[{"id":269306,"date":"2026-08-19T12:52:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T18:52:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=269306"},"modified":"2026-08-19T12:52:02","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T18:52:02","slug":"nhl-prospect-watch-seattle-kraken-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/nhl-prospect-watch-seattle-kraken-5","title":{"rendered":"NHL Prospect Watch: Seattle Kraken"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the lead-up to the 2026-27 hockey season, we\u2019re diving into the WHL prospect pool for every NHL team. To be included in this list, a player must be recently drafted, signed to an NHL contract, or meet the NHL\u2019s criteria for rookie status.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Seattle Kraken are among the NHL’s most Dub-heavy clubs and feature two of the WHL’s most recent champions.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Clarke Caswell<\/strong><\/p>\n

Buzzy playmaker Clarke Caswell’s first season in the NCAA saw him propel Denver to a national championship, netting 34 points (8G-26A) in the regular season before coming up big with the game-tying goal in the Frozen Four semifinal. He was recognized as the national Rookie of the Month for March\/April. The 6-foot, 185-pound forward from Brandon, Man., previously spent parts of four seasons with the Swift Current Broncos, including a run as captain in 2024-25. His final season saw him break out for 84 points (22G-62A) in 65 games. Over his WHL career, the 20-year-old logged 191 points (57G-134A) in 199 games. Caswell was selected with the 141st pick in the fifth round of the 2024 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

Berkly Catton<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 2024 eighth-overall pick managed to ‘Krak’ Seattle’s roster as a determined teenager, and while the offensive numbers that made him pop at the junior level didn’t necessarily follow, he certainly didn’t look out of place and has a strong base to build on in his sophomore campaign. Catton posted 17 points (7G-10A) in 66 regular-season NHL games, with all seven of his strikes coming in the back half of the season. Seattle opted not to loan Catton out for the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship in favour of more NHL opportunities. The 5-foot-10, 179-pound centreman from Saskatoon ranks as one of Spokane’s all-time greats with 284 points (116G-168A) in 197 games over four seasons. Catton ranks eighth in all-time Chiefs scoring and assists and 10th in goals, while captaining the squad in his final junior season. He posted back-to-back hundred-plus-point campaigns and won the Brad Hornung Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s Most Sportsmanlike Player in 2024-25.<\/p>\n

Lukas Dragicevic\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Six-foot-2, 196-pound rearguard Lukas Dragicevic’s first full professional season is under his belt. The 21-year-old posted an 11-point run (1G-10) with the Firebirds in an injury-shortened 43-game campaign. Drafted with the 57th overall pick in the second round of the 2023 NHL Draft, Dragicevic split his WHL career between the Tri-City Americans and Prince Albert Raiders. He surpassed 70 points on two occasions and totalled a monster 277 points (53G-174A) in 268 games over parts of five seasons. The Richmond, B.C. product was also named to the WHL U.S. Division First All-Star Team in 2023.<\/p>\n

Ryden Evers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Penticton Vees alternate captain Ryden Evers joined the WHL as an undrafted free agent and came away a Kraken prospect. The Vees alternate captain, 21, burst onto the major junior scene with a 74-point season (35G-39A), leading the B.C. Division champs in goals while sitting second in points and third in assists. The 6-foot-3, 192-pound centreman led the entire league with 937 faceoff wins (59.6%) and averaged just shy of a point per game in the playoffs with 13 (7G-6A) in 15 games to reach the Western Conference Championship. Seattle signed Evers to a three-year, entry-level contract in March of 2026.<\/p>\n

Blake Fiddler<\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s easy to tell when 6-foot-5, 213-pound defenceman Blake Fiddler is on the ice. Defence is the bread and butter of the 19-year-old’s game, but the Edmonton Oil Kings alternate captain did score a career-best 36 points (11G-25A) and a +23 rating in 63 games. Fiddler\u00a0recently suited up for the United States at the 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase in hopes of earning a roster spot at the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship. He was picked up by Seattle with the 36th overall pick in the second round of the 2025 NHL Draft and currently has 84 points (26G-58A) over 190 WHL matches, all with the Oil Kings.<\/p>\n

Jagger Firkus<\/strong><\/p>\n

Could the Firkus Circus be NHL-bound in 2026-27? The former WHL Player of the Year took a big step forward in his second season of professional hockey with 56 points (21G-35A) in 63 games with Coachella Valley. Firkus ranked third on the team in points, goals and assists and stepped up his output in the playoffs with nine points (4G-5A) in 12 outings. In an end-of-season media availability, Kraken General Manager Jason Botterill lamented that Firkus hadn’t yet made his NHL debut, putting the 22-year-old in a prime position to contend for an opening night roster spot. The 5-foot-11, 161-pound winger remains one of the most dominant players to suit up for the Moose Jaw Warriors, having amassed 310 points (144G-166A) in 230 games over parts of five seasons, culminating in his masterful 126-point (61G-65A) 2023-24 season that saw him earn WHL and CHL Player of the Year, WHL and CHL Top Scorer honours, and hoist the Ed Chynoweth Cup for the first time in franchise history.<\/p>\n

Kaden Hammell<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hammell was another youngster bitten by the dreaded injury bug in 2025-26, but he still left quite the impression in his first season of professional hockey. His spirited tilt against Calgary Wranglers tough guy Alex Gallant- and a rematch just weeks later- made headlines, and Hammell managed to put up 13 points (6G-7A) in 44 games. The 6-foot-1, 187-pound defenceman ranked second among Firebirds blueliners in plus\/minus with a +14 rating. The former Everett Silvertips captain was selected with the 148th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2023 NHL Draft. He racked up 103 points (26G-77A) in 242 games with the Kamloops Blazers and Silvertips.<\/p>\n

Ollie Josephson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shutdown centreman Ollie Josephson registered 20 points (6G-14A) in 38 games with the University of North Dakota in 2025-26. The 2024 fourth-round pick (105th overall) went down with an injury during his team’s run to the Frozen Four, but was ultimately able to return for the national semifinal. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound pivot notched 102 points (31G-71A) in 185 games over parts of four seasons with the Red Deer Rebels.<\/p>\n

Tyson Jugnauth\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

2025 WHL Defenceman of the Year Tyson Jugnauth flexed his offensive prowess in his first season in the pro ranks. The 22-year-old bagged 45 points (9G-36A) to sit seventh in scoring among all AHL defenders and first among rookie blueliners. Jugnauth, who stands 6 feet, 183 pounds, cracked the AHL All-Rookie Team and represented the Pacific Division at the AHL All-Star Game. The former Portland Winterhawks alternate captain put up 130 points (20G-110A) in 106 games over two seasons in the Rose City, helping the Hawks reach the 2024 WHL Championship Series, where they ultimately fell to Firkus and the Warriors, and the 2025 WHL Western Conference Championship. 2024-25 also saw the Kelowna, B.C. product lead all WHL defenders with 89 points. His name was called 100th overall in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

Julius Miettinen<\/strong><\/p>\n

You couldn’t ask for a much better season for 6-foot-3, 207-pound centreman Julius Miettinen. The Everett Silvertips star erupted for 35 goals and 41 assists for 76 points in 52 games with the regular-season champion Everett Silvertips. He was third on the Tips in scoring, third across the entire league in plus\/minus with a +60 rating and eighth in faceoff wins with 634 (60.6%). He hit a new gear in the postseason with a league-best 27 points (14G-13A) in 18 games, helping Everett capture its first WHL Championship and becoming the second European WHLer to be named Playoff MVP, following Leon Draisaitl in 2014. The 20-year-old had another goal and assist in five games to reach the Memorial Cup Final, and four points (2G-2A) at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship with Finland. Miettinen was selected with the 40th overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NHL Draft and will jump to the pro ranks in 2026-27.<\/p>\n

