[{"id":268516,"date":"2026-06-29T11:44:49","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T17:44:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268516"},"modified":"2026-06-29T11:44:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T17:44:49","slug":"thunderbirds-rockets-complete-trade-involving-blueliner-owen-hayden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/thunderbirds-rockets-complete-trade-involving-blueliner-owen-hayden","title":{"rendered":"Thunderbirds, Rockets complete trade involving blueliner Owen Hayden"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]KENT, Wash.<\/strong> \u2013 Ahead of next Tuesday\u2019s CHL Import Draft, the Seattle Thunderbirds have finalized a trade with the Kelowna Rockets. Seattle is sending three draft picks to Kelowna to acquire 2009 born defenseman Owen Hayden. Two draft picks are coming back to Seattle in the deal as well.<\/p>\n

To obtain Hayden the Thunderbirds will send Kelowna their first pick in next week\u2019s CHL Import Draft. In addition, a first round selection in the 2028 WHL Prospects draft that Seattle acquired this past winter from the Prince Albert Raiders, along with a 2027 third round pick, also acquired from the Raiders, are headed to the Rockets in the transaction.<\/p>\n

Hayden was Kelowna\u2019s first round pick in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft, taken ninth overall. The 6\u20197\u201d, 195 lb. left shot defenseman from Calgary just finished his rookie season with the Rockets.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are really excited to add Owen to our team,\u201d said T-Birds General Manager Bil LaForge. \u201cHe is a player we have always liked going back to his draft year. We feel he is a great fit to our group. We are looking forward to seeing him with the rest of team when we gather for training camp in late August.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to Hayden the T-Birds will receive the Rockets second round pick in next Tuesday\u2019s Import Draft and a fourth round selection in the 2028 WHL Prospects Draft.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]KENT, Wash. \u2013 Ahead of next Tuesday\u2019s CHL Import Draft, the Seattle Thunderbirds have finalized a trade with the Kelowna Rockets. Seattle is sending three draft picks to Kelowna to acquire 2009 born defenseman Owen Hayden. Two draft picks are coming back to Seattle in the deal as well. To obtain Hayden the Thunderbirds…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":268518,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":2412,"name":"Owen Hayden","slug":"owen-hayden","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2412,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"0"},{"term_id":33,"name":"kelowna rockets","slug":"kelowna-rockets","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":166,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1111,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1688"},{"term_id":26,"name":"seattle thunderbirds","slug":"seattle-thunderbirds","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":175,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1324,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1983"}],"class_list":["post-268516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-owen-hayden","tag-kelowna-rockets","tag-seattle-thunderbirds","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/29114439\/Hayden-Trade-1920.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268516","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=268516"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268516\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":268519,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268516\/revisions\/268519"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":268510,"date":"2026-06-29T11:05:33","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T17:05:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268510"},"modified":"2026-06-29T11:05:33","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T17:05:33","slug":"vancouver-giants-announce-michael-dyck-as-head-coach-general-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/vancouver-giants-announce-michael-dyck-as-head-coach-general-manager","title":{"rendered":"Vancouver Giants announce Michael Dyck as Head Coach & General Manager"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ladner, B.C. \u2013 <\/b>The Vancouver Giants announced today the hiring of Michael Dyck as the club\u2019s next Head Coach and General Manager.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dyck returns to the Giants after spending the past three seasons as an Assistant Coach with the American Hockey League\u2019s Toronto Marlies, where he recently helped the club capture the 2026 Calder Cup. He becomes the first person in franchise history to hold the dual role of Head Coach and GM.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Michael has been an important part of the Giants family for many years, and we couldn\u2019t be more pleased to bring him back in this expanded role,\u201d Giants Majority Owner and President Ron Toigo said. \u201cHe knows what it takes to build a winning culture. His experience, character and commitment to player development make him the ideal person to guide our team both behind the bench and in the front office as we enter the next chapter of Giants hockey.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The appointment marks a return to familiar territory for Dyck, who previously served as the Giants\u2019 Head Coach from 2018-23. His history with the organization also includes stints as an assistant coach (2002-05), scout (2009-10) and director of player development (2010-12).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an honour to return to this organization as GM and Head Coach,\u201d Dyck said. \u201cWe have a clear vision for how we want to play and the type of identity we want to create. We\u2019re focused on establishing a culture built on development, professionalism and consistent performance. I\u2019m looking forward to getting to work with our players, staff and community.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A native of Lethbridge, Alta., Dyck brings 19 seasons of WHL coaching experience to the role.<\/span><\/p>\n

