[{"id":268143,"date":"2026-06-04T12:51:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T18:51:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268143"},"modified":"2026-06-04T12:51:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T18:51:26","slug":"winterhawks-sign-cullen-stephenson-to-whl-scholarship-and-development-agreement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/winterhawks-sign-cullen-stephenson-to-whl-scholarship-and-development-agreement","title":{"rendered":"Winterhawks sign Cullen Stephenson to WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement"},"content":{"rendered":"

Portland, Ore.<\/b> – The Portland Winterhawks Hockey Club announced today the signing of forward Cullen Stephenson<\/a> to a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement.<\/p>\n

Stephenson, of Warman, Saskatchewan, was selected with the 10th overall pick in the first round of the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft. With his selection, Stephenson became the highest Winterhawks draft pick since 2009.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are thrilled to welcome Cullen Stephenson to Portland,\u201d Winterhawks President and General Manager Mike Johnston said. \u201cCullen is a leader on and off the ice. He is a highly-skilled player who we feel has the potential to be an impact player in this league.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In 25 games with the Warman Wildcats U15 AA team, the 2011-born skater tallied an immense 88 points from 38 goals and 50 assists. The forward also suited up for the Moose Jaw Warriors U18 AAA side for two games \u2013 scoring twice and assisting once.<\/p>\n

“Matt Davidson was the one who said that he has a lot of similarities to Nate Danielson,” Head Saskatchewan Scout Darwin Bennett said. “Sven [B\u00e4rtschi] watched some tape and compared him to former teammate Ryan Johansen, so I think he’s that type of player for sure. He makes other players better, and he\u2019s got a high compete\u2026a real solid team player.\u201d<\/p>\n

Playing in the WHL runs in the Stephenson family; Cullen\u2019s father, Shay, won an Ed Chynoweth Cup and Memorial Cup as a member of the 2001 Red Deer Rebels.<\/p>\n

Welcome to the Rose City, Cullen!<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/p>\n

The Winterhawks trust\u00a0<\/i>Riverside Payments<\/i><\/a>\u00a0for all of their credit card processing as the team\u2019s official credit card processors.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Portland Winterhawks have signed 2026 WHL Prospects Draft 10th overall pick Cullen Stephenson to a Scholarship and Development Agreement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":268150,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":2373,"name":"Cullen Stephenson","slug":"cullen-stephenson","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2373,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1"},{"term_id":32,"name":"portland winterhawks","slug":"portland-winterhawks","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":181,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1189,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1848"},{"term_id":57,"name":"WHL Draft","slug":"whl-draft","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":907,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":140,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2105"}],"class_list":["post-268143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-cullen-stephenson","tag-portland-winterhawks","tag-whl-draft","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/04125111\/Signed-1920_Stephenson.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/130"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=268143"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268143\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":268141,"date":"2026-06-04T12:39:44","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T18:39:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268141"},"modified":"2026-06-04T12:39:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T18:39:44","slug":"wyatt-jolleys-signs-whl-scholarship-and-development-agreement-with-thunderbirds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/wyatt-jolleys-signs-whl-scholarship-and-development-agreement-with-thunderbirds","title":{"rendered":"Wyatt Jolleys signs WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement with Thunderbirds"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]KENT, Wash. \u2013 The Seattle Thunderbirds have inked Wyatt Jolleys to a\u00a0WHL Scholarship and Development agreement.\u00a0Jolleys was the T-Birds first pick, seventh overall, in the WHL Prospects Draft\u00a0held\u00a0earlier this month.\u00a0 Seattle acquired the pick in a draft day trade with the Victoria Royals that sent Cameron Schmidt to the Royals.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

T-Birds Assistant General Manager Craig Goebel described Jolleys as a solid two way center who competes hard at both ends of the ice. \u201cThe offensive skills Wyatt possesses, however, is what drew us to him,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0Goebel of their top choice. \u201cHe has excellent vision and passing skills, sees the ice so well and makes all the other players out there with him better.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The 2011 born forward out of Calgary played last season with the Calgary Bison U15 AAA team. He recorded 86 points in 33 games, scoring 28 goals and adding 58 assists.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jolleys becomes the first of the Thunderbirds nine picks from the 2026 draft to sign with the team.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]KENT, Wash. \u2013 The Seattle Thunderbirds have inked Wyatt Jolleys to a\u00a0WHL Scholarship and Development agreement.\u00a0Jolleys was the T-Birds first pick, seventh overall, in the WHL Prospects Draft\u00a0held\u00a0earlier this month.\u00a0 Seattle acquired the pick in a draft day trade with the Victoria Royals that sent Cameron Schmidt to the Royals.\u00a0 T-Birds Assistant General Manager…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":268149,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":2372,"name":"Wyatt Jolleys","slug":"wyatt-jolleys","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2372,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2"},{"term_id":26,"name":"seattle thunderbirds","slug":"seattle-thunderbirds","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":175,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1320,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1948"},{"term_id":57,"name":"WHL Draft","slug":"whl-draft","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":907,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":140,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2105"}],"class_list":["post-268141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-wyatt-jolleys","tag-seattle-thunderbirds","tag-whl-draft","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/04123932\/Signed-1920_Jolleys.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/130"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=268141"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268141\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":268145,"date":"2026-06-04T12:06:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T18:06:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268145"},"modified":"2026-06-04T12:06:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T18:06:21","slug":"former-first-round-selection-dayne-beuker-joins-lethbridge-hurricanes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/former-first-round-selection-dayne-beuker-joins-lethbridge-hurricanes","title":{"rendered":"Former first-round selection Dayne Beuker joins Lethbridge Hurricanes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lethbridge, AB – <\/strong>The Lethbridge Hurricanes Hockey Club has announced the signing of 2008-born forward Dayne Beuker to a Western Hockey League Scholarship and Development Agreement.<\/p>\n