Caden Price<\/strong><\/p>\n

Saskatoon, Sask.’s Caden Price saw his first professional season clipped by injury, but he still had a solid showing with 11 points (2G-9A) in 42 outings. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound defender put together four strong seasons in major junior, posting 159 points (29G-130A) in 231 games with the Kelowna Rockets and Lethbridge Hurricanes. He advanced to the 2025 WHL Eastern Conference Championship with the Canes with eight points (2G-6A) in 16 postseason matches. Seattle drafted Price with the 84th overall pick in the third round of the 2023 Draft.<\/p>\n

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

In the lead-up to the 2026-27 hockey season, we\u2019re diving into the WHL prospect pool for every NHL team. To be included in this list, a player must be recently drafted, signed to an NHL contract, or meet the NHL\u2019s criteria for rookie status. The Seattle Kraken are among the NHL’s most Dub-heavy clubs and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":487,"featured_media":269344,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":1043,"name":"nhl prospect watch","slug":"nhl-prospect-watch","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1082,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":147,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1517"},{"term_id":1222,"name":"Seattle 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Evaschesen | 2026-27 WHL Highlight Reels"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":269342,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1113],"tags":[{"term_id":2388,"name":"Josh Evaschesen","slug":"josh-evaschesen","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2388,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1123"},{"term_id":30,"name":"medicine hat 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Blazers complete trade involving 2006-born forward Josh Evaschesen"},"content":{"rendered":"

Medicine Hat, Alta. \u2013 <\/strong>The Medicine Hat Tigers have acquired 2006-born forward Josh Evaschesen<\/strong> from the Kamloops Blazers in exchange for a first and fourth-round pick in 2027 and a sixth round pick in 2029.<\/p>\n

The Medicine Hat, Alta., product tallied 33 goals and 73 points in 67 games during the 2025-26 season with Kamloops. This off-season he was invited to attend the Dallas Stars’ 2026 Development Camp. Evaschesen grew up playing for the Medicine Hat Hounds U15 AA, SEAC Tigers U15 AAA, and SAHA U18 Prep.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Medicine Hat, Alta. \u2013 The Medicine Hat Tigers have acquired 2006-born forward Josh Evaschesen from the Kamloops Blazers in exchange for a first and fourth-round pick in 2027 and a sixth round pick in 2029. The Medicine Hat, Alta., product tallied 33 goals and 73 points in 67 games during the 2025-26 season with Kamloops.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":269338,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":2388,"name":"Josh Evaschesen","slug":"josh-evaschesen","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2388,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1123"},{"term_id":40,"name":"kamloops blazers","slug":"kamloops-blazers","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":82,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1191,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1174"},{"term_id":30,"name":"medicine hat 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OPPORTUNITY: WHL Manager, Strategic Projects"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":269325,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"link","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1172],"tags":[{"term_id":99,"name":"whl job 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WHL Graduates: Kelowna Rockets"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over the month of August, the Western Hockey League will be celebrating the WHL Graduates from the 2025-26 season in a 23-part, team-by-team series.<\/p>\n

Today, we continue with the graduating trio from the Kelowna Rockets.<\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

Ty Halaburda (F)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hometown:<\/strong> Victoria, B.C.
\nWHL Career Stats:<\/strong> 315 GP \u2013 105 G-140 A \u2013 245 points
\nWHL Draft:<\/strong> 2020 \u2013 Second Round, 32nd Overall (Vancouver Giants)<\/p>\n

Ty Halaburda is graduating from the Western Hockey League as British Columbia’s best and brightest.<\/p>\n

The Victoria, B.C., local got the opportunity to stay in his home province following his second-round selection by the Vancouver Giants in the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft.<\/p>\n

Halaburda made his WHL debut on October 2, 2021, against his hometown Victoria Royals and went on to spend more than four seasons with Giants.<\/p>\n

Since his introduction to the organization in October 2021, Halaburda quickly developed into one of the Club\u2019s most productive forwards.<\/p>\n

And, it was during the 2023-24 WHL Season where Halaburda truly established himself as one of the League’s most consistent contributors. In 68 regular season appearances, Halaburda recorded a career-best 45 assists and 66 points \u2013 finishing tied for first in Giants scoring alongside fellow WHL alumnus, Jaden Lipinski.<\/p>\n

Yet, Halaburda’s legacy in Vancouver also extended past his on-ice performance.\u00a0In November 2025, a 20-year-old Halaburda was named the captain of the Vancouver Giants.<\/p>\n

With a freshly-stitched captain patch on his uniform, Halaburda’s final season of WHL eligibility couldn’t have started better, as the forward collected 39 points (20 G-19 A) in his first 40 regular season appearances.<\/p>\n

Then, on January 6, 2026, the overage forward was acquired by the Kelowna Rockets as part of a trade that sent Los Angeles Kings prospect Will Sharpe to the Giants.<\/p>\n

Looking for additional scoring ahead of their hosting duties at the 2026 Memorial Cup, Halaburda continued his strong offensive season adding 25 points (9 G-16 A) in 32 regular season games with the Rockets.<\/p>\n

Halaburda also helped Kelowna make its return to the 2026 WHL Playoffs, putting up five points (1 G-4 A) in six postseason appearances.<\/p>\n

In total, Halaburda closes out his WHL career with 245 points (105 G-140 A) in 315 regular season games with both the Giants and Rockets.<\/p>\n

Mazden Leslie (D)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hometown:<\/strong> Lloydminster, Alta.
\nWHL Career Stats:<\/strong> 347 GP \u2013 75 G-183 A \u2013 258 points
\nWHL Draft:<\/strong> 2020 \u2013 First Round, 10th Overall (Vancouver Giants)<\/p>\n

When Mazden Leslie landed in Kelowna, he brought more than four seasons of Western League experience with him.<\/p>\n

But, before the veteran defenceman was suiting for the 2026 Memorial Cup with the Rockets he was getting reps in with the Vancouver Giants.<\/p>\n

Leslie was 10th-overall selection by the Vancouver Giants in the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft and spent five seasons in Langley, B.C.<\/p>\n

Leslie first made his WHL debut and recorded his first multi-goal outing on March 28, 2021, scoring twice in a meeting with his future club, the Kelowna Rockets.<\/p>\n

And, with his first couple of junior hockey accolades quickly captured, Leslie was clear to run rampant against his Western League competition. The blueliner recorded back-to-back-to-back, 40-plus-point campaigns with the Giants spanning from 2022-23 to 2024-25.<\/p>\n

Leslie also recorded a career-high in goals (21), assists (51), and points (72) during the 2024-25 WHL Season. For his efforts, Leslie was named to the WHL’s Western Conference First All-Star Team and a finalist for the WHL’s Defenceman of the Year award.<\/p>\n

On May 21, 2025, Leslie was acquired by the Kelowna Rockets as the Club continued to bolster their roster ahead of the 2026 Memorial Cup. The veteran defenceman had initially committed to the NCAA’s Bowling Green State University, but ultimately elected to return to the WHL for his final season.<\/p>\n

And, a surprise to none, Leslie delivered another strong campaign.<\/p>\n

In 67 regular season appearances with Kelowna, he recorded 68 points (18 G-50 A) and led the Rockets\u2019 blue line in scoring. He also finished the season as the WHL\u2019s active leader in career games played and career points among defencemen.<\/p>\n