During his previous tenure with the Giants from 2018-23, Dyck guided Vancouver to the 2019 WHL Championship Series and helped engineer one of the most memorable playoff upsets in league history when the eighth-seeded Giants defeated the top-seeded Everett Silvertips in the opening round of the 2022 WHL Playoffs. He compiled a regular-season record of 144-120-17-7 and a playoff mark of 21-17 during his five seasons behind the bench.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to his WHL experience with Vancouver, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat and Kootenay, Dyck has represented Canada on multiple occasions, winning gold medals at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship and the 2021 IIHF Men’s World Championship, as well as silver medals at the 2021 WJC, <\/span>the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the 2016 Youth Olympic Games.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a player, Dyck spent five seasons in the WHL from 1985-89 with the Calgary Wranglers, Brandon Wheat Kings and Regina Pats.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Vancouver Giants organization extends a warm welcome back to Michael, his wife Charlene and their three children: Bailey, Carson and Brennan.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Season Tickets for the 2026-27 season are available now!<\/span><\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE !<\/b><\/a><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dyck recently helped the Toronto Marlies capture the 2026 Calder Cup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":268512,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":921,"name":"michael dyck","slug":"michael-dyck","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":950,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1793"},{"term_id":29,"name":"vancouver giants","slug":"vancouver-giants","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":295,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1076,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2098"}],"class_list":["post-268510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-michael-dyck","tag-vancouver-giants","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/29110524\/Dyck_HC.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\/268510","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=268510"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268510\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":268513,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268510\/revisions\/268513"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":268506,"date":"2026-06-29T08:27:40","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T14:27:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268506"},"modified":"2026-06-29T08:27:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T14:27:40","slug":"recapping-the-2026-nhl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/video\/recapping-the-2026-nhl-draft","title":{"rendered":"Recapping the 2026 NHL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":268507,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1113],"tags":[{"term_id":1301,"name":"2026 NHL Draft","slug":"2026-nhl-draft","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1301,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":129,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1029"}],"class_list":["post-268506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video","tag-2026-nhl-draft","video-channels-2026-nhl-draft","category-1113","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/29082704\/1920-2.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":{"video_id":"2712875","partner_id":"27533","player_id":"47902","width":"16","height":"9","360p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/27533\/sd\/2712875.mp4","240p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/27533\/ld\/2712875.mp4","480p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/27533\/hsd\/2712875.mp4","1080p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/27533\/fhd\/2712875.mp4","hls":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/27533\/streaming\/2712875\/2712875.m3u8","webp":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/27533\/webp\/2712875.webp"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268506","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=268506"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268506\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":268508,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268506\/revisions\/268508"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":268503,"date":"2026-06-27T16:15:34","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T22:15:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268503"},"modified":"2026-06-27T16:15:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T22:15:34","slug":"37-western-hockey-league-players-and-two-alumni-selected-in-2026-nhl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/37-western-hockey-league-players-and-two-alumni-selected-in-2026-nhl-draft","title":{"rendered":"37 Western Hockey League players and two alumni selected in 2026 NHL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

WHL LEADS ALL LEAGUES WITH FOUR DEVELOPED PLAYERS SELECTED IN TOP 10 AND 22 PLAYERS IN FIRST THREE ROUNDS; TIGERS ALUMNUS MCKENNA GOES FIRST OVERALL TO TORONTO<\/em><\/p>\n