\u201cDayne is a talented player who has competed successfully on the international level, and we are pleased that he has chosen to continue his development with our organization,\u201d said Hurricanes Interim General Manager Barclay Parneta. \u201cWe are also grateful that Dayne and his family have trusted us with the next steps in his development. He brings a strong skill set and character to our group, and we believe he will be an important part of our future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beuker, 18, was originally drafted by the Hurricanes in the first-round (14th<\/sup> overall) in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft. The product of Humboldt, Saskatchewan, holds a dual citizenship and has spent the last two seasons with US National Development Program. In 2025-2026, he recorded 61 points (20g-41a) along with 18 penalty minutes in a combined 87 regular season games with the USNTDP U18 program finishing seventh in team scoring. Beuker collected 18 points (6g-12a) along with two penalty minutes and a plus-7 rating in 25 games with USNTDP in United States Hockey League competition. He is ranked 76th<\/sup> among North American skaters by the National Hockey League Central Scouting Service on their Final Rankings for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am really excited to join the Hurricanes. They have a great organization that has produced a lot of high-end players, they have great a coaching staff, management group and an awesome fan base,\u201d said Beuker. \u201cI think Lethbridge is a great place to develop. From the staff, to the facility, to the trainers, they offer it all. Being able to compete against a lot of good players in practice and to play a lot of games, this is a great situation for me to grow as a player.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 5\u201910, 170-pound forward appeared suited up for the USNTDP at the 2025 CHL-USA Prospects Challenge which was held in Calgary and Lethbridge in November. Beuker recorded one goal and four penalty minutes in the three contests. He also represented the United States at the World Under-18 Championships in April where he collected five points (2g-3a) along with a plus-5 rating in five contests finishing fourth in American scoring.<\/p>\n

In two seasons with the USNTDP, Beuker recorded a combined 118 points (38g-80a) along with 36 penalty minutes in 180 regular season games at both the U17 and U18 levels. In his draft year, the right-shot centre racked up 103 points (47g-56a) along with 10 penalty minutes in 30 regular season games with the Humboldt Broncos U15 AA program before amassing a whopping 28 points (11g-17a) and four penalty minutes in nine post-season games leading the Broncos to a SAAHL U15 Championship. In the year after being drafted by Lethbridge, Beuker had a standout 2023-2024 season finishing with 84 points (41g-43a) in 44 regular season games before adding 11 points (4g-7a) in 10 playoff contests. That year, he led the Blazers to a SMAAAHL Championship while leading the league in goals, assists and points. He was also named a SMAAAHL First Team All-Star, the Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year and Top Forward as a 15-year-old.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am really looking forward to playing in front of the fans. I played there last year for the CHL-USA Prospects Challenge and it was awesome,\u201d added Beuker. \u201cI know a couple of the guys on the team having played with them growing up. It seems like a great group and I\u2019m excited to get to work with them<\/p>\n

I\u2019m really grateful to get this opportunity to part of the Hurricanes organization, I\u2019m excited to get to play for Matt Anholt, and I\u2019m really excited to get things started with the Hurricanes. I can\u2019t wait for camp; it will be very important for our group to set foundations of ethic, teamwork and play structure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beuker is the son of WHL alumnus Dean Beuker who spent parts of five seasons in the league with the Tri-City Americans, Portland Winterhawks and Regina Pats before embarking on a four-year career in CIS hockey with the University of Saskatchewan.<\/p>\n

\u201cFull credit goes to our entire hockey staff for the work they have done in building relationships and creating an environment that players want to be a part of. I would also like to recognize Pete Anholt, who played a significant role in identifying and bringing a player of Dayne\u2019s caliber into our system,\u201d added Parneta. \u201cWe look forward to welcoming Dayne and his family to Lethbridge and seeing him in a Hurricanes jersey this fall.\u201d<\/p>\n

Season Tickets for the 2026-2027 season, which will mark the Hurricanes 40th<\/sup> Anniversary season in Lethbridge, are now on sale with Loyalty Pricing available until July 2nd<\/sup> at 5:00pm. Premium Season Tickets are also available for an additional $250 per seat. Season Tickets can be purchased by visiting the Yates Memorial Theatre and VisitLethbridge.com Arena Ticket Centre, by calling 403-329-SEAT (7328) or online at www.visitlethbridgearena.ca<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lethbridge, AB – The Lethbridge Hurricanes Hockey Club has announced the signing of 2008-born forward Dayne Beuker to a Western Hockey League Scholarship and Development Agreement. \u201cDayne is a talented player who has competed successfully on the international level, and we are pleased that he has chosen to continue his development with our organization,\u201d said…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":268148,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":2370,"name":"Dayne Beuker","slug":"dayne-beuker","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2370,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw","term_order":"4"},{"term_id":35,"name":"lethbridge hurricanes","slug":"lethbridge-hurricanes","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":197,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":982,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1693"},{"term_id":57,"name":"WHL Draft","slug":"whl-draft","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":907,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":140,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2105"}],"class_list":["post-268145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-dayne-beuker","tag-lethbridge-hurricanes","tag-whl-draft","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/04120548\/Signed-1920_Beuker.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/130"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=268145"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268145\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":268139,"date":"2026-06-04T11:41:06","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T17:41:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268139"},"modified":"2026-06-04T11:41:06","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T17:41:06","slug":"giants-sign-defenceman-eli-vickers-to-whl-scholarship-development-agreement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/giants-sign-defenceman-eli-vickers-to-whl-scholarship-development-agreement","title":{"rendered":"Giants sign defenceman Eli Vickers to WHL Scholarship & Development Agreement"},"content":{"rendered":"