After six seasons in the Western League, Leslie exits junior hockey having dressed in a 347 regular season games, collecting 258 points (75 G-183 A).<\/p>\n

Shane Smith (F)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hometown:<\/strong> Cessford, Alta.
\nWHL Career Stats:<\/strong> 264 GP \u2013 93 G-90 A \u2013 183 points
\nWHL Draft:<\/strong> 2020 \u2013 Third Round, 51st Overall (Medicine Hat Tigers)<\/p>\n

From on-ice performances to off-ice initiatives, Shane Smith was one of the League’s best contributors.<\/p>\n

Originally selected 51st overall by the Medicine Hat Tigers in the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft, a 15-year-old Smith made his WHL debut on May 6, 2021, against the Edmonton Oil Kings. Smith returned for nine more appearances the following year before breaking out with 32 points (19 G-13 A) in 66 games during the 2022-23 WHL Season.<\/p>\n

And, as the seasons progressed, so did Smith\u2019s offensive game. In the 2023-24 campaign, Smith collected 51 points (29 G-22 A) in 64 games with the Tigers.<\/p>\n

And, after spending part of the 2024-25 season in Medicine Hat, Smith was acquired by the Lethbridge Hurricanes via trade.<\/p>\n

Unfazed by his move to what was once a division rival, Smith instantly caught fire with the Hurricanes. In 81 total games with Lethbridge, the product of Cessford, Alta., racked up 24 goals, 29 assists, and 53 assists.<\/p>\n

Then, came one final move.<\/p>\n

On November 9, 2025, Smith was acquired by the Kelowna Rockets in a deal aimed to bolster the Club’s offence ahead of the 2026 Memorial Cup. He quickly made an impact in the Okanagan, recording 45 points (21 G-24 A) in 41 regular season games with the Rockets. Combined with his 23 points in Lethbridge, Smith finished the 2025-26 campaign with a career-high of 33 goals, 35 assists, and 68 points in 61 games.<\/p>\n

Yet, Smith\u2019s contributions extended well beyond the scoresheet too.<\/p>\n

For the three-consecutive seasons, Smith was named a finalist for the Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy, given annually to the WHL’s Humanitarian of the Year, before\u00a0ultimately receiving the award following the 2025-26 WHL Season.<\/p>\n

Smith closes out his WHL career with 183 points (93 G-90 A) in 264 regular season games and 12 points (5 G-7 A) in 32 career playoff appearances.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Over the month of August, the Western Hockey League will be celebrating the WHL Graduates from the 2025-26 season in a 23-part, team-by-team series. Today, we continue with the graduating trio from the Kelowna Rockets. Ty Halaburda (F) Hometown: Victoria, B.C. WHL Career Stats: 315 GP \u2013 105 G-140 A \u2013 245 points WHL Draft:…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":269316,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":2479,"name":"2026 WHL Graduates","slug":"2026-whl-graduates","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2479,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":6,"filter":"raw","term_order":"3"},{"term_id":33,"name":"kelowna rockets","slug":"kelowna-rockets","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":166,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1114,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1195"},{"term_id":1626,"name":"Mazden Leslie","slug":"mazden-leslie","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1626,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":14,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1432"},{"term_id":1918,"name":"Shane Smith","slug":"shane-smith","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1918,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":9,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1863"},{"term_id":1782,"name":"Ty Halaburda","slug":"ty-halaburda","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1782,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":5,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2014"}],"class_list":["post-269313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-2026-whl-graduates","tag-kelowna-rockets","tag-mazden-leslie","tag-shane-smith","tag-ty-halaburda","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/18165512\/2026-WHL-Graduates_Kelowna.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\/269313","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=269313"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269313\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":269314,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269313\/revisions\/269314"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/269316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=269313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=269313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=269313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":269292,"date":"2026-08-18T13:43:31","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T19:43:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=269292"},"modified":"2026-08-18T13:43:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T19:43:31","slug":"nhl-prospect-watch-san-jose-sharks-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/nhl-prospect-watch-san-jose-sharks-5","title":{"rendered":"NHL Prospect Watch: San Jose Sharks"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the lead-up to the 2026-27 hockey season, we\u2019re diving into the WHL prospect pool for every NHL team. To be included in this list, a player must be recently drafted, signed to an NHL contract, or meet the NHL\u2019s criteria for rookie status.<\/em><\/p>\n

After a long seven seasons without playoff hockey in San Jose, the Sharks have laid the groundwork to become a Western Conference force in the coming years.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Luca Cagnoni<\/strong><\/p>\n

Twenty-one-year-old Luca Cagnoni’s second professional season saw the 5-foot-9, 181-pound defender take a slight step back in production, but find the tools he needs to make the NHL. Cagnoni put up 43 points (8G-35A) in 67 games, ranking fifth on the San Jose Barracuda in scoring and 10th among all AHL defencemen. Notably, 23 of those points (3G-20A) came on the man advantage. He earned three games in the NHL and looks to carve out a position for himself on special teams for the Sharks. The Burnaby, B.C. product played more than 200 games with the Portland Winterhawks, racking up 193 points (44G-149A). Cagnoni’s final season of major junior puck saw him become the first defenceman in the WHL to hit 90 points since 1993-94 (18G-72A). He picked up WHL U.S. Division First-Team All-Star honours in 2023-24 and added 13 postseason points to help the Hawks reach the 2024 WHL Championship Series. Cagnoni was selected with the 123rd overall pick in the fourth round of the 2023 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

Jake Gustafson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Six-foot-four centreman Jake Gustafson’s rookie WHL campaign saw the 18-year-old post 25 points (13G-12A) in 68 regular-season tilts in Portland, highlighted by a hat trick against the Kamloops Blazers back in November of 2025. He led all Hawks rookies in goals while finishing fourth on the team in penalty minutes (68). The San Jose, Calif. product represented Team West at the 2026 WHL Prospects Game, where he earned an assist, and suited up for four playoff tilts. Gustafson had his name called by his hometown NHL club with the 174th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2026 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

Max Heise<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another centreman boasting plenty of size, 6-foot-3, 172-pound Max Heise’s first Dub campaign was one to remember. The 20-year-old was named an alternate captain for the Prince Albert Raiders and went on to lead the team with 29 tucks in 63 games, in addition to 34 assists and a +28 rating. Despite being injured early in Game 1 of the 2026 WHL Playoffs, Heise returned to pot six points (4G-2A) in 16 games to help the Raiders reach the Final. The Calgarian also went 53.6% at the faceoff dot, ranking second on the squad with 431 faceoff wins. The Sharks’ 2025 fifth-round pick (150th overall) has one more season of junior eligibility remaining.<\/p>\n

Ryan Lin<\/strong><\/p>\n

2026 21st overall pick Ryan Lin hopes to join a new class of smaller defencemen making waves in the NHL. Despite having his season shortened by injury, the 5-foot-11, 176-pound blueliner led the Vancouver Giants with 57 points (14G-43A) in 53 games in 2025-26. He nearly tripled his goal output from his monster 53-point rookie season and was named an alternate captain for Team CHL at the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge. Lin was named to the 2025-26 WHL Western Conference Second All-Star Team and went on to suit up for Canada at the 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship, where he had the most points by a defenceman with six. Lin has played parts of three seasons in the WHL, totalling 110 points (19G-91A).<\/p>\n