Buffalo, N.Y. \u2013<\/strong> The Western Hockey League announced today 37 players and two alumni have been selected in the 2026 NHL Draft, held Friday and Saturday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.<\/p>\n

The 106 Canadian Hockey League players selected in the 2026 NHL Draft is the highest total since 2010. Of the 224 players selected in the 2026 NHL Draft, 106 came from the CHL, representing 47.3 per cent of all players chosen. Of the 106 players selected from the CHL, 36.8 per cent hail from the WHL.<\/p>\n

Since the 1967 NHL Amateur draft 2,268 players have been selected out of the WHL, including 360 first-round selections.<\/p>\n

PLAYER ASSETS<\/a> \u2013 ACTION PHOTOS & HIGHLIGHTS
\nPHOTOS<\/a> \u2013 2026 NHL Draft (Credit to Natalie Shaver \/ CHL)
\nMEDIA AVAILS<\/a><\/p>\n

For the second time in three drafts, the WHL boasts four players selected in the top 10 of the NHL Draft. This also serves as the second consecutive NHL Draft in which the WHL has led or tied for the most first-round players selected among any development league. The 2025 NHL Draft featured nine WHL players chosen in the first round.<\/p>\n

With 22 players selected through the first three rounds of the 2026 NHL Draft, the WHL led all development leagues.<\/p>\n

Former WHL Player of the Year Gavin McKenna (Medicine Hat Tigers) was selected first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs, followed by Prince Albert Raiders defenceman Daxon Rudolph going to the Buffalo Sabres with the fourth pick. Prince George Cougars blueliner Carson Carels was called by the Calgary Flames with the sixth-overall selection and former Victoria Royals rearguard Keaton Verhoeff rounded out the group after being chosen ninth overall by the San Jose Sharks.<\/p>\n

The first round concluded with a run of WHL players, including Ryan Lin going 21st overall to the San Jose Sharks, Liam Ruck selected 22nd overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins, and JP Hurlbert hearing his name called 23rd overall by the Detroit Red Wings.<\/p>\n

The second round of the 2026 NHL Draft featured eight WHL players, including Chase Harrington (Spokane Chiefs), Matias Vanhanen (Everett Silvertips), Markus Ruck (Pittsburgh Penguins), Mathis Preston (Anaheim Ducks), Brek Liske (Philadelphia Flyers), Timofei Runtso (Montreal Canadiens), Jakub Vanecek (Dallas Stars), and Benjamin MacBeath (New York Rangers).<\/p>\n

The Medicine Hat Tigers led all WHL Clubs with five players selected in the 2026 NHL Draft, including McKenna, the Ruck twins, Yaroslav Bryzgalov (Vancouver Canucks), and Jonas Woo (Columbus Blue Jackets).<\/p>\n

The Edmonton Oil Kings, Portland Winterhawks, Prince Albert Raiders, Saskatoon Blades, and Vancouver Giants each finished with three players selected. The Brandon Wheat Kings, Everett Silvertips, Prince George Cougars, Seattle Thunderbirds, Spokane Chiefs, and Victoria Royals each had two players selected.<\/p>\n

In total, 19 of 23 WHL teams had at least one player chosen in the 2026 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

The 2026 NHL Draft serves as the 18th time in the past 20 years the WHL has seen five or more players selected in the first round of the NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

2026 NHL Draft<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 WHL Developed Players<\/p>\n

Overall \u2013 Player (Pos.) \u2013 NHL Team; WHL Team; Hometown<\/strong><\/p>\n