Langley, B.C. \u2013 <\/b>The Vancouver Giants are proud to announce the signing of 2011-born defenceman Eli Vickers<\/strong><\/a> (South Surrey, B.C.) to a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vickers was<\/span> selected by the Giants<\/span><\/a> with the third overall pick in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft.<\/span><\/p>\n

The left-shot blueliner was named the Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) U15 Prep Top Defenceman this past season. He led all U15 prep blueliners with 62 points in 30 games, thanks to 22 goals and 40 assists.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re excited to welcome Eli to our organization and announce the signing of his WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement,” Giants Assistant General Manager Pete Toigo said. “He\u2019s a dynamic, offensively gifted defenceman who moves the puck exceptionally well and has the talent and work ethic to make a major impact in our league.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Vickers was also called up to Delta’s U17 Prep team at the end of the 2025-26 season, where he scored five goals in four games.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve admired his competitiveness and his will to win for the last two years,\u201d Giants Director of Player Personnel Greg Batters said after the Giants drafted him on May 6. \u201cThe people at Delta speak super highly of him…He\u2019s a winner; a leader. He\u2019s going to be a fan favourite for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vickers’ 62 points ranked fifth among all U15 prep skaters<\/a> and were the third-most productive blueline season in CSSHL U15 Prep history. Having been part of Delta\u2019s 2025 CSSHL Western Championship team, Vickers had 98 points in 65 career U15 Prep games, the second-most all time among defensemen.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m so honoured to be selected by the Giants in the 2026 WHL Draft,” Vickers said. \u201cHuge thank you to the ownership group and scouting staff for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to play for my hometown team. I also want to thank all of my coaches, teammates, family and everyone at Delta Hockey Academy and the Semiahmoo Ravens who have supported me throughout my journey. Excited for what\u2019s ahead.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Vancouver Giants extend a warm welcome to Eli and the Vickers family.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vickers is guaranteed a WHL Scholarship for every year he plays in the WHL by signing a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

“Eli Vickers<\/a> makes hockey look easy.”<\/h3>\n

Vickers was the first defenceman ranked on Elite Prospects Top-120 Ranking<\/a> for the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft.<\/p>\n

“Arguably the best skater in the draft class, he\u2019s extremely fluid, elite off his edges, and explosive across the rink. That mobility powers his defensive game, eliminating plays with tight gaps,” the EP ranking said. “Vickers is also a high-end thinker, scanning, anticipating, and reading plays. He\u2019s a strong playmaker, finding high-value passing lanes, and a highly skilled handler. Combined with his skating, his skill and strength make him extremely challenging to get the puck from.<\/p>\n

“With such a diverse skill set and a highly competitive style, Vickers projects as a top-pair defenceman. His game is as plug-and-play as they come, too.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Langley, B.C. \u2013 The Vancouver Giants are proud to announce the signing of 2011-born defenceman Eli Vickers (South Surrey, B.C.) to a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. Vickers was selected by the Giants with the third overall pick in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft. The left-shot blueliner was named the Canadian Sport School Hockey League…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":268147,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":2371,"name":"Eli Vickers","slug":"eli-vickers","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2371,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"3"},{"term_id":29,"name":"vancouver giants","slug":"vancouver-giants","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":295,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1070,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2063"},{"term_id":57,"name":"WHL Draft","slug":"whl-draft","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":907,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":140,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2105"}],"class_list":["post-268139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-eli-vickers","tag-vancouver-giants","tag-whl-draft","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/04114056\/Signed-1920_Vickers.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/130"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=268139"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268139\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":268137,"date":"2026-06-03T12:28:33","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T18:28:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268137"},"modified":"2026-06-03T12:29:03","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T18:29:03","slug":"hurricanes-sign-2023-first-round-pick-beuker-to-whl-scholarship-and-development-agreement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/hurricanes-sign-2023-first-round-pick-beuker-to-whl-scholarship-and-development-agreement","title":{"rendered":"Hurricanes sign 2023 first-round pick Beuker to WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lethbridge, AB – <\/strong>The Lethbridge Hurricanes Hockey Club has announced the signing of 2008-born forward Dayne Beuker to a Western Hockey League Scholarship and Development Agreement.<\/p>\n