Nate Misskey<\/strong><\/p>\n

Melfort, Sask.’s Nate Misskey hit the university waters in 2025-26, netting 10 points (4G-6A) in 35 games with UMass-Lowell. Previously, the 6-foot-4, 212-pound right-shot defenceman turned in parts of four seasons on the Island with the Victoria Royals, including two turns as an alternate captain. Misskey, now 21, totalled 95 points (22G-73A) in 179 games, including a 47-point (10G-37A) run in 2024-25 that also saw the Royals reach the second round of the 2025 WHL Playoffs, along with one of the newest members of the Sharks’ prospect pool.<\/p>\n

Joshua Ravensbergen<\/strong><\/p>\n

The puck stops here! Joshua Ravensbergen, 19, has made history as the first netminder in Prince George’s history to win WHL Goaltender of the Year (Hockey Hall of Famer Grant Fuhr and Kevin Eastman previously won as members of the Victoria Cougars). The 6-foot-6, 195-pound puckstopper went 32-13-0-0 with a 2.51 goals-against average, a .919 save percentage and four shutouts to claim the title. Ravensbergen led all WHL netminders in wins and save percentage, tied for second in shutouts and clocked in at fourth in GAA. He was also named to the WHL Western Conference First All-Star Team. After breaking into the WHL as an undrafted free agent, Ravensbergen has surpassed 30 wins twice. Over three seasons, the North Vancouverite owns an eye-popping 91-30-4-2 record, a 2.68 GAA, a .909 save percentage and 10 shutouts. San Jose snapped him up in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft with the 30th overall pick.<\/p>\n

Colton Roberts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another sizeable defender with a right-hand shot, 6-foot-4, 209-pound Colton Roberts registered 11 points (3G-8A) in 29 outings with Colorado College in 2025-26. But he also mentored a young Ryan Lin during his Vancouver Giants tenure- and the pair were even roommates at San Jose’s recent development camp. Roberts held down the Giants blueline with 75 points (16G-59A) in 195 games over parts of four seasons. He was selected with the 131st overall pick in the fifth round of the 2024 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

Keaton Verhoeff<\/strong><\/p>\n

A big year saw Keaton Verhoeff get called in the top 10, take on new roles at the international level and give a new league a spin. After collecting 20 points (6G-14A) with the University of North Dakota, the Victoria Royals alum wore the ‘C’ for Canada at the 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship, where he logged four helpers. The Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. product also had four assists at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship en route to a bronze medal. The 2025 WHL Rookie of the Year finalist was with the Royals for parts of two seasons, highlighted by a 21-goal, 45-point campaign in 2024-25. He was one of the highest-drafted defencemen in 2026 as the ninth overall pick.<\/p>\n

Carson Wetsch<\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s on to the professional ranks for Kelowna Rockets captain Carson Wetsch! The 20-year-old enjoyed one of his strongest WHL seasons with a 72-point (22G-50A) season in the Okanagan. Wetsch has surpassed the 20-goal mark for three straight seasons and ranked second on the Rockets in points. Wetsch, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound winger, also logged seven games with three or more points, highlighted by a one-goal, three-assist effort against the Regina Pats in December. The North Vancouver, B.C. skater added four points (2G-2A) in eight playoff games and appeared in all three matches for Kelowna at the 2026 Memorial Cup. The 2024 third-round pick (82nd overall) signed his three-year, entry-level deal with the Sharks in May and is expected to join the AHL Barracuda in 2026-27.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

In the lead-up to the 2026-27 hockey season, we\u2019re diving into the WHL prospect pool for every NHL team. To be included in this list, a player must be recently drafted, signed to an NHL contract, or meet the NHL\u2019s criteria for rookie status. After a long seven seasons without playoff hockey in San Jose,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":487,"featured_media":269309,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":1043,"name":"nhl prospect watch","slug":"nhl-prospect-watch","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1082,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":147,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1517"},{"term_id":1414,"name":"San Jose Sharks","slug":"san-jose-sharks","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1414,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1819"}],"class_list":["post-269292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-nhl-prospect-watch","tag-san-jose-sharks","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/18134314\/260818_Prospect-Watch-1920_SJS.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\/269292","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\/487"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=269292"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":269305,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269292\/revisions\/269305"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/269309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=269292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=269292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=269292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":269293,"date":"2026-08-18T11:39:29","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T17:39:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=269293"},"modified":"2026-08-18T11:39:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T17:39:29","slug":"2026-whl-graduates-kamloops-blazers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/2026-whl-graduates-kamloops-blazers","title":{"rendered":"2026 WHL Graduates: Kamloops Blazers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over the month of August, the Western Hockey League will be celebrating the WHL Graduates from the 2025-26 season in a 23-part, team-by-team series.<\/em><\/p>\n

Today, we continue with the graduating trio from the Kamloops Blazers<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Jordan Keller (F)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hometown:<\/strong> Kamloops, B.C.
WHL Career Stats:<\/strong> 264 GP \u2013 94 G-108 A \u2013 202 points
WHL Draft:<\/strong> 2020 \u2013 Third Round, 48th Overall (Saskatoon Blades)<\/p>\n

For Jordan Keller, the phrase ‘all roads lead home’ couldn’t be more true.<\/p>\n

After a junior hockey career that spanned parts of five seasons across two Clubs, the 21-year-old is exiting the Western League as a member of his hometown club, the Kamloops Blazers.<\/p>\n

But, despite ending his campaign with Kamloops, Keller’s career first began two provinces over.<\/p>\n

Keller was originally selected 48th overall by the Saskatoon Blades in the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft, making his WHL debut don December 4, 2021 against the Winnipeg ICE. In total, Keller spent the two-plus seasons as a member of the Blades, including a 30-point campaign in 66 games during the 2022-23 WHL Season.<\/p>\n

On November 24, 2023, Keller was sent to the Kamloops Blazers as part of the blockbuster trade that saw Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Fraser Minten move to Saskatoon. Eager to play in front of his hometown, Keller made his Blazers debut one day after being acquired by Kamloops. The forward also scooped up his first point with the Blazers in the same outing, assisting on a goal in a 6-3 victory over the Vancouver Giants.<\/p>\n

Keller went on to record 43 points (17 G-26 A) to round out the 2023-24 season with the Blazers.<\/p>\n

And, while impressive, the hometown forward was just getting started.<\/p>\n

In his first full campaign with Kamloops, Keller set a career high in goals (31), assists (34), and points (65). The forward also led the WHL in power-play goals in the same season, collecting 19 tucks on the ‘man advantage.’<\/p>\n

Keller’s final WHL campaign followed a similar tune, as the British Columbian recorded his third consecutive 50-plus point season. In 53 regular season appearances Keller racked up 55 points (27 G-28 A), boasting a points-per-game average of over one for the first time his in junior hockey career.<\/p>\n

Keller closes out his WHL career with 202 points (94 G-108 A) in 264 regular season games, including more than 150 points in a Blazers uniform.<\/p>\n

Ryan Michael (D)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hometown:<\/strong> Langley, B.C.
WHL Career Stats:<\/strong> 231 GP \u2013 10 G-72 A \u2013 82 points
WHL Draft:<\/strong> 2020 \u2013 Third Round, 62nd Overall (Kamloops Blazers)<\/p>\n

For the first time in five seasons, the Kamloops Blazers will dress a blueline that will be without longtime defenceman, Ryan Michael.<\/p>\n

The 2005-born defenceman is departing from the Western Hockey League having completed his 20-year-old season in Kamloops.<\/p>\n

Originally selected 62nd overall by the Kamloops Blazers in the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft, Michael first made his WHL debut on October 2, 2021 \u2013 recording as assist against the Prince George Cougars.<\/p>\n

