[{"id":268854,"date":"2026-07-23T12:26:42","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T18:26:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268854"},"modified":"2026-07-23T12:26:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T18:26:42","slug":"nhl-prospect-watch-carolina-hurricanes-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/nhl-prospect-watch-carolina-hurricanes-5","title":{"rendered":"NHL Prospect Watch: Carolina Hurricanes"},"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

Today we’re checking in on the reigning Stanley Cup Champions.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Zachary Lansard<\/strong><\/p>\n

Seventeen-year-old Zachary Lansard played a key role in helping the Regina Pats return to the WHL postseason in 2025-26. The 6-foot, 172-pound winger potted 24 goals (including three game-winners) and 32 assists for 56 points in 68 games. He finished third on the Pats in points and goals before lighting the lamp three times against the powerhouse Medicine Hat Tigers in the 2026 WHL Playoffs. The Ste. Anne, Man. product earned an invitation to the 2026 WHL Prospects Game and Canada’s pre-tournament camp ahead of the 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship. Carolina called his name with the 68th overall pick in the third round of the 2026 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

Ronan Seeley<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chicago Wolves alternate captain Ronan Seeley was rewarded for one of his best professional AHL seasons with a call-up to the big show for Carolina’s regular-season finale. The 23-year-old made two blocks over 19 shifts in 15:12 of ice time in his NHL Debut, helping the Canes earn a 2-1 win over the New York Islanders. At the AHL level, Seeley did some of his best work yet with 23 points (11G-12A) in 69 games, in addition to a goal and a helper in 21 playoff tilts to help the Wolves reach the Calder Cup Final. The 6-foot-1, 192-pound defender spent four seasons with the Everett Silvertips, tallying 102 points (20G-82A) in 190 games. He captained the Silvertips in his final season of major junior, was named a 2022 WHL U.S. Division Second-Team All-Star and won gold for Canada at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship. Seeley was chosen by Carolina with the 208th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2020 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. Today we’re checking in on the reigning Stanley Cup Champions. Zachary…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":487,"featured_media":268862,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":2098,"name":"Ronan Seeley","slug":"ronan-seeley","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2098,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1730"},{"term_id":2328,"name":"Zachary Lansard","slug":"zachary-lansard","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2328,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2290"}],"class_list":["post-268854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-ronan-seeley","tag-zachary-lansard","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/23122619\/260716_Prospect-Watch-1920_CAR.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\/268854","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=268854"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268854\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":268855,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268854\/revisions\/268855"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":268859,"date":"2026-07-23T12:07:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T18:07:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268859"},"modified":"2026-07-23T12:07:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T18:07:04","slug":"vp-sports-entertainment-presents-winterhawks-defender-psenicka-earns-mammoth-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/vp-sports-entertainment-presents-winterhawks-defender-psenicka-earns-mammoth-deal","title":{"rendered":"VP Sports & Entertainment presents: Winterhawks defender Psenicka earns ‘Mammoth’ deal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Portland, Ore.-\u00a0<\/strong>Talk about a ‘mammoth’ pickup.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Portland Winterhawks defenceman Max Psenicka has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Utah Mammoth, the club announced Thursday.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cAs an organization, we are excited for Max and the opportunity with the Utah Mammoth,” Winterhawks President and General Manager Mike Johnston said. “Max has worked extremely hard and taken advantage of the last year in Portland to showcase his pro potential.”<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Psenicka, a 6-foot-4, 178-pound rearguard, is coming off a career season that saw him net eight goals (including a game-winner) and 22 assists for 30 points in 53 games.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The Prague, Cze. product has amassed 37 points (9G-28A) over two seasons with the Winterhawks, in addition to eight points (1G-7A) in 22 playoff outings.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
At the international level, Psenicka picked up three points (1G-2A) to help Czechia earn a silver medal at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship. He also made his professional debut following the 2026 WHL Playoffs, suiting up for two contests with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, where he picked up his first pro assist.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Utah selected the towering blueliner with the 46th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Psenicka is expected to return to Portland for the 2026-27 WHL season.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Portland, Ore.-\u00a0Talk about a ‘mammoth’ pickup. Portland Winterhawks defenceman Max Psenicka has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Utah Mammoth, the club announced Thursday. \u201cAs an organization, we are excited for Max and the opportunity with the Utah Mammoth,” Winterhawks President and General Manager Mike Johnston said. “Max has worked extremely hard and taken…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":487,"featured_media":268860,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":1848,"name":"Max P\u0161eni\u010dka","slug":"max-psenicka","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1848,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":5,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1397"},{"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":131,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2221"}],"class_list":["post-268859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-max-psenicka","tag-whl-to-nhl","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/23115728\/Psenicka-ELC.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\/268859","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=268859"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268859\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":268861,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268859\/revisions\/268861"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":268856,"date":"2026-07-23T11:12:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T17:12:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268856"},"modified":"2026-07-23T11:12:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T17:12:27","slug":"mcsweeneys-whl-community-collective-kamloops-blazers-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/mcsweeneys-whl-community-collective-kamloops-blazers-3","title":{"rendered":"McSweeney’s WHL Community Collective: Kamloops Blazers"},"content":{"rendered":"