\u201cDayne is a talented player who has competed successfully on the international level, and we are pleased that he has chosen to continue his development with our organization,\u201d said Hurricanes Interim General Manager Barclay Parneta. \u201cWe are also grateful that Dayne and his family have trusted us with the next steps in his development. He brings a strong skill set and character to our group, and we believe he will be an important part of our future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beuker, 18, was originally drafted by the Hurricanes in the first-round (14th<\/sup> overall) in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft. The product of Humboldt, Saskatchewan, holds a dual citizenship and has spent the last two seasons with US National Development Program. In 2025-2026, he recorded 61 points (20g-41a) along with 18 penalty minutes in a combined 87 regular season games with the USNTDP U18 program finishing seventh in team scoring. Beuker collected 18 points (6g-12a) along with two penalty minutes and a plus-7 rating in 25 games with USNTDP in United States Hockey League competition. He is ranked 76th<\/sup> among North American skaters by the National Hockey League Central Scouting Service on their Final Rankings for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am really excited to join the Hurricanes. They have a great organization that has produced a lot of high-end players, they have great a coaching staff, management group and an awesome fan base,\u201d said Beuker. \u201cI think Lethbridge is a great place to develop. From the staff, to the facility, to the trainers, they offer it all. Being able to compete against a lot of good players in practice and to play a lot of games, this is a great situation for me to grow as a player.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 5\u201910, 170-pound forward appeared suited up for the USNTDP at the 2025 CHL-USA Prospects Challenge which was held in Calgary and Lethbridge in November. Beuker recorded one goal and four penalty minutes in the three contests. He also represented the United States at the World Under-18 Championships in April where he collected five points (2g-3a) along with a plus-5 rating in five contests finishing fourth in American scoring.<\/p>\n

In two seasons with the USNTDP, Beuker recorded a combined 118 points (38g-80a) along with 36 penalty minutes in 180 regular season games at both the U17 and U18 levels. In his draft year, the right-shot centre racked up 103 points (47g-56a) along with 10 penalty minutes in 30 regular season games with the Humboldt Broncos U15 AA program before amassing a whopping 28 points (11g-17a) and four penalty minutes in nine post-season games leading the Broncos to a SAAHL U15 Championship. In the year after being drafted by Lethbridge, Beuker had a standout 2023-2024 season finishing with 84 points (41g-43a) in 44 regular season games before adding 11 points (4g-7a) in 10 playoff contests. That year, he led the Blazers to a SMAAAHL Championship while leading the league in goals, assists and points. He was also named a SMAAAHL First Team All-Star, the Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year and Top Forward as a 15-year-old.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am really looking forward to playing in front of the fans. I played there last year for the CHL-USA Prospects Challenge and it was awesome,\u201d added Beuker. \u201cI know a couple of the guys on the team having played with them growing up. It seems like a great group and I\u2019m excited to get to work with them<\/p>\n

I\u2019m really grateful to get this opportunity to part of the Hurricanes organization, I\u2019m excited to get to play for Matt Anholt, and I\u2019m really excited to get things started with the Hurricanes. I can\u2019t wait for camp; it will be very important for our group to set foundations of ethic, teamwork and play structure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beuker is the son of WHL alumnus Dean Beuker who spent parts of five seasons in the league with the Tri-City Americans, Portland Winterhawks and Regina Pats before embarking on a four-year career in CIS hockey with the University of Saskatchewan.<\/p>\n

\u201cFull credit goes to our entire hockey staff for the work they have done in building relationships and creating an environment that players want to be a part of. I would also like to recognize Pete Anholt, who played a significant role in identifying and bringing a player of Dayne\u2019s caliber into our system,\u201d added Parneta. \u201cWe look forward to welcoming Dayne and his family to Lethbridge and seeing him in a Hurricanes jersey this fall.\u201d<\/p>\n

Season Tickets for the 2026-2027 season, which will mark the Hurricanes 40th<\/sup> Anniversary season in Lethbridge, are now on sale with Loyalty Pricing available until July 2nd<\/sup> at 5:00pm. Premium Season Tickets are also available for an additional $250 per seat. Season Tickets can be purchased by visiting the Yates Memorial Theatre and VisitLethbridge.com Arena Ticket Centre, by calling 403-329-SEAT (7328) or online at www.visitlethbridgearena.ca<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lethbridge, AB – The Lethbridge Hurricanes Hockey Club has announced the signing of 2008-born forward Dayne Beuker to a Western Hockey League Scholarship and Development Agreement. \u201cDayne is a talented player who has competed successfully on the international level, and we are pleased that he has chosen to continue his development with our organization,\u201d said…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":268138,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":2370,"name":"Dayne Beuker","slug":"dayne-beuker","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2370,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw","term_order":"4"},{"term_id":35,"name":"lethbridge hurricanes","slug":"lethbridge-hurricanes","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":197,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":982,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1693"}],"class_list":["post-268137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-dayne-beuker","tag-lethbridge-hurricanes","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2026\/06\/03110015\/Beuker-signed_web.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/116"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=268137"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268137\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":268132,"date":"2026-06-02T14:15:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T20:15:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268132"},"modified":"2026-06-02T14:15:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T20:15:01","slug":"habscheid-resigns-as-head-coach-of-rebels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/habscheid-resigns-as-head-coach-of-rebels","title":{"rendered":"Habscheid resigns as Head Coach of Rebels"},"content":{"rendered":"

RED DEER, Alta. \u2013 <\/strong>The Red Deer Rebels today announced that Marc Habscheid has resigned as the club\u2019s head coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter living back in Canada this last year, I realize that my heart lays in Europe where I\u2019ve lived in my home for the past four years,\u201d Habscheid said. \u201cI am thankful for the opportunity to coach the Rebels and wish nothing but success to Brent and the entire organization.\u201d<\/p>\n