The Langley, B.C., product continued his hot streak in his first full season, leading all Blazers rookies in points with 12 (3 G-9 A) in 60 regular season games<\/p>\n

Michael continued to develop his game over the next two seasons, becoming a key part of the Blazers\u2019 blue line and leadership group. After serving as the Club’s alternate captain for two seasons,\u00a0Michael’s farewell campaign was further celebrated by his promotion to team captain for the 2025-26 season..<\/p>\n

And, the newly-minted captain responded with a career year offensively.<\/p>\n

Michael registered a career-best three goals, 31 assists, and 34 points in 67 regular season appearances, leading all Kamloops defencemen in scoring for the\u00a0the 2025-26 campaign.<\/p>\n

In total, Michael suited up with the Blazers on 231 occasions, closing out his WHL career with an impressive 82 points (10 G-72 A).<\/p>\n

Rhett Ravndahl (D)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hometown:<\/strong> Birch Hills, Sask.
WHL Career Stats:<\/strong> 199 GP \u2013 9 G-29 A \u2013 38 points
WHL Draft:<\/strong> 2020 \u2013 Fourth Round, 83rd Overall (Portland Winterhawks)<\/p>\n

The Western League will miss you, Rhett!<\/p>\n

After hearing his named called in the fourth round of the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft by the Portland Winterhawks, the Birch Hills, Sask., product didn’t wait long before stapling himself into the WHL scene. The blueliner made his WHL debut with the Winterhawks on September 24, 2022, against the Kelowna Rockets \u2013 and collected his first career point, an assist, just one game later.<\/p>\n

Ravndahl spent parts of two seasons in Portland, before being acquired by the Brandon Wheat Kings at the 2024 WHL Trade Deadline. The move saw Ravndahl swap spots with former Wheat Kings captain and Detroit Red Wings first-round selection Nate Danielson.<\/p>\n

In a similar fashion to his time in Portland, Ravndahl called Brandon home for parts of two seasons. In 57 appearances with the ‘Wheaties,’ the Saskatchewan-born talent collected nine points (3 G-6 A).<\/p>\n

On January 7, 2025, Ravndahl was involved in a second trade. This time, the blueliner packed his bags and joined the B.C. Division’s Kamloops Blazers.<\/p>\n

It was in Kamloops where the veteran blueliner got the opportunity to step into a larger role with his organization, as he posted a career-best four goals, 12 assists, and 16 points in 55 regular season outings. Ravndahl’s plus-12 rating and 0.29 points-per-game average also went down as career highs in the WHL.<\/p>\n

In total, Ravndahl skated in 199 regular season games split between the Winterhawks, Wheat Kings, and Blazers, and finishes his junior career with 38 points (9 G-29 A).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Over the month of August, the Western Hockey League will be celebrating the WHL Graduates from the 2025-26 season in a 23-part, team-by-team series. Today, we continue with the graduating trio from the Kamloops Blazers Jordan Keller (F) Hometown: Kamloops, B.C.WHL Career Stats: 264 GP \u2013 94 G-108 A \u2013 202 pointsWHL Draft: 2020 \u2013…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":269304,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":2481,"name":"Rhett Ravndahl","slug":"rhett-ravndahl","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2481,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1"},{"term_id":2479,"name":"2026 WHL Graduates","slug":"2026-whl-graduates","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2479,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":6,"filter":"raw","term_order":"3"},{"term_id":1734,"name":"Jordan Keller","slug":"jordan-keller","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1734,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":7,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1109"},{"term_id":40,"name":"kamloops blazers","slug":"kamloops-blazers","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":82,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1191,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1174"},{"term_id":2165,"name":"Ryan Michael","slug":"ryan-michael","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2165,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1786"}],"class_list":["post-269293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-rhett-ravndahl","tag-2026-whl-graduates","tag-jordan-keller","tag-kamloops-blazers","tag-ryan-michael","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/18113915\/Kamloops_2026-WHL-Graduates.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\/269293","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=269293"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269293\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":269299,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269293\/revisions\/269299"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/269304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=269293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=269293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=269293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":269287,"date":"2026-08-17T16:00:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T22:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=269287"},"modified":"2026-08-18T09:41:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T15:41:23","slug":"2026-whl-graduates-everett-silvertips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/2026-whl-graduates-everett-silvertips","title":{"rendered":"2026 WHL Graduates: Everett Silvertips"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over the month of August, the Western Hockey League will be celebrating the WHL Graduates from the 2025-26 season in a 23-part, team-by-team series.<\/em><\/p>\n

Today, we continue with the reigning WHL Champions, the Everett Silvertips<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Nolan Chastko (F)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hometown:<\/strong> Brandon, Man.
\nWHL Career Stats:<\/strong> 131 GP \u2013 16 G-33 A \u2013 49 points
\nWHL Draft:<\/strong> Listed (Prince George Cougars)<\/p>\n

Nolan Chastko\u2019s Western Hockey League career was defined by his willingness to do whatever his team needed.<\/p>\n

The Brandon, Man. product signed with the Prince George Cougars as an undrafted player in 2022 before eventually making his way to Everett, Wash. After making a fistful of preseason appearances with the Cougars, Chastko made his WHL debut on September 21, 2024, as a 19-year-old for the Silvertips.<\/p>\n

He made an immediate impact in Everett, recording 14 points in 63 regular season appearances during the 2024-25 WHL campaign before playing in all 13 games of the 2025 WHL Playoffs that saw the Silvertips advance to the Western Conference Championship Series.<\/p>\n

His final season brought another unique chapter to the veteran.<\/p>\n

Out of roster necessity, the natural centreman was thrust onto the Silvertips’ blue line for 25 games during the 2025-26 WHL Regular Season. And, while a difficult adjustment for most, Chastko took on the challenge with ease. He recorded 13 points and a plus-12 rating during that stretch and concluded his final regular season campaign with career-best, 10 goals, 25 assists, and 35 points in 68 games.<\/p>\n

During the 2026 WHL Playoffs, Chastko was one of three 20-year-olds to hoist the Ed Chynoweth Cup as members of Everett’s first-ever WHL Championship. In 18 post-season appearances, the Silvertips’ ‘Swiss-Army Knife’ recorded nine points (2 G-7 A) and scored in the championship-clinching Game 5 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders.<\/p>\n

Chastko closes out his WHL career with 49 points (16 G-33 A) in 131 regular season games in Tips Country<\/p>\n

Chastko will now use his WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement to continue his education and hockey career with the University of Manitoba Bisons for the 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n

Rylan Gould (F)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hometown:<\/strong> Headingley, Man.
\nWHL Career Stats:<\/strong> 311 GP \u2013 78 G-123 A \u2013 201 points
\nWHL Draft:<\/strong> 2020 \u2013 Second Round, 42nd Overall (Swift Current Broncos)<\/p>\n

Originally selected 42nd overall by the Swift Current Broncos in the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft, Rylan Gould spent the first four seasons of his junior career in Speedy Creek. It was there where the Headingley, Man., product developed into one of the Broncos\u2019 most reliable, offensive contributors.<\/p>\n

Gould first made his WHL debut on October 1, 2021, against the Medicine Hat Tigers, and posted 13 points (4 G-9 A) in his rookie campaign with the Broncos. But, it wouldn’t be until the 2023-24 season where the forward truly broke out, recording a career-high, 68 points (23 G-45 A) in 68 games. He followed that with another strong campaign in 2024-25, posting 66 points (29 G-37 A) in 60 regular season appearances..<\/p>\n