There’s only one Silvertips team the Kamloops Blazers like to pal around with, and it’s certainly not the one based in Everett.<\/p>\n

For more than 20 years, the Blazers have had their annual autumn match against the Kamloops Silvertips Special Olympics ball hockey squad circled on the calendar.<\/p>\n

“We look<\/span> forward<\/span> to<\/span> it<\/span> every<\/span> season,” Blazers forward and Kamloops native Jordan Keller said. “I<\/span>t’s<\/span> always<\/span> a<\/span> good<\/span> time<\/span> just<\/span> hanging<\/span> out<\/span> with<\/span> new<\/span> people, <\/span>and<\/span> you<\/span> know,<\/span> playing<\/span> some<\/span> floor<\/span> hockey.<\/span><\/p>\n

Especially at the end, it gets a little heated. It gets competitive when the scores are close. It’s always a blast.”<\/p>\n

More than a dozen Silvertips players came out for the 2025 edition of the game in November- a special chance to battle some of the NHL’s stars of tomorrow in a breakout season that saw the Blazers return to the WHL Playoffs.<\/p>\n

“It’s so much fun playing the Blazers at floorball; they made us compete very hard,” Silvertips player Shinji said. “I get to watch them every game, so playing together is a highlight for me.”<\/p>\n

“We look up to them, and it meant a lot to play with them and feel included,” Shinji’s teammate, Stuart, added. “They were kind and made us feel special.\u00a0 It was a really great day that we will always remember.”<\/p>\n

“Moments like this mean so much to our athletes \u2014 sharing the floor with their heroes builds confidence, joy, and a sense of belonging that stays with them long after the game ends.” Silvertips coach Genevieve said. “As coaches, it\u2019s incredibly rewarding to witness the smiles, excitement, and pride this experience brings.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re grateful to be able to share this special tradition together year after year.”<\/p>\n

Long promoted as the tournament capital of Canada, Kamloops has previously hosted the 2023 Special Olympics B.C. Winter Games, which saw roughly 500 athletes competing in eight events.<\/p>\n

Beyond floor hockey, many of the local Special Olympics athletes also take part in sports like softball, soccer, golf, swimming, bowling, basketball and rhythmic gymnastics.<\/p>\n

\n

The Western Hockey League strives to promote and foster a welcoming environment in communities close to our 23 clubs in Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest. Every team has the creative freedom to allow their players and staff to work with the organizations and groups that they are most passionate about. The end goal is to create and maintain long-lasting relationships and ongoing partnerships within their community.<\/em><\/p>\n

Through the McSweeney\u2019s WHL Community Collective, we aim to highlight these outstanding initiatives done by each club throughout the season.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There’s only one Silvertips team the Kamloops Blazers like to pal around with, and it’s certainly not the one based in Everett. For more than 20 years, the Blazers have had their annual autumn match against the Kamloops Silvertips Special Olympics ball hockey squad circled on the calendar. “We look forward to it every season,”…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":487,"featured_media":268857,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":868,"name":"WHL Community Collective","slug":"whl-community-collective","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":896,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":76,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2106"}],"class_list":["post-268856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-whl-community-collective","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/23111211\/KAMLOOPS-CC-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\/268856","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=268856"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268856\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":268858,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268856\/revisions\/268858"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":268775,"date":"2026-07-22T15:16:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T21:16:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268775"},"modified":"2026-07-22T15:16:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T21:16:52","slug":"nhl-prospect-watch-calgary-flames-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/nhl-prospect-watch-calgary-flames-5","title":{"rendered":"NHL Prospect Watch: Calgary Flames"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the lead-up to the 2026-27 hockey season, we’re 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’s criteria for rookie status.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Calgary Flames’ prospect pool ranges from blue-chip and blue-collar pickups to some of the most exciting prospects slated to start their WHL careers in 2026-27.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Andrew Basha<\/strong><\/p>\n

After starting the season in the professional ranks, 2025 WHL Champion Andrew Basha returned for a final victory lap in Medicine Hat. The 20-year-old registered a goal and four assists in 27 games with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers before being reassigned to Medicine Hat, where he piled up 50 points (18G-32A) in 32 games while making a switch to centre to play alongside the Ruck twins. The 6-foot, 187-pound forward was drafted by the Flames with the 41st overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NHL Draft. Basha will close out his WHL career with 234 points (82G-152A) in 223 regular-season games with the Tabbies, in addition to 35 points (11G-24A) in 29 playoff matches.<\/p>\n

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

Flames fans won’t soon forget the image of Carels eschewing the pomp of the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo, N.Y., in favour of taking in the draft from his family’s farm in Cypress River, Man. They also won’t forget the eye-popping stats the sixth-overall pick posted last season. The 18-year-old Prince George Cougars alternate captain tallied 20 goals (including three game-winners and a trio of shorthanded strikes), 53 assists, 73 points, and a +23 rating in 58 games in 2025-26. He ranked third in points-per-game among all defencemen, was one of just six blueliners to hit the 20-goal mark in the regular season, cracked the WHL Western Conference First All-Star Team and was named a finalist for the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy for WHL Defenceman of the Year. Carels, who clocks in at 6-foot-1, 198 pounds, was also the second-youngest skater on Team Canada at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, where he played alongside star Flames rookie and OHL graduate Zayne Parekh.<\/p>\n