Habscheid leaves after one season with the Rebels in which the club went 26-36-4-2 and returned to the WHL Playoffs. He earned his 600th<\/sup> career WHL coaching win February 3 in Prince George.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would like to thank Marc for all of his hard work this past season and wish him the best with his future endeavours,\u201d said Brent Sutter, Owner, President and General Manager of the Rebels.<\/p>\n

The search for the next head coach of the Red Deer Rebels begins immediately.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are excited to build on the success we saw in the second half of the season,\u201d Sutter noted. \u201cOur next coach will have a talented roster to work with as we continue toward our goal of bringing a championship back to Red Deer.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RED DEER, Alta. \u2013 The Red Deer Rebels today announced that Marc Habscheid has resigned as the club\u2019s head coach. \u201cAfter living back in Canada this last year, I realize that my heart lays in Europe where I\u2019ve lived in my home for the past four years,\u201d Habscheid said. \u201cI am thankful for the opportunity…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":268133,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":869,"name":"marc habscheid","slug":"marc-habscheid","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":897,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":6,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1719"},{"term_id":24,"name":"red deer rebels","slug":"red-deer-rebels","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":293,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1027,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1884"}],"class_list":["post-268132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-marc-habscheid","tag-red-deer-rebels","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/02193210\/Red-Deer-Rebels_2025_2026-4-scaled.jpg",2560,1440,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/116"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=268132"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268132\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":268130,"date":"2026-06-02T14:08:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T20:08:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268130"},"modified":"2026-06-02T14:08:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T20:08:17","slug":"chan-named-oil-kings-president-gm-as-hill-joins-nhls-edmonton-oilers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/chan-named-oil-kings-president-gm-as-hill-joins-nhls-edmonton-oilers","title":{"rendered":"Chan named Oil Kings President & GM as Hill joins NHL’s Edmonton Oilers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Edmonton, Alta. \u2013 <\/strong>As announced by the Edmonton Oilers today, Kirt Hill will be departing the Oil Kings as General Manager, President of Hockey Operations and Alternate Governor for a new position with the Oilers as Assistant General Manager, Player Procurement. Hill will lead the player procurement group which includes pro and amateur scouting as well as undrafted free agents.<\/p>\n

Hill has spent the past eight seasons as the President and General Manager of the Oil Kings, highlighted by a WHL Championship in 2022.<\/p>\n

In a corresponding move, the Oil Kings are excited to welcome Michael Chan as the new President and General Manager, and Alternate Governor. Chan has spent the last five seasons as the team\u2019s Director of Scouting leading the team\u2019s WHL Prospects Drafts. Chan also served as the Oil Kings Video Coach and Hockey Operations Coordinator from 2017 to 2020.<\/p>\n

Taking over as the Oil Kings Director of Scouting will be Jamie Jackson, who has served as an Area Scout for the club since 2021. Jackson has also recently served as Head Coach and Director of Player Development at the Northern Alberta Xtreme Hockey Academy.<\/p>\n

The Oil Kings would like to congratulate Kirt on his new position and thank him for his efforts with the club over the last eight seasons. The team is also thrilled to welcome Michael and Jamie into their new roles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Edmonton, Alta. \u2013 As announced by the Edmonton Oilers today, Kirt Hill will be departing the Oil Kings as General Manager, President of Hockey Operations and Alternate Governor for a new position with the Oilers as Assistant General Manager, Player Procurement. Hill will lead the player procurement group which includes pro and amateur scouting as…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":268131,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":1528,"name":"WHL to NHL","slug":"whl-to-nhl","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1528,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":118,"filter":"raw","term_order":"797"},{"term_id":22,"name":"edmonton oil kings","slug":"edmonton-oil-kings","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":207,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1253,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1459"},{"term_id":79,"name":"Kirt Hill","slug":"kirt-hill","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":80,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1659"}],"class_list":["post-268130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-whl-to-nhl","tag-edmonton-oil-kings","tag-kirt-hill","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2026\/05\/28124946\/Staffing-Updates-WEB.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/116"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=268130"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268130\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":268127,"date":"2026-06-02T13:46:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T19:46:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268127"},"modified":"2026-06-03T10:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T16:00:00","slug":"royals-acquire-2008-born-defenceman-yellowaga-from-rebels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/royals-acquire-2008-born-defenceman-yellowaga-from-rebels","title":{"rendered":"Royals acquire 2008-born defenceman Yellowaga from Rebels"},"content":{"rendered":"

Victoria, B.C. \u2013 The Victoria Royals announced today the acquisition of 2008-born defenceman Nate Yellowaga<\/strong> from the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, and a 2030 fourth-round pick.<\/p>\n

The 5-foot-11, 179-pound defenceman finished this past season, his first in the WHL, with 27 points (7G-20A) in 67 games. Yellowaga also registered four points in five playoff games against the Prince Albert Raiders. Hailing from Calgary, Alta., Yellowaga started his junior career with the Brooks Bandits in the BCHL before joining the Rebels prior to last season.<\/p>\n

\u201cNate is a dynamic defenseman that will add an important element to our team\u201d said Jake Heisinger, General Manager of the Victoria Royals. \u201cHe is an excellent skater that will be an impact player at both ends of the ice\u201d.<\/p>\n