In the 2025-26 WHL Season, Gould got a change of scenery as he joined Everett’s forward core following a brief stint with the NCAA\u2019s Michigan Tech. Now, back in the Western League, Gould’s addition proved to be monumental for the Tips as their hunt for their first-ever WHL Championship was heating up.<\/p>\n

Gould recorded 50 points (21 G-29 A) in 53 regular season games with Everett, reaching the 200-point mark for his WHL career along the way. He then added 10 points (6 G-4 A) in 18 appearances during the Silvertips’ WHL Championship-winning postseason..<\/p>\n

After five seasons in the Western League, Gould closedsout his junior career with 201 points (78 G-123 A) in 311 regular season games. Plus, his name on the Ed Chynoweth Cup, of course!<\/p>\n

Zackary Shantz (F)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hometown:<\/strong> Sucker Creek, Alta.
\nWHL Career Stats:<\/strong> 213 GP \u2013 49 G-78 A \u2013 127 points
\nWHL Draft:<\/strong> 2020 \u2013 Third Round, 66th Overall (Prince George Cougars)<\/p>\n

In his five-season stint in the Western Hockey League, Zackary Shantz found himself all over Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest. But, as he graduates from the League, the speedy forward will always call ‘Everett’ home.<\/p>\n

The Sucker Creek, Alta., product was originally selected 66th overall by the Prince George Cougars in the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft and made his WHL debut on November 27, 2021, against the Kelowna Rockets. He spent parts of two seasons in Prince George before joining the Regina Pats following a trade in November 2022.<\/p>\n

Shantz continued to develop his game in Regina, recording 51 points (17 G-34 A) in 117 total appearances with the Pats.<\/p>\n

Looking to bolster their depth scoring, the Tips acquired Shantz from Regina in January 2025.<\/p>\n

The move to Everett provided Shantz with a fresh opportunity, becoming an immediate impact on the Silvertips roster. Shantz recorded 11 points (5 G-6 A) in 21 regular season games to close out the 2024-25 campaign with Everett \u2013 and, he was only getting started.<\/p>\n

The veteran forward posted career highs across the board during the 2025-26 regular season, exploding for 65 points (27 G-38 A) in 66 regular season games.<\/p>\n

His new level of production also carried into the 2026 WHL Playoffs.<\/p>\n

Shantz recorded 14 points (4 G-10 A) in 18 games during a postseason that saw Everett capture its first Ed Chynoweth Cup. He also recorded three assists in the championship-clinching Game 5 victory over Prince Albert.<\/p>\n

Shantz closes out his WHL career with 127 points (49 G-78 A) in 213 regular season games \u2013 and, let’s not forget about his 22 points (7 G-15 A) in 38 career WHL Playoff appearances.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Over the month of August, the Western Hockey League will be celebrating the WHL Graduates from the 2025-26 season in a 23-part, team-by-team series. Today, we continue with the reigning WHL Champions, the Everett Silvertips Nolan Chastko (F) Hometown: Brandon, Man. WHL Career Stats: 131 GP \u2013 16 G-33 A \u2013 49 points WHL Draft:…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":269289,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":2479,"name":"2026 WHL Graduates","slug":"2026-whl-graduates","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2479,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":6,"filter":"raw","term_order":"3"},{"term_id":36,"name":"everett silvertips","slug":"everett-silvertips","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":180,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1265,"filter":"raw","term_order":"803"},{"term_id":1606,"name":"Nolan Chastko","slug":"nolan-chastko","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1606,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1554"},{"term_id":1855,"name":"Rylan Gould","slug":"rylan-gould","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1855,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":8,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1797"},{"term_id":1537,"name":"Zackary Shantz","slug":"zackary-shantz","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1537,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":7,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2323"}],"class_list":["post-269287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-2026-whl-graduates","tag-everett-silvertips","tag-nolan-chastko","tag-rylan-gould","tag-zackary-shantz","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/17150226\/Shantz_2026-WHL-Graduates_.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\/269287","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=269287"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269287\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":269297,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269287\/revisions\/269297"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/269289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=269287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=269287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=269287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":269237,"date":"2026-08-17T11:57:30","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T17:57:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=269237"},"modified":"2026-08-17T11:57:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T17:57:30","slug":"nhl-prospect-watch-pittsburgh-penguins-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/nhl-prospect-watch-pittsburgh-penguins-5","title":{"rendered":"NHL Prospect Watch: Pittsburgh Penguins"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the lead-up to the 2026-27 hockey season, we\u2019re diving into the WHL prospect pool for every NHL team. To be included in this list, a player must be recently drafted, signed to an NHL contract, or meet the NHL\u2019s criteria for rookie status.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Pittsburgh Penguins created one of the most memorable moments of the 2026 NHL Draft when they selected the superstar Ruck twins from the Medicine Hat Tigers.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Harrison Brunicke<\/strong><\/p>\n

Six-foot-3, 196-pound defenceman Harrison Brunicke skated into history in 2025-26 when he became the first South African-born skater to make his NHL debut. Brunicke, 20, ended up netting his first NHL goal in nine games with the Pens before getting more ice time with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre\/Scranton Penguins. He had another eight points (1G-7A) in 11 spins at the AHL level. The jersey-swapping continued as Brunicke represented Canada at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship and returned to the Kamloops Blazers for a final run at the WHL level. Brunicke tallied 24 points (2G-22A) in 24 games with the Blazers and an assist in four playoff games to close out his tenure in the B.C. Division. He owns 83 points (21G-62A) in 175 games over parts of five seasons in Kamloops. Pittsburgh snapped up the smooth-skating blueliner with the 44th overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

Atley Calvert<\/strong><\/p>\n

Moose Jaw’s Atley Calvert has had to fight and claw for every inch of ice he’s gotten in the professional ranks- and it’s paying off. The 22-year-old signed a two-year, entry-level deal with the Penguins as an undrafted free agent in July. Calvert, who clocks in at 6-foot-1, 194 pounds, is coming off his first full season with the Wilkes-Barre\/Scranton Penguins, where he posted 16 goals (including one game-winner and a shorthanded strike) and 22 assists for 38 points and a +19 rating in 70 games. He ranked sixth on the team in points and goals. Calvert also made his hometown Warriors as an undrafted forward and went on to log 220 points (105G-115A) in 237 games over parts of five seasons, including a 95-point run (47G-48A) in 2023-24 that saw him crack the WHL East Division Second All-Star Team and help the Warriors to their first-ever WHL Championship.\u00a0He signed an AHL deal with Wilkes-Barre\/Scranton just weeks after the end of the WHL Playoffs and Memorial Cup and split his rookie pro season between the AHL Penguins and ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers.<\/p>\n

Kale Dach<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pittsburgh’s 2025 seventh-round pick (201st overall) burst onto the WHL scene with 75 points (34G-41A) in 63 games for the Calgary Hitmen. Dach finished second on the team in points, goals and assists while ranking fourth in scoring among all WHL rookies. The 5-foot-10, 165-pound centreman also picked up eight game-winning goals and won 549 (52.3%) faceoffs. Dach, from Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., wore an ‘A’ in his first WHL season and was named a finalist for WHL Rookie of the Year while making the Eastern Conference Second All-Star team.<\/p>\n