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

Originally drafted by Colorado with the 161st pick in the fifth round of the 2024 Draft, 6-foot-3, 187-pound centreman Max Curran saw his rights traded to the Calgary Flames as part of a package deal in the Nazem Kadri trade in March. The 19-year-old was in the midst of a career year with the Edmonton Oil Kings, posting 41 points (14G-27A) in 31 games before suffering a season-ending shoulder surgery. He also helped Czechia to a silver medal at the 2026 World Juniors with five points (1G-4A) in seven games. Over three seasons with the Oil Kings and Tri-City Americans, Curran has put up\u00a0 147 points (41G-106A) in 136 regular season games, while earning 2025 WHL Scholastic Player of the Year honours.<\/p>\n

Chase Harrington<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Spokane Chiefs power forward is going from on-ice foes to fellow Flames after a heated playoff battle against Carson Carels and the Cougars in the spring of 2026. Harrington is coming off a career-best 57-point (28G-29A) campaign that saw him average a point per game in the second half of the season. Harrington led the Chiefs in game-winning goals (4) and finished eighth in the WHL in penalty minutes with 105. The 6-foot, 202-pound winger earned invitations to the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge and 2026 WHL Prospects Game before hearing his name called by the Flames with the 36th overall pick in the second round of this year’s draft. Harrington owns 130 career points (53G-77A) in 194 regular-season games with Spokane, while helping the team to the 2025 WHL Championship, where he faced off against Basha and the Tabbies.<\/p>\n

Samuel Honzek<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a perfect world, former Vancouver Giants captain Sam Honzek wouldn’t be on this list. The speedy Slovak was primed for a full season with the big club entering 2025-26. He scored his first NHL goal, added another, and bagged two assists in 18 games before a collision in November forced him to undergo surgery and take his place on the sidelines. Still, there’s plenty of excitement surrounding the 6-foot-4, 185-pound forward. Honzek, 21, racked up 21 points (8G-13A) in 52 contests with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers in 2024-25 after a successful two-season run in the lower mainland. Honzek wasn’t just the first European player to be crowned captain of the Giants; he also scored 33 goals and 54 assists for 87 points in 76 regular-season WHL games. Calgary selected Honzek with the 16th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

Axel Hurtig<\/strong><\/p>\n

Do we sense a theme here? Punishing 6-foot-4 blueliner Axel Hurtig has also played his way into the history books as the first-ever European captain of the Calgary Hitmen. The towering Swede posted 11 goals, 35 points, a +60 rating and 75 penalty minutes in 119 games over two seasons in the Saddledome. ‘Big Axe’ was drafted by the Flames in the seventh round of the 2023 NHL Draft and signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the club in early April. Now 21, Hurtig won’t be going far as he prepares for his first season in the pro ranks with the Wranglers.<\/p>\n

Joe Iginla<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here’s a name Flames fans know and love. Joe Iginla, the son of Hockey Hall-of-Famer Jarome Iginla, was snapped up with the 65th overall pick in the third round of the 2026 NHL Draft. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound forward made moves with 31 points (15G-16A) in 59 games with the Edmonton Oil Kings and Vancouver Giants in 2025-26. After starting his career with the Oil Kings, Iginla was traded to the B.C. Division, where he represented Team West at the 2026 WHL Prospects Game. He’s posted 52 points (27G-25A) over 125 games through parts of four WHL seasons.<\/p>\n

Eric Jamieson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Twenty-one-year-old Eric Jamieson’s year was as good as it can get. The former Everett Silvertips co-captain nabbed 18 points (7G-11A) in 43 contests with the Denver Pioneers before going on to capture an NCAA Championship and making the NCHC All-Rookie Team and 2025-26 Academic Honour Roll. The 6-foot-3, 203-pound defender collected 81 points (27G-54A) in 209 games over parts of four seasons with the Everett Silvertips, culminating in a Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy in 2025 as WHL regular season champions. The Calgary product was drafted by the Flames with the 177th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2024 Draft.<\/p>\n

Cole Reschny<\/strong><\/p>\n

The hard-nosed forward from Macklin, Sask. teamed up with Carels and Parekh at the 2026 World Juniors, where he scored four times and added an assist en route to a bronze medal. In his freshman season at North Dakota, Reschny scored six times and added 29 assists for 25 points in 36 games. The 5-foot-11, 187-pound forward was named NCHC Rookie of the Year and made the NCHC All-Rookie Team. The 19-year-old was a force at the WHL level with 152 points (48G-104A) in 127 regular-season games with the Victoria Royals. Fans on the Island might remember his postseason dominance best. Reschny had 25 points (9G-16A) in 11 playoff games in 2025 alone before being selected 18th overall that June.<\/p>\n

Mace\u2019o Phillips<\/strong><\/p>\n

Six-foot-6, 234-pound rearguard Mace’o Phillips is Gas City bound. He’ll suit up for Basha’s old club, the 2025 WHL Champion Medicine Hat Tigers, as they gear up for an expected deep playoff run. Calgary secured the Wayzata, Minn. product’s services by drafting him in the third round (80th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft. Phillips joins the Tabbies after a stint as alternate captain of the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers, where he logged 11 points (1G-10A) and 187 PIMs in 44 games.<\/p>\n