Yellowaga, a former CSSHL U18 Second Team All-Star, was drafted in the ninth round of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft by Red Deer. He won a BCHL Championship with the Brooks Bandits in the 2024-25 season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Victoria, B.C. \u2013 The Victoria Royals announced today the acquisition of 2008-born defenceman Nate Yellowaga from the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, and a 2030 fourth-round pick. The 5-foot-11, 179-pound defenceman finished this past season, his first in the WHL, with 27 points (7G-20A) in 67…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":268136,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":2369,"name":"Nate Yellowaga","slug":"nate-yellowaga","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2369,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"5"},{"term_id":24,"name":"red deer rebels","slug":"red-deer-rebels","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":293,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1027,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1884"},{"term_id":41,"name":"victoria royals","slug":"victoria-royals","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":183,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":999,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2069"},{"term_id":100,"name":"whl transactions","slug":"whl-transactions","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":103,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":585,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2188"}],"class_list":["post-268127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-nate-yellowaga","tag-red-deer-rebels","tag-victoria-royals","tag-whl-transactions","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/03095952\/Yellowaga_Trade_1920.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/116"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=268127"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268127\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":268125,"date":"2026-06-02T13:12:53","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T19:12:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268125"},"modified":"2026-06-02T18:21:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T00:21:19","slug":"thirty-whl-alumni-participating-in-2026-stanley-cup-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/thirty-whl-alumni-participating-in-2026-stanley-cup-final","title":{"rendered":"Thirty WHL Alumni participating in 2026 Stanley Cup Final"},"content":{"rendered":"

CAROLINA HURRICANES LED BY BLAZERS ALUMNUS STANKOVEN; VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS CAPTAINED BY WHEAT KINGS ALUMNUS STONE<\/em><\/p>\n

Calgary, B.C. \u2013<\/strong> A total of 30 Western Hockey League alumni will compete in the 2026 Stanley Cup Final, beginning Tuesday, June 2, in Raleigh, N.C.<\/p>\n

The Carolina Hurricanes will take to the ice with three forwards hailing from the WHL, including Seth Jarvis, Jordan Martinook, and Logan Stankoven.<\/p>\n

The Vegas Golden Knights roster features an impressive 12 WHL Alumni, including captain Mark Stone and defenceman Shea Theodore. The Golden Knights roster was constructed by General Manager Kelly McCrimmon, who previously served as the longtime GM and Owner of the WHL\u2019s Brandon Wheat Kings.<\/p>\n

\n

LIST OF WHL ALUMNI PARTICIPATING IN 2026 STANLEY CUP FINAL
\n<\/u><\/strong>(last WHL Club listed)<\/p>\n

Carolina Hurricanes (6)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Players (3):<\/strong> Seth Jarvis (Portland Winterhawks), Jordan Martinook (Vancouver Giants), Logan Stankoven (Kamloops Blazers)<\/p>\n

Staff (3): <\/strong>Eric Fink (Amateur Scout; Portland Winterhawks), Cody Nickolet (Amateur Scout; Saskatoon Blades), Kevin McCarthy (Development Coach; Winnipeg Clubs)<\/p>\n

Vegas Golden Knights (24)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Players (12):<\/strong> Dylan Coghlan (Tri-City Americans), Carter Hart (Everett Silvertips), Adin Hill (Portland Winterhawks), Brett Howden (Moose Jaw Warriors), Keegan Kolesar (Seattle Thunderbirds), Kaedan Korczak (Kelowna Rockets), Brayden McNabb (Kootenay ICE), Akira Schmid (Lethbridge Hurricanes), Colton Sissons (Kelowna Rockets), Mark Stone (Brandon Wheat Kings), Shea Theodore (Seattle Thunderbirds), Kai Uchacz (Red Deer Rebels)<\/p>\n

Staff (12):<\/strong> Kelly McCrimmon (General Manager; Brandon Wheat Kings), Scott Boggs (Equipment Manager; Calgary Hitmen), Bob Lowes (Director of Player Personnel; Brandon Wheat Kings), Tim Speltz (General Manager, Henderson Silver Knights; Spokane Chiefs), Scott Luce (Senior Advisor; Moose Jaw Warriors), Jim McKenzie (Director of Professional Scouting; Victoria Cougars), Kelly Kisio (Pro Scout; Calgary Hitmen), Mick McCrimmon (Pro Scout; Brandon Wheat Kings), Craig Cunningham (Pro Scout; Portland Winterhawks), Bruno Campese (Amateur Scout; Kelowna Rockets), Brad McEwen (Amateur Scout; Medicine Hat Tigers), Nick Holden (Development Coach; Chilliwack Bruins)<\/p>\n

\n

KEY STORYLINES<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Former Warriors captain Howden powering Golden Knights<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Brett Howden, who played for the Moose Jaw Warriors from 2013-14 through 2017-18, has registered 12 points (10G-2A) in 16 playoff games this season. The 28-year-old product of Oakbank, Man., is tied for first in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 10 goals. Howden served as Warriors captain for two seasons (2016-17, 2017-18) and played in 248 career WHL regular season games, tallying 267 points (109G-158A). He was a member of the Golden Knights Stanley Cup championship squad in 2023.<\/p>\n