Tanner Howe<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fans familiar with the feisty side of Tanner Howe’s game can expect a ferocious effort in 2026-27 as the skilled winger looks forward to a fully healthy season. Recovery from a knee injury kept Howe on the sidelines for much of his first professional season in the AHL, but he did manage to return to tally 16 points (8G-8A) and 43 penalty minutes in 27 regular-season outings and five points (3G-2A) in 14 playoff games. Originally selected with the 46th overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NHL Draft, the 5-foot-11, 183-pound forward brings plenty of pedigree as a former Regina Pats captain and member of Canada’s 2025 IIHF World Junior squad. The Prince Albert, Sask. product totalled 279 points (110G-169A) in 254 games with the Pats and Hitmen over parts of five seasons.<\/p>\n

Peyton Kettles<\/strong><\/p>\n

Eighteen-year-old Peyton Kettles missed the bulk of the season with a shoulder injury that required surgery, but managed to sign his three-year, entry-level deal and get back on the ice with the Kelowna Rockets at the 2026 Memorial Cup. The 6-foot-6, 198-pound rearguard appeared in five regular-season games with the Swift Current Broncos and Rockets, nabbing a goal and two assists, as well as significant ice time in three games at the Memorial Cup. Kettles, from Headingley, Man., was drafted by the Penguins with the 39th overall pick in round two back in 2025. He’ll be looking for a bounceback with the Rockets in 2026-27.<\/p>\n

Ryan Miller<\/strong><\/p>\n

The silver lining to an early playoff exit? Portland Winterhawks captain Ryan Miller got to make his AHL debut in a pair of outings with the Penguins. The 6-foot, 180-pound centreman popped off for a career-best 30-goal, 45-assist run for 75 points in 65 games, good for second on the Hawks in points, goals and assists. Miller, 19, had another goal and assist in four playoff games. He was selected with the 130th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2025 NHL Draft and has racked up 121 points (52G-69A) in 162 games over parts of four seasons in the Rose City and has competed in the 2024 WHL Championship and 2025 Western Conference Championship.<\/p>\n

Oliver Okuliar<\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s a new team and a fresh start for Slovak forward Oliver Okuliar. The 26-year-old was acquired by the Penguins in a mid-June trade with the Florida Panthers and promptly signed a one-year, two-way contract. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound forward appeared in 46 games for Skelleftea AIK in the Swedish Hockey League, putting up 29 points (15G-14A) and a +17 rating. He tied for first in playoff goals with six and notched 13 points in 15 postseason games to earn an SHL Championship. 2025-26 also saw Okuliar suit up for Slovakia at the Winter Olympics and 2026 IIHF World Championship. Okuliar spent 2019-20 with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, where he posted 68 points (33G-35A) in 55 games.<\/p>\n

Owen Pickering<\/strong><\/p>\n

Will 2026-26 be Owen Pickering’s time to shine? After sticking with the NHL club for 25 games in 2024-25, the 6-foot-5, 201-pound rearguard appeared in just four NHL contests in 2025-26, though he led all Wilkes-Barre\/Scranton defenders with 28 points (7G-21A) in 68 games. A long-term injury took him out of much of the Penguins’ AHL playoff run, but he flashed his shutdown potential with four points (1G-3A) in 11 games. Originally selected with the 21st overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, the 22-year-old has gotten positive feedback from Pens brass and could prove himself worthy of a roster spot at training camp in the fall. Over parts of four seasons, Pickering played in 205 regular-season games for the Swift Current Broncos, two as captain, logging 133 points (27G-106A) and making the\u00a0WHL Central Division First All-Star Team in 2023 and 2024.<\/p>\n

Liam Ruck\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

It seems the Ruck twins have been everywhere since being selected 22nd and 39th, respectively, in the 2026 NHL Draft. Liam, 18- the younger of the two twins by a couple of minutes- was first off the board after finishing second behind Markus in WHL scoring with 104 points (45G-59A) in 68 games. The Osoyoos, B.C. product tied for second in goals among all WHL skaters, third in game-winning goals with 10, and clocked in at fifth in assists. Liam, the right-handed shooter of the mirror twins, suited up for the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge and 2026 WHL Prospects Game, where the twins combined with Tigers teammate and Canucks prospect Yaroslav Bryzgalov for a key goal. Liam led all WHL rookies with 25 goals in the 2024-25 season and saw plenty of ice on the powerplay as the Tabbies clawed their way to the 2025 WHL Championship. While Medicine Hat ultimately came up short of a repeat performance, Liam tied for the team lead with eight goals and four assists in 14 games to reach the 2026 WHL Eastern Conference Championship. To the surprise of no one, Ruck was named to the WHL Eastern Conference First All-Star Team and the CHL First All-Star Team.<\/p>\n

Markus Ruck<\/strong><\/p>\n

He’s number one! Markus, the left-handed shooter, paced the entire CHL with a whopping 108 points (21G-87A) in 68 games. The 6-foot, 167-pound centreman also topped the WHL with 87 assists and registered seven games with four or more points, highlighted by a one-goal, four-assist effort against the Edmonton Oil Kings in February. Markus had the aforementioned assist at the 2026 WHL Prospects Game and enjoyed a much-increased role on the Tabbies in the 2026 WHL Playoffs, notching 13 points (4G-9A) in 15 outings. Ruck joined his brother on the WHL Eastern Conference First All-Star Team and made the CHL Second All-Star Team. All eyes will be on the Tabbies in 2026-27 as the brothers return to the Gas City for a victory lap and another shot at a league championship.<\/p>\n

Carter Sanderson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Prospect incoming! Pierre, South Dakota’s Carter Sanderson will be a key feature of the Hitmen attack in 2026-27. The 6-foot-2, 196-pound power forward signed a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement with Calgary in early July after recording 34 points (17G-17A) in 54 regular-season games with the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks. He also led the Lumberjacks to the USHL Final with seven points (4G-3A) in 14 playoff outings. Sanderson, 18, was selected by Pittsburgh with the 169th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2025 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the lead-up to the 2026-27 hockey season, we\u2019re diving into the WHL prospect pool for every NHL team. To be included in this list, a player must be recently drafted, signed to an NHL contract, or meet the NHL\u2019s criteria for rookie status. The Pittsburgh Penguins created one of the most memorable moments of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":487,"featured_media":269286,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":1297,"name":"Atley Calvert","slug":"atley-calvert","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1297,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3,"filter":"raw","term_order":"220"},{"term_id":2418,"name":"Carter Sanderson","slug":"carter-sanderson","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2418,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw","term_order":"452"},{"term_id":1364,"name":"Harrison Brunicke","slug":"harrison-brunicke","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1364,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":20,"filter":"raw","term_order":"889"},{"term_id":2130,"name":"Kale Dach","slug":"kale-dach","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2130,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":9,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1168"},{"term_id":1478,"name":"Liam Ruck","slug":"liam-ruck","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1478,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":40,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1281"},{"term_id":1479,"name":"Markus Ruck","slug":"markus-ruck","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1479,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":27,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1373"},{"term_id":1043,"name":"nhl prospect watch","slug":"nhl-prospect-watch","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1082,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":147,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1517"},{"term_id":950,"name":"oliver okuliar","slug":"oliver-okuliar","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":979,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":5,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1572"},{"term_id":1743,"name":"Owen Pickering","slug":"owen-pickering","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1743,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":5,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1598"},{"term_id":1751,"name":"Peyton Kettles","slug":"peyton-kettles","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1751,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":8,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1632"},{"term_id":1926,"name":"Ryan Miller","slug":"ryan-miller","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1926,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":6,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1787"},{"term_id":1184,"name":"Tanner Howe","slug":"tanner-howe","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1184,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":17,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1921"}],"class_list":["post-269237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-atley-calvert","tag-carter-sanderson","tag-harrison-brunicke","tag-kale-dach","tag-liam-ruck","tag-markus-ruck","tag-nhl-prospect-watch","tag-oliver-okuliar","tag-owen-pickering","tag-peyton-kettles","tag-ryan-miller","tag-tanner-howe","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/17115720\/260817_Prospect-Watch-1920_PIT.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\/269237","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\/487"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=269237"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269237\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":269250,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269237\/revisions\/269250"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/269286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=269237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=269237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=269237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":269277,"date":"2026-08-14T10:04:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T16:04:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=269277"},"modified":"2026-08-18T09:41:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T15:41:19","slug":"2026-whl-graduates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/2026-whl-graduates","title":{"rendered":"2026 WHL Graduates: Edmonton Oil Kings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Miroslav Holinka (F)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hometown:<\/strong> Zl\u00edn, Czechia
WHL Career Stats:<\/strong> 106 GP \u2013 56 G-69 A \u2013 125 points
NHL Draft:<\/strong> 2024 \u2013 Fifth Round, 151st Overall (Toronto Maple Leafs)
CHL Import Draft:<\/strong> 2024 \u2013 First Round, 14th Overall (Edmonton Oil Kings)<\/p>\n