Jakob Leander<\/strong><\/p>\n

2025 seventh-round pick (208th overall) Jakob Leander is preparing to hop the pond for his first season of North American hockey with the Calgary Hitmen. The 6-foot-4, 209-pound defenceman notched 12 points (2G-10A) in 36 games as an alternate captain for HV71’s U20 side in Sweden before being chosen by the Hitmen with the 48th overall pick in the first round of the 2026 CHL Import Draft.<\/p>\n

Bode Laylin<\/strong><\/p>\n

Five-foot-11, 178-pound defenceman Bode Laylin is the most recent addition to the Flames’ stable of prospects, having been chosen with the 164th pick in the sixth round of the 2026 Draft. The St. Michael, Minn. product is slated to join Jamieson’s former team, the Everett Silvertips, after parts of three seasons with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm, most recently putting up 38 points (11G-27A) in 55 games in 2025-26. Laylin signed a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement in May of 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the lead-up to the 2026-27 hockey season, we’re 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’s criteria for rookie status. The Calgary Flames’ prospect pool ranges from blue-chip and blue-collar pickups…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":487,"featured_media":268852,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":2449,"name":"Jacob Leander","slug":"jacob-leander","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2449,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"3"},{"term_id":1354,"name":"Andrew Basha","slug":"andrew-basha","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1354,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":27,"filter":"raw","term_order":"164"},{"term_id":2096,"name":"Axel Hurtig","slug":"axel-hurtig","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2096,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":5,"filter":"raw","term_order":"202"},{"term_id":2357,"name":"Bode Laylin","slug":"bode-laylin","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2357,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw","term_order":"253"},{"term_id":1510,"name":"Carson Carels","slug":"carson-carels","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1510,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":35,"filter":"raw","term_order":"404"},{"term_id":1825,"name":"Chase Harrington","slug":"chase-harrington","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1825,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":13,"filter":"raw","term_order":"442"},{"term_id":1413,"name":"Cole Reschny","slug":"cole-reschny","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1413,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":41,"filter":"raw","term_order":"512"},{"term_id":1572,"name":"Eric Jamieson","slug":"eric-jamieson","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1572,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":6,"filter":"raw","term_order":"737"},{"term_id":1501,"name":"Joe Iginla","slug":"joe-iginla","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1501,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":11,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1053"},{"term_id":2415,"name":"Mace'o Phillips","slug":"maceo-phillips","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2415,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1307"},{"term_id":1361,"name":"Max Curran","slug":"max-curran","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1361,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":10,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1386"},{"term_id":1530,"name":"Samuel Honzek","slug":"samuel-honzek","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1530,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1787"}],"class_list":["post-268775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-jacob-leander","tag-andrew-basha","tag-axel-hurtig","tag-bode-laylin","tag-carson-carels","tag-chase-harrington","tag-cole-reschny","tag-eric-jamieson","tag-joe-iginla","tag-maceo-phillips","tag-max-curran","tag-samuel-honzek","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/22150608\/260716_Prospect-Watch-1920_CGY.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\/268775","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=268775"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":268853,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268775\/revisions\/268853"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":268843,"date":"2026-07-22T11:31:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T17:31:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268843"},"modified":"2026-07-22T12:32:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T18:32:23","slug":"vancouver-giants-sign-2026-4th-overall-pick-jugnauth-to-whl-scholarship-development-agreement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/vancouver-giants-sign-2026-4th-overall-pick-jugnauth-to-whl-scholarship-development-agreement","title":{"rendered":"Vancouver Giants sign 2026 fourth-overall pick Jugnauth to WHL Scholarship & Development Agreement"},"content":{"rendered":"

Langley, B.C. \u2013 <\/b>The Vancouver Giants are proud to announce the signing of 2011-born forward <\/span>Bryaden Jugnauth<\/b><\/a> (Kelowna, B.C.) to a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

The 15-year-old right-shot forward was named the U18 player of the year in the BC Elite Hockey League (BCEHL) this past season after producing 58 points (32G-26A) in 34 games. He added nine goals and nine assists for 18 points in just six playoff games, helping the Rockets win back-to-back U18 Championships.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re thrilled to welcome Brayden to our organization and announce the signing of his WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement,\u201d Giants Head Coach and General Manager Michael Dyck said. \u201cBrayden is a highly intelligent forward who has excellent instincts for the game. He enjoyed a standout season while competing against much older players, which speaks to both his skill and maturity. We look forward to supporting his development and watching him grow into an impact WHL player.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jugnauth\u2019s 32 goals led the BCEHL U18 AAA division and his 58 points were second. The 5-foot-9 centre helped the Rockets capture their second straight Pacific Regional Championship, advancing to the TELUS Cup National Championship where they made the semifinal, in large part thanks to Jugnauth, who recorded 11 points in seven games (6G-5A). Despite being the youngest player at the Telus Cup, Jugnauth\u2019s 11 points tied for second among all forwards in the tournament.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very honoured and grateful to be drafted by the Giants. My appreciation goes out to the management and coaching staff, ownership and the scouts for putting their trust and believing in me to give me this amazing opportunity,\u201d Jugnauth said. \u201cMost importantly, I want to thank my family for helping me and being there every step of the way. I also want to thank my coaches, teammates and the whole Okanagan Rockets staff for their endless support over the last couple of seasons. I\u2019m super excited to become a Giant and can\u2019t wait to get started and see what the future holds.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Jugnauth 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