Former Blazers captain Stankoven driving Hurricanes<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Logan Stankoven, who played for the Kamloops Blazers from 2018-19 through 2022-23, has registered 12 points (9G-3A) in 13 playoff games this season. The 23-year-old product of Kamloops, B.C., ranks third in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with nine goals. Stankoven served as Blazers captain for two seasons (2021-22, 2022-23) and played in 179 career WHL regular season games, tallying 260 points (115G-145A). He filled his trophy cabinet as a WHL star, being named WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player (2021-22), WHL Humanitarian of the Year (2022-23), WHL Player of the Year (2021-22), and CHL Player of the Year (2021-22). During the 2023 Memorial Cup in Kamloops, Stankoven led the tournament in scoring and was named Most Sportsmanlike Player.<\/p>\n

Former Silvertips netminder Hart backstopping Golden Knights<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Carter Hart, who played for the Everett Silvertips from 2013-14 through 2017-18, has backstopped the Golden Knights through the Stanley Cup Playoffs, going 12-4 with a 2.22 goals-against average and .924 save percentage. The 27-year-old product of Sherwood Park, Alta., was well decorated during his WHL career, being named WHL Goaltender of the Year for three consecutive seasons (2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18). He capped his WHL career by being named WHL Player of the Year in 2017-18. Over 190 career WHL appearances, Hart logged a record of 116-46-22 with a 2.01 GAA, .927 SV%, and 26 shutouts. Hart\u2019s 26 shutouts are tied for the most in WHL history, matching Tyson Sexsmith (Vancouver Giants).<\/p>\n

Former Thunderbirds defenceman Theodore provides two-way presence for Golden Knights<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Shea Theodore, who played for the Seattle Thunderbirds from 2010-11 though 2014-15, leads all NHL defencemen remaining in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 11 points (4G-7A) in 16 games. His 11 points are tied for fourth overall. The 30-year-old product of Langley, B.C., was named WHL Defenceman of the Year in 2014-15 and served as captain of the Thunderbirds that same season. Over 257 career WHL regular season contests, Theodore logged 212 points (58G-154A). He was a member of the Golden Knights Stanley Cup championship squad in 2023.<\/p>\n

Former Wheat Kings captain Stone leads Golden Knights in pursuit of second Stanley Cup<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Mark Stone, who played for the Brandon Wheat Kings from 2008-09 through 2011-12, serves as captain of the Vegas Golden Knights and has scored nearly a point per game with 10 points (5G-5A) in 11 outings. The 34-year-old product of Winnipeg, Man., was named WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player in 2011-12 and played 232 career WHL regular season games, registering 296 points (106G-190A) along the way. Stone previously captained the Golden Knights to a Stanley Cup title in 2023.<\/p>\n

\n

2026 Stanley Cup Final Schedule<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tuesday, June 2 at 8 p.m. ET \/ 6 p.m. MT \u2013 Vegas at Carolina
\nThursday, June 4 at 8 p.m. ET \/ 6 p.m. MT \u2013 Vegas at Carolina
\nSaturday, June 6 at 8 p.m. ET \/ 6 p.m. MT \u2013 Carolina at Vegas
\nTuesday, June 9 at 8 p.m. ET \/ 6 p.m. MT \u2013 Carolina at Vegas
\n*Thursday, June 11 at 8 p.m. ET \/ 6 p.m. MT \u2013 Vegas at Carolina
\n*Sunday, June 14 at 8 p.m. ET \/ 6 p.m. MT \u2013 Carolina at Vegas
\n*Wednesday, June 17 at 8 p.m. ET \/ 6 p.m. MT \u2013 Vegas at Carolina<\/p>\n

* = if necessary<\/em><\/p>\n

About the Western Hockey League<\/strong><\/p>\n

Regarded as the world\u2019s 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\u2019s National Junior Hockey Team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hurricanes take to ice with three former WHL forwards, while Golden Knights boast impressive 12 former WHL players.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":268135,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":1773,"name":"Mark Stone","slug":"mark-stone","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1773,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4,"filter":"raw","term_order":"557"},{"term_id":1528,"name":"WHL to NHL","slug":"whl-to-nhl","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1528,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":118,"filter":"raw","term_order":"797"},{"term_id":970,"name":"logan stankoven","slug":"logan-stankoven","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":999,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1702"}],"class_list":["post-268125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-mark-stone","tag-whl-to-nhl","tag-logan-stankoven","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/02182110\/SCF-1920.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/116"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=268125"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268125\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":268122,"date":"2026-06-01T12:58:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T18:58:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268122"},"modified":"2026-06-01T12:58:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T18:58:01","slug":"rockets-executive-assistant-brown-recognized-with-whl-distinguished-service-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/rockets-executive-assistant-brown-recognized-with-whl-distinguished-service-award","title":{"rendered":"Rockets executive assistant Brown recognized with WHL Distinguished Service Award"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kelowna, B.C. \u2013<\/strong> Western Hockey League Commissioner Dan Near announced today, on behalf of the WHL Board of Governors, that Carrie Brown \u2013 Executive Assistant for the Kelowna Rockets \u2013 has been named the latest recipient of the WHL Distinguished Service Award for the 2025-26 WHL season.<\/p>\n

The WHL Distinguished Service Award, which was introduced by the WHL in 2004, is presented annually to the individuals who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes on behalf of WHL franchises and in doing so have made an extraordinary contribution at the Club and League levels over an extended period. The WHL will present Distinguished Service Awards annually to an individual from both the WHL Western and Eastern Conferences.<\/p>\n