Originally selected 14th overall by the Edmonton Oil Kings in the 2024 CHL Import Draft, Czechia-born forward Miroslav Holinka wasted little time making his mark in North America.<\/p>\n

His selection by the Oil Kings marked the second time the sharpshooter found himself on the draft board, as he heard his name called by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the fifth round of the 2024 NHL Draft in June.<\/p>\n

Holinka made his Western Hockey League debut on September 28, 2024, against the Calgary Hitmen, scoring a goal and adding an assist in his first appearance with the Oil Kings. He went on to finish his rookie campaign with an impressive 45 points (19 G-26 A) in 47 games. The product of Zlin, Czechia and his 45-point rookie season had him tied for seventh in first-year scoring \u2013 alongside now-Anaheim Ducks prospect Mathis Preston and San Jose Sharks prospect Keaton Verhoeff.<\/p>\n

His rookie campaign also turned heads at the NHL level, as the ‘Buds’ inked Holinka to a three-year, entry-level contract on June 15, 2025.<\/p>\n

Holinka also represented Czechia at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, helping his home country capture a bronze medal with four points in seven games.<\/p>\n

His second season in Edmonton brought another step forward.<\/p>\n

Holinka led the Oil Kings with 37 goals during the 2025-26 regular season while finishing second on the Club with a career-high 80 points (37 G-43 A) in 59 appearances. His 37 goals ranked 11th in the WHL, while his 80 points placed him among the League’s top 15 scorers.<\/p>\n

His breakout campaign was recognized with a spot on the WHL Eastern Conference Second All-Star Team.<\/p>\n

Holinka closes out his WHL career with 125 points (56 G-69 A) in 106 regular season games, adding 11 points in 14 career playoff appearances.<\/p>\n

Carter Sotheran (D)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hometown:<\/strong> Sanford, Man.
WHL Career Stats:<\/strong> 267 GP \u2013 42 G-126 A \u2013 168 points
WHL Draft:<\/strong> 2020 \u2013 Fifth Round, 97th Overall (Portland Winterhawks)<\/p>\n

Originally selected with the 97th-overall selection by the Portland Winterhawks at the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft, Carter Sotheran spent parts of four seasons developing into one of the Western League’s more productive blueliners.<\/p>\n

The Sanford, Man., product made his WHL debut on September 23, 2022, against the Kamloops Blazers. Sotheran would then collect his first career point and multi-point outing in his second twirl, recording three assists against the Kelowna Rockets.<\/p>\n

Sotheran continued to grow his game over the next several seasons, becoming an important part of two deep playoff runs with the Winterhawks. He recorded 11 points (4 G-7 A) in 14 appearances during the 2024 WHL Playoffs as Portland advanced to the 2024 WHL Championship Series, before adding 15 points (6 G-9 A) in 18 games the following spring as the Winterhawks once again reached the 2025 Western Conference Championship Series.<\/p>\n

On January 6, 2026, the veteran blueliner was acquired by the Edmonton Oil Kings, as the Central Division club geared up for another deep run in the WHL Playoffs. At the time of the trade, he had already recorded 37 points in 37 games with Portland.<\/p>\n

Sotheran continued to produce after arriving in Edmonton, collecting 35 points in just 30 regular season appearances with the Oil Kings. Combined with his production in Portland, he finished the campaign with 72 points (19 G-53 A) in 67 games, establishing career highs in goals, assists and points.<\/p>\n

Sotheran added six assists in seven games during the 2026 WHL Playoffs, bringing his career postseason totals to 33 points in 48 appearances.<\/p>\n

Austin Zemlak (D)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hometown:<\/strong> Fort McMurray, Alta.
WHL Career Stats:<\/strong> 234 GP \u2013 17 G-50 A \u2013 67 points
WHL Draft:<\/strong> 2020 \u2013 First Round, Ninth Overall (Victoria Royals)<\/p>\n

Selected ninth overall by the Victoria Royals in the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft, Austin Zemlak made his WHL debut on May 3, 2021, against the Kamloops Blazers.<\/p>\n

Zemlak joined Victoria full-time the following season and went on to spend parts of four seasons with the Royals, appearing in 147 games.<\/p>\n

On August 15, 2024, Zemlak was acquired by the Tri-City Americans, putting together a productive 2024-25 campaign. The defenceman recorded 25 points in 56 games in his first \u2013 and only \u2013 season with the Ams. His 25 points and 20 helpers went down as career highs for the Fort McMurray, Atlantic., local.<\/p>\n

For his 20-year-old season, Zemlak found himself headed to Edmonton’s ‘Kingdom’ following a brief stint with the NCAA’s Arizona State University.<\/p>\n

Zemlak appeared in 31 regular season games with Edmonton, recording nine points (2 G-7 A) and a plus-10 rating. He added an assist in seven appearances during the 2026 WHL Playoffs.<\/p>\n

In total, Zemlak closes out his WHL career having appeared in 234 regular season games, recording 67 points (17 G-50 A). He also collected one assist in 12 career postseason appearances.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Miroslav Holinka (F) Hometown: Zl\u00edn, CzechiaWHL Career Stats: 106 GP \u2013 56 G-69 A \u2013 125 pointsNHL Draft: 2024 \u2013 Fifth Round, 151st Overall (Toronto Maple Leafs)CHL Import Draft: 2024 \u2013 First Round, 14th Overall (Edmonton Oil Kings) Originally selected 14th overall by the Edmonton Oil Kings in the 2024 CHL Import Draft, Czechia-born forward…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":269278,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":2479,"name":"2026 WHL Graduates","slug":"2026-whl-graduates","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2479,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":6,"filter":"raw","term_order":"3"},{"term_id":1431,"name":"Austin Zemlak","slug":"austin-zemlak","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1431,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4,"filter":"raw","term_order":"230"},{"term_id":2269,"name":"Carter Sotheran","slug":"carter-sotheran","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2269,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":5,"filter":"raw","term_order":"454"},{"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":1265,"filter":"raw","term_order":"750"},{"term_id":1577,"name":"Miroslav Holinka","slug":"miroslav-holinka","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1577,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":12,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1469"}],"class_list":["post-269277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-2026-whl-graduates","tag-austin-zemlak","tag-carter-sotheran","tag-edmonton-oil-kings","tag-miroslav-holinka","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/13110257\/Edmonton_2026-WHL-Graduates.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\/269277","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=269277"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269277\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":269296,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269277\/revisions\/269296"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/269278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=269277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=269277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=269277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}]