“Brayden Jugnauth<\/a> shattered expectations this season.”<\/h3>\n

Jugnauth was ranked third overall on Elite Prospects Top-120 Ranking<\/a> for the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft.<\/p>\n

“Not only did he make an impact at [the U18] level, but he was able to dominate it, finishing second in league scoring. He followed that up with a dominant playoff run, winning the league championship,”\u00a0EP\u2019s ranking<\/span><\/a>\u00a0said. \u201cJugnauth is able to control games with his brain. It starts away from the puck, as he\u2019s always open, intercepting breakouts and spacing the ice. With possession, he\u2019s a deadly shooter, firing off the catch, off the rush, and from sharp angles. Plus, he\u2019s a skilled playmaker who creates time and space with dishes, particularly in transition. While Jugnauth\u2019s not an explosive skater, his relatively thin frame suggests he has a lot more room to develop. His stock has skyrocketed this season, jumping from 14th on our first ranking to a surefire top-five pick and looking like a future first-line centre.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Langley, B.C. \u2013 The Vancouver Giants are proud to announce the signing of 2011-born forward Bryaden Jugnauth (Kelowna, B.C.) to a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. Jugnauth was selected by the Giants with the fourth overall pick in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft. The 15-year-old right-shot forward was named the U18 player of the year…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":487,"featured_media":268845,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":2451,"name":"Brayden Jugnauth","slug":"brayden-jugnauth","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2451,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1"}],"class_list":["post-268843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-brayden-jugnauth","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/22113050\/Jugnauth-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\/268843","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=268843"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268843\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":268849,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268843\/revisions\/268849"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":268837,"date":"2026-07-22T11:06:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T17:06:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268837"},"modified":"2026-07-22T11:06:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T17:06:55","slug":"eleven-whl-players-named-to-canadas-national-under-18-training-camp-ahead-of-hlinka-gretzky-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/eleven-whl-players-named-to-canadas-national-under-18-training-camp-ahead-of-hlinka-gretzky-cup","title":{"rendered":"Eleven WHL players named to Canada’s National Under-18 Training Camp ahead of Hlinka Gretzky Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

Calgary, Alta.-\u00a0<\/strong>Eleven WHL skaters will battle to represent Canada at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.<\/p>\n

Seven forwards, three defencemen and one goaltender have been named to Hockey Canada’s 27-man roster for its National Men’s Summer Under-18 Training Camp, which runs from July 27- August 1 in Edmonton.<\/p>\n

Projected top 2027 NHL Draft pick Landon DuPont is set to appear at the tournament for a second straight year after claiming bronze with Canada in 2025.<\/p>\n

The WHL’s first exceptional-status blueliner is coming off a stellar season that saw him help the Everett Silvertips capture the Ed Chynoweth Cup for the first time in franchise history, while being named a finalist for WHL Defenceman of the Year and logging 73 points (18G-55A) and a +59 rating.<\/p>\n

DuPont recently squared off against another elite rearguard, 2024 WHL second-overall pick Brock Cripps, and the Prince Albert Raiders in the 2026 WHL Championship Series.<\/p>\n

Cripps posted 37 points (6G-31A) in his rookie campaign in Hockeytown North and was named a finalist for WHL Rookie of the Year.<\/p>\n

Boston Tait, a 6-foot-1, 166-pound defender from Estevan, Saskatchewan, rounds out the WHL defensive contingent after nabbing 23 points (5G-18A) in his first full season with the Wenatchee Wild after being selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft.<\/p>\n

For the trivia fans, Tait is the first WHL Draft pick in Wenatchee’s history.<\/p>\n

Up front, a formidable forward group includes a pair of standout 2010-born players in Maddox Schultz and Liam Pue of the Regina Pats.<\/p>\n

Through the Western Canadian Development Model, the duo played 34 games with the Pats in 2025-26 as 15-year-olds, with Schultz, the 2025 WHL first-overall pick, potting 29 points (15G-14A) and Pue, who went third overall, adding 16 points (6G-10A).<\/p>\n

Brock England put the U.S. Division on notice with 21 goals (including two game-winners and a pair of shorthanded goals) and 51 points as a rookie centreman for the Seattle Thunderbirds.<\/p>\n

2024 fourth-overall pick Ben Harvey found his footing alongside Cripps in Prince Albert, racking up 27 points (14G-13A) in 45 games, highlighted by his first WHL hat trick.<\/p>\n

On Vancouver Island, 2024 18th overall pick Ludovic Perreault tallied 36 points (20G-16A) and didn’t miss a single game for the upstart Victoria Royals.<\/p>\n

Brandon Wheat Kings forward Chase Surkan (2024, 14th overall) also hit the 20-goal mark in a 38-point run, while Edmonton Oil Kings centreman Kayden Stroeder notched 32 points (13G-19A) in his first full season of major junior after being chosen with the fifth overall pick back in 2024.<\/p>\n

Between the pipes, Leif Oaten faced plenty of rubber in his first season with the Lethbridge Hurricanes.<\/p>\n

