Avalanche prospect Curran named Tempo WHL Player of the Week

Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League announced today Edmonton Oil Kings forward and Colorado Avalanche prospect Max Curran has been named Tempo WHL Player of the Week for the week ending Sunday, November 2.

Curran, a 19-year-old product of Prague, Czechia, and the 2024-25 WHL Scholastic Player of the Year, tallied 10 points (3G-7A) and a plus-6 rating in three games as the Oil Kings went 3-0-0-0 this past week.

The 6-foot-3, 187-pound centre started his week with three assists in an 8-6 road win over the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Wednesday, October 29. Curran logged the primary assist on a goal by Luke Powell, which gave Edmonton a 2-0 lead only 3:02 into the first period. Later in the opening period, Curran set up Poul Andersen to make it 4-2. Curran finished his work 39 seconds into the second period, adding another assist on Dylan Dean’s first goal of the game, putting the Oil Kings ahead 6-3. Curran went on to be named second star of the game.

Curran continued to make an impact on the scoresheet in a resounding 6-1 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers, recording two points (1G-1A) Saturday, November 1, at Rogers Place in Edmonton. The Avs prospects gave the Oil Kings a 3-0 lead with a power-play goal 15 seconds into the second period. He added a power-play assist midway through the third period as the Oil Kings dispatched their Central Division rivals from Medicine Hat.

Thanks, in part, to an explosive five-point (2G-3A) effort from Curran, the Oil Kings exploded for eight goals for the second time this week, as they doubled up the Swift Current Broncos by an 8-4 score Sunday, November 2, at Rogers Place. After falling behind 4-1, Curran contributed an assist on a goal from defenceman Josh Lee late in the first period to kickstart an Oil Kings comeback. Next, Curran hit the back of the net 6:46 into the second period, pulling Edmonton back within one. On a third-period power play, it was Curran helping set up Dean for went on to stand as the game-winning goal. Curran then added his second goal of the night on another power-play opportunity to give Edmonton a 6-4 edge. He rounded out his career-high five-point performance with an assist on a late goal by Lukas Sawchyn.

With 18 points (4G-14A) in 16 games, last season’s winner of the Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Memorial Trophy is third in scoring on the Oil Kings.

Acquired by the Oil Kings from the Tri-City Americans this June, Curran was selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the fifth round (161st overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft.

Originally selected by the Americans in the first round (39th overall) of the 2023 CHL Import Draft, Curran has collected 124 points (31G-93A) in 121 career WHL regular season games, including a career-best 74 points (22G-52A) in 65 games last season.

Coming out of the weekend, the Oil Kings (12-4-1-1) rank first in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and Central Division.

Next up, Curran and the Oil Kings host the Red Deer Rebels (5-9-0-2) Wednesday, November 5 (7 p.m. MT) at Rogers Place in Edmonton.

Tempo WHL Player of the Week

September 22, 2025: Ethan Semeniuk, Moose Jaw Warriors
September 29, 2025: JP Hurlbert, Kamloops Blazers
October 6, 2025: Matias Vanhanen, Everett Silvertips
October 14, 2025: Noah Kosick, Swift Current Broncos
October 20, 2025: Kooper Gizowski, Prince George Cougars
October 27, 2025: Caden Brown, Regina Pats

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 consists of 23 member Clubs with 17 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 over 50 years. The WHL is also the 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.