. The WHL is also a leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.