The 2024 third-round pick went 6-19-2-0 with the rebuilding club, posting a 4.23 goals-against average, an .876 save percentage and a 21-save shutout, while facing an average of 30.5 shots per game.<\/p>\n

The WHL leads all CHL member leagues with 11 invited players.<\/p>\n

The Ontario Hockey League is a close second with 10 invitees, while the QMJHL will send six skaters, including projected top 2027 NHL Draft pick Alexis Joseph.<\/p>\n

“This is a talented and well-rounded group of young players,” Hockey Canada Program of Excellence General Manager and former WHL executive Alan Millar said. “Our staff have worked tirelessly to identify a roster that we believe gives us the best chance to be successful on home ice. We look forward to gathering in Edmonton next week to continue our preparations for the tournament, and for the opportunity to get Canada back on top of the podium in front of Canadian fans in August.”<\/p>\n

On the bench, 2026 WHL Coach of the Year finalist Ryan McDonald (Prince Albert Raiders \/ Prince Albert, Sask.) has been tapped as an assistant coach, along with Kyle Chipchura (Edmonton Oil Kings \/Westlock, Alta.) and goaltending coach Jeff Harvey (St. Albert, Alta. \/ Saskatoon Blades).<\/p>\n

Training camp will take place at NAIT Arena and Rogers Place, home of the Edmonton Oilers and Oil Kings, and will include a scrimmage against Sweden on July 30 and a pre-tournament match against Czechia on August 1.<\/p>\n

Canada will chase a return to gold when it opens the 2026\u00a0Hlinka Gretzky Cup against Switzerland on Aug. 3 at 5 p.m. MT.<\/p>\n

The tournament will wrap with medal games on August 8.<\/p>\n

2026 Hockey Canada National Under-18 Development Camp- WHL Roster<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Last name<\/strong><\/td>\nFirst name<\/strong><\/td>\nWHL Club\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\nHometown<\/strong><\/td>\nHeight<\/strong><\/td>\nWeight<\/strong><\/td>\nPosition<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Oaten<\/td>\nLeif<\/td>\nLethbridge<\/td>\nCalgary, Alta.<\/td>\n6’3<\/td>\n194<\/td>\nG<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cripps<\/td>\nBrock<\/td>\nPrince Albert<\/td>\nVictoria, B.C.<\/td>\n5’10<\/td>\n160<\/td>\nD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
DuPont<\/td>\nLandon<\/td>\nEverett<\/td>\nCalgary, Alta.<\/td>\n5’11<\/td>\n185<\/td>\nD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tait<\/td>\nBoston<\/td>\nWenatchee<\/td>\nEstevan, Sask.<\/td>\n6’2<\/td>\n183<\/td>\nD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
England<\/td>\nBrock<\/td>\nSeattle<\/td>\nRed Deer, Alta.<\/td>\n5’11<\/td>\n174<\/td>\nF<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Harvey<\/td>\nBen<\/td>\nPrince Albert<\/td>\nEdmonton, Alta.<\/td>\n5’11<\/td>\n183<\/td>\nF<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Perreault<\/td>\nLudovic<\/td>\nVictoria<\/td>\nWinnipeg, Man.<\/td>\n5’9<\/td>\n161<\/td>\nF<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pue<\/td>\nLiam<\/td>\nRegina<\/td>\nLangley, B.C.<\/td>\n6’2<\/td>\n176<\/td>\nF<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Schultz<\/td>\nMaddox<\/td>\nRegina<\/td>\nRegina, Sask.<\/td>\n5’10<\/td>\n181<\/td>\nF<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Surkan<\/td>\nChase<\/td>\nBrandon<\/td>\nRegina, Sask.<\/td>\n5’8<\/td>\n168<\/td>\nF<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Stroeder<\/td>\nKayden<\/td>\nEdmonton<\/td>\nSaskatoon, Sask.<\/td>\n5’10<\/td>\n150<\/td>\nF<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Calgary, Alta.-\u00a0Eleven WHL skaters will battle to represent Canada at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Seven forwards, three defencemen and one goaltender have been named to Hockey Canada’s 27-man roster for its National Men’s Summer Under-18 Training Camp, which runs from July 27- August 1 in Edmonton. Projected top 2027 NHL Draft pick Landon DuPont…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":487,"featured_media":268842,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":2424,"name":"2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup","slug":"2026-hlinka-gretzky-cup","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2424,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3,"filter":"raw","term_order":"87"}],"class_list":["post-268837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-2026-hlinka-gretzky-cup","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/22110640\/test.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\/268837","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=268837"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268837\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":268841,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268837\/revisions\/268841"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":268760,"date":"2026-07-21T15:48:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T21:48:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268760"},"modified":"2026-07-21T15:48:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T21:48:11","slug":"nhl-prospect-watch-buffalo-sabres-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/nhl-prospect-watch-buffalo-sabres-5","title":{"rendered":"NHL Prospect Watch: Buffalo Sabres"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the lead-up to the 2026-27 hockey season, we’re 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’s criteria for rookie status.<\/em><\/p>\n

Today, we check in on the Buffalo Sabres and the WHL’s top active player selected in the 2026 NHL Draft.<\/i><\/p>\n