Brown was honoured by Commissioner Near and Bruce Hamilton, WHL Chairman of the Board and President \/ General Manager of the Kelowna Rockets, during Game 6 of the 2026 Memorial Cup presented by Kubota.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince 1995, the Rockets inaugural season in Kelowna, Carrie has been a fixture in the Kelowna Rockets front office,\u201d commented WHL Commissioner Dan Near. \u201cEvery Club is fuelled by key personnel \u2013 who consistently provide a steady presence and support our Clubs\u2019 commitment to our communities. For the entirety of her career with the Rockets, Carrie has been that dedicated and passionate contributor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown, who hails from Kelowna, has worked for the Rockets for 30 years. From coordinating League-related matters and internal operations to supporting staff and players, Brown is organized and accessible. She works with great attention to detail and a commitment to maintaining the proud and strong history of the Rockets.<\/p>\n

\u201cCarrie is the heart and soul of our organization,\u201d said Bruce Hamilton, President and General Manager of the Rockets. \u201cShe is the steady presence in our office every single day, ensuring that the countless moving pieces of a WHL franchise operate smoothly. Carrie does the work that often goes unnoticed but is absolutely essential.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuite simply, without Carrie Brown, the Kelowna Rockets would not be the organization we are today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown has helped to define the culture and success of the Rockets.<\/p>\n

Previous Recipients of the WHL Distinguished Service Award:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Jerome Engele (Saskatoon Blades \u2013 Assistant Coach); Bob Schroeder (Portland Winterhawks \u2013 Off-Ice Official); Rob McCrea (Edmonton Oil Kings \u2013 Off-Ice Officials Supervisor); Glenda Zelmer (Brandon Wheat Kings \u2013 Education Advisor); Lucille McClung and Carol Carlson (Prince George Cougars \u2013 Core Volunteer Supervisors); Dr. Michael Bobyn (Kelowna Rockets \u2013 Team Doctor) \u2013 Bernie Bajnok (Calgary Hitmen \u2013 Education Advisor); Dean \u2018Scooter\u2019 Vrooman (Portland Winterhawks \u2013 Play-by-Play Announcer); Bernie Burtney (Saskatoon Blades \u2013 Off-Ice Officials); Gerry Bergen (Prince Albert Raiders \u2013 Off-Ice Officials); Dr. Bob Smillie (Kamloops Blazers \u2013 Team Physician); Bob Bartlett (Lethbridge Hurricanes \u2013\u00a0Director, Player Development); Sue Johnson (Portland Winterhawks \u2013 Education Advisor); Herman Elfring (Lethbridge Hurricanes \u2013 Board Member); Norbert Heinzelmann (Kelowna Rockets \u2013 Off-Ice Officials); Bill Sanderson (Victoria Royals \u2013 Off-Ice Officials); Bob McGill (Edmonton Oil Kings \u2013 Scout); Ralph Zander (Calgary Hitmen \u2013 Off-Ice Official); Terry Bonner (Vancouver Giants \u2013 Scouting Director); Dr. Mary Smith (Spokane Chiefs \u2013 Team Dentist); Dennis Coates (Kamloops Blazers \u2013 Volunteer Board Member); Judy Seher (Red Deer Rebels \u2013 Billet Coordinator); Balzer, Frank, Tony & John Lanz (Medicine Hat Tigers \u2013 Off-Ice Officials); Rose Mary Hartney (Moose Jaw Warriors \u2013 Education Advisor); Greg \u2018Spike\u2019 Wallace (Kamloops Blazers \u2013 Community & Sponsorship Coordinator); Nella Rounsville (Kootenay ICE \u2013 Education Advisor); Lorne Frey (Kelowna Rockets \u2013 Asst GM\/Head Scout); Graham Tuer (Saskatchewan Hockey Association \u2013 Volunteer); Jann Boss (Portland Winterhawks \u2013 Administration); Ruth \u201cGrams\u201d Pollock (Prince Albert Raiders \u2013 Billet Coordinator); Dr. Ian Hill (Regina Pats \u2013 Team Doctor); Dr. Alfred Blue (Seattle Thunderbirds \u2013 Team Doctor); Doris Rubel (Kamloops Blazers \u2013 Billet Coordinator); Colleen MacBean (Swift Current Broncos \u2013 Education Advisor); and Bob Ridley (Medicine Hat Tigers \u2013 Play-By-Play Announcer)<\/p>\n

About the Western Hockey League<\/strong><\/p>\n

Regarded as the world\u2019s 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\u2019s National Junior Hockey Team.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kelowna, B.C. \u2013 Western Hockey League Commissioner Dan Near announced today, on behalf of the WHL Board of Governors, that Carrie Brown \u2013 Executive Assistant for the Kelowna Rockets \u2013 has been named the latest recipient of the WHL Distinguished Service Award for the 2025-26 WHL season. The WHL Distinguished Service Award, which was introduced…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":268124,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":33,"name":"kelowna rockets","slug":"kelowna-rockets","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":166,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1108,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1653"},{"term_id":651,"name":"WHL Distinguished Service Award","slug":"whl-distinguished-service-award","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":677,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":16,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2104"}],"class_list":["post-268122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-kelowna-rockets","tag-whl-distinguished-service-award","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/01125640\/Memorial-Cup_1920.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/116"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=268122"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268122\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}]