\n

Riley Fiddler-Schultz<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 2020 WHL Humanitarian of the Year continued to show growth in his third season of professional hockey. After earning his first NHL contact as a free agent in the summer of 2025, Schultz popped off for his first 20-goal AHL season, netting 37 points (21G-16A), including his first AHL hat trick, in 62 games with the Rochester Americans. The Sherwood Park, Alta. product tied for second on the team in goals and third in points. The 24-year-old was also named the Amerk’s winner of the AHL Man of the Year award for his community contributions for the 2025-26 season. Fiddler Schultz, who clocks in at 6-foot, 200 pounds, spent five seasons with the Calgary Hitmen, including one as captain, putting up 189 career points (77G-112A) in 246 games. He was named to the WHL Central Division First All-Star Team in 2023 and made the Second All-Star Team in 2022, while leaving a strong legacy of volunteerism.<\/p>\n

Zac Funk<\/strong><\/p>\n

The WHL hat trick merchant will rock a new uniform in 2026-27! Buffalo acquired Funk in a trade with the Washington Capitals on July 13. The 6-foot, 201-pound winger split the season between the AHL’s Hershey Bears and the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays. He posted 19 points (9G-10A) in 23 appearances with the Stingrays and two helpers in 10 outings with the Bears. The Coldstream, B.C. product is entering the final year of a three-year, entry-level contract, which he earned as an undrafted free agent. Funk, 22, split his WHL career between the Hitmen (where he skated alongside Fiddler-Schultz) and Prince George, where he burst out of the gates as a goal-scoring machine. Over parts of six seasons, he logged 227 points (119G-108A) in 228 regular-season games- highlighted by a 67-goal romp and 123-point campaign in 2023-24.<\/p>\n

Radim Mrtka<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 6-foot-6, 216-pound rearguard continued to be a punishing presence for the Seattle Thunderbirds in his sophomore WHL season. Mrtka scored once and tacked on 33 assists for 34 points in 43 games in 2025-26, in addition to a trio of assists in five playoff games. The 19-year-old also made his debut for Czechia at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, where he played five games and earned a +4 rating while helping his country to a silvert medal. Mrtka, who was selected ninth overall in the 2025 NHL Draft, made his professional debut with the Americans in the spring and garnered an assist in eight games, plus another apple in three postseason tilts.\u00a0The Thunderbirds selected Mrtka with the 71st overall pick in the second round of the 2024 CHL Import Draft.<\/p>\n

Daxon Rudolph<\/strong><\/p>\n

A banner season for Lacome, Alta.’s Daxon Rudolph saw the 6-foot-2, 202-pound defender become the first active WHLer to go off the board at the 2026 NHL Draft at fourth overall. The former WHL first-overall pick lit up the league with 28 goals (including six game-winners) and 50 assists for 78 points in 68 games, tying franchise legend Josh Morrissey for single-season goals by a defenceman and helping the Raiders post a 52-win season. The 18-year-old went on a tear in the postseason, tying for the league lead with 27 points (9G-18A) in 19 games while reaching the WHL Championship Series. Outside of his play with Prince Albert, Rudolph notched four points (2G-2A) and the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, suited up for the CHL USA Prospects Challenge (2A) and scored the overtime winner for Team East and the 2026 WHL Prospects Game. He was named to the WHL Eastern Conference First All-Star Team, the CHL Third All-Star Team, and capped off the year by being drafted by the hosts of the 2026 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

Scott Ratzlaff<\/strong><\/p>\n

In his first season in the pro ranks, former Thunderbirds alternate captain Scott Ratzlaff divvied up his time between Rochester and the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen. The 6-foot-1, 188-pound puckstopper started the campaign in the ECHL, going 5-7-2 with a 3.10 goals-against average and .913 save percentage, before spending the bulk of the second half of the year in the AHL. Ratzlaff logged the second-most minutes of any Amerks goalie, going 4-6-1-1 with a 3.44 GAA, .878 save percentage and one shutout- a 25-save performance against the Springfield Thunderbirds on February 6. He was named ECHL Rookie of the Month for October after his stellar start. The Irma, Alta. product was sensational in his five WHL seasons, amassing a career 87-55-5-3 record, a 2.90 GAA, .909 save percentage and eight shutouts. He iced three consecutive 20-plus win seasons, backed the team up to the 2023 WHL Championship, was named a finalist for WHL Goaltender of the Year in 2025, and made the 2025 WHL Western Conference First All-Star Team. Buffalo called his name with the 141st overall pick in the fifth round of the 2023 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the lead-up to the 2026-27 hockey season, we’re 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’s criteria for rookie status. Today, we check in on the Buffalo Sabres and the WHL’s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":487,"featured_media":268830,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":1494,"name":"Daxon Rudolph","slug":"daxon-rudolph","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1494,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":45,"filter":"raw","term_order":"626"},{"term_id":2091,"name":"Norwin Panocha","slug":"norwin-panocha","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2091,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1536"},{"term_id":1754,"name":"Radim Mrtka","slug":"radim-mrtka","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1754,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":11,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1657"},{"term_id":2047,"name":"Riley Fiddler-Schultz","slug":"riley-fiddler-schultz","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2047,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1702"},{"term_id":1472,"name":"Scott Ratzlaff","slug":"scott-ratzlaff","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1472,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":17,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1812"},{"term_id":1258,"name":"Zac Funk","slug":"zac-funk","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1258,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":5,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2280"}],"class_list":["post-268760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-daxon-rudolph","tag-norwin-panocha","tag-radim-mrtka","tag-riley-fiddler-schultz","tag-scott-ratzlaff","tag-zac-funk","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/21154750\/260716_Prospect-Watch-1920_BUF.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\/268760","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=268760"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268760\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":268770,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268760\/revisions\/268770"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":268826,"date":"2026-07-21T15:08:53","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T21:08:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268826"},"modified":"2026-07-21T15:08:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T21:08:53","slug":"canadas-national-under-17-development-camp-cruz-jim-brandon-wheat-kings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/video\/canadas-national-under-17-development-camp-cruz-jim-brandon-wheat-kings","title":{"rendered":"Canada\u2019s National Under-17 Development Camp | Cruz Jim, Brandon Wheat Kings"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":487,"featured_media":268827,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1113],"tags":[{"term_id":2448,"name":"Cruz Jim","slug":"cruz-jim","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2448,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"4"},{"term_id":2425,"name":"2026 U17 World Challenge","slug":"2026-u17-world-challenge","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2425,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":6,"filter":"raw","term_order":"93"}],"class_list":["post-268826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video","tag-cruz-jim","tag-2026-u17-world-challenge","category-1113","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/21150840\/Cruz-Jim.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":{"video_id":"2749204","partner_id":"31014","player_id":"47902","width":"16","height":"9","360p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/sd\/2749204.mp4","240p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/ld\/2749204.mp4","480p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/hsd\/2749204.mp4","1080p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/fhd\/2749204.mp4","hls":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/streaming\/2749204\/2749204.m3u8","webp":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/webp\/2749204.webp"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268826","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=268826"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268826\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":268828,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268826\/revisions\/268828"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":268820,"date":"2026-07-21T13:24:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T19:24:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268820"},"modified":"2026-07-21T19:50:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T01:50:37","slug":"americans-sign-2010-born-forward-owen-kraft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/americans-sign-2010-born-forward-owen-kraft","title":{"rendered":"Tri-City Americans sign 2010-born forward Owen Kraft"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tri-City Americans general manager Bob Tory announced Monday that the team has signed forward Owen Kraft to a WHL Standard Player Agreement and Development Plan.<\/p>\n

The Americans acquired Kraft from the Wenatchee Wild in a trade completed on July 14, 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cOwen is a highly skilled, dynamic forward with an elite hockey IQ and a high compete level,\u201d stated Tory. “We look forward to having Owen attend training camp this fall and compete for a roster spot this season. We are pleased to welcome Owen and his family to the Tri-City Americans.”<\/p>\n

Kraft is a 5-foot-9, 174-pound forward from Moorhead, Minn.<\/p>\n

He was originally selected by the Wild with the 38th overall pick in the second round of the 2025 WHL U.S. Priority Draft.<\/p>\n

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

Tri-City Americans general manager Bob Tory announced Monday that the team has signed forward Owen Kraft to a WHL Standard Player Agreement and Development Plan. The Americans acquired Kraft from the Wenatchee Wild in a trade completed on July 14, 2026. \u201cOwen is a highly skilled, dynamic forward with an elite hockey IQ and a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":487,"featured_media":268822,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":2264,"name":"Mason Kraft","slug":"mason-kraft","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2264,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1349"},{"term_id":27,"name":"tri-city americans","slug":"tri-city-americans","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":208,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":901,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1971"}],"class_list":["post-268820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-mason-kraft","tag-tri-city-americans","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/21132426\/KRAFT-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\/268820","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=268820"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268820\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":268824,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268820\/revisions\/268824"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":268816,"date":"2026-07-21T12:34:53","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T18:34:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268816"},"modified":"2026-07-21T12:34:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T18:34:53","slug":"canadas-national-under-17-development-camp-christopher-kokkoris-edmonton-oil-kings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/video\/canadas-national-under-17-development-camp-christopher-kokkoris-edmonton-oil-kings","title":{"rendered":"Canada\u2019s National Under-17 Development Camp | Christopher Kokkoris, Edmonton Oil Kings"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":487,"featured_media":268817,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1113],"tags":[{"term_id":2425,"name":"2026 U17 World Challenge","slug":"2026-u17-world-challenge","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2425,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":6,"filter":"raw","term_order":"93"},{"term_id":1984,"name":"Christopher Kokkoris","slug":"christopher-kokkoris","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1984,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw","term_order":"483"}],"class_list":["post-268816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video","tag-2026-u17-world-challenge","tag-christopher-kokkoris","category-1113","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/21123429\/KOKKORIS-1920.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":{"video_id":"2749001","partner_id":"31014","player_id":"47902","width":"16","height":"9","360p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/sd\/2749001.mp4","240p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/ld\/2749001.mp4","480p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/hsd\/2749001.mp4","1080p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/fhd\/2749001.mp4","hls":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/streaming\/2749001\/2749001.m3u8","webp":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/webp\/2749001.webp"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268816","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=268816"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268816\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":268818,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268816\/revisions\/268818"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}]