Round One (7)<\/strong><\/p>\n

#1 \u2013 Gavin McKenna (F) \u2013 Toronto Maple Leafs; Medicine Hat Tigers*; Whitehorse, Yukon
\n#4 \u2013 Daxon Rudolph (D) \u2013 Buffalo Sabres; Prince Albert Raiders; Lacombe, Alta.
\n#6 \u2013 Carson Carels (D) \u2013 Calgary Flames; Prince George Cougars; Cypress River, Man.
\n#9 \u2013 Keaton Verhoeff (D) \u2013 San Jose Sharks; Victoria Royals*; Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.
\n#21 \u2013 Ryan Lin (D) \u2013 San Jose Sharks; Vancouver Giants; Richmond, B.C.
\n#22 \u2013 Liam Ruck (F) \u2013 Pittsburgh Penguins; Medicine Hat Tigers; Osoyoos, B.C.
\n#23 \u2013 JP Hurlbert (F) \u2013 Detroit Red Wings; Kamloops Blazers; Allen, Texas<\/p>\n

Round Two (8)<\/strong><\/p>\n

#36 \u2013 Chase Harrington (F) \u2013 Calgary Flames; Spokane Chiefs; Prince George, B.C.
\n#37 \u2013 Matias Vanhanen (F) \u2013 New Jersey Devils; Everett Silvertips; Nokia, Finland
\n#39 \u2013 Markus Ruck (F) \u2013 Pittsburgh Penguins; Medicine Hat Tigers; Osoyoos, B.C.
\n#50 \u2013 Mathis Preston (F) \u2013 Anaheim Ducks; Vancouver Giants; Penticton, B.C.
\n#53 \u2013 Brek Liske (D) \u2013 Philadelphia Flyers; Everett Silvertips; Beausejour, Man.
\n#57 \u2013 Timofei Runtso (D) \u2013 Montreal Canadiens; Victoria Royals; Marina del Rey, Calif.
\n#59 \u2013 Jakub Vanecek (D) \u2013 Dallas Stars; Tri-City Americans; Humpolec, Czechia
\n#64 \u2013 Benjamin MacBeath (D) \u2013 New York Rangers; Calgary Hitmen; Calgary, Alta.<\/p>\n

Round Three (7)<\/strong><\/p>\n

#65 \u2013 Joe Iginla (F) \u2013 Calgary Flames; Vancouver Giants; Lake Country, B.C.
\n#68 \u2013 Zachary Lansard (F) \u2013 Carolina Hurricanes; Regina Pats; Ste. Anne, Man.
\n#69 \u2013 Ethan MacKenzie (D) \u2013 Toronto Maple Leafs; Edmonton Oil Kings; Peachland, B.C.
\n#73 \u2013 Zach Olsen (F) \u2013 Toronto Maple Leafs; Saskatoon Blades; Calgary, Alta.
\n#74 \u2013 Beckett Hamilton (F) \u2013 Colorado Avalanche; Red Deer Rebels; Saskatoon, Sask.
\n#79 \u2013 Michal Orsulak (G) \u2013 Detroit Red Wings; Prince Albert Raiders; Tremosna, Czechia
\n#95 \u2013 Sean Burick (D) \u2013 Vegas Golden Knights; Penticton Vees; San Clemente, Calif.<\/p>\n

Round Four (7)<\/strong><\/p>\n

#97 \u2013 Yaroslav Bryzgalov (F) \u2013 Vancouver Canucks; Medicine Hat Tigers; Minsk, Belarus
\n#101 \u2013 Tyus Sparks (F) \u2013 Washington Capitals; Spokane Chiefs; Meridian, Idaho
\n#112 \u2013 Kayden Lemire (F) \u2013 Minnesota Wild; Prince George Cougars; Edmonton, Alta.
\n#113 \u2013 Jonah Sivertson (F) \u2013 Vegas Golden Knights; Prince Albert Raiders; Regina, Sask.
\n#117 \u2013 Brayden Klimpke (D) \u2013 Montreal Canadiens; Saskatoon Blades; Calgary, Alta.
\n#120 \u2013 Marek Sklenicka (G) \u2013 Philadelphia Flyers; Seattle Thunderbirds; Litvinov, Czechia
\n#126 \u2013 Tobias Tvrznik (G) \u2013 Colorado Avalanche; Wenatchee Wild; Litomerice, Czechia<\/p>\n

Round Five (5)<\/strong><\/p>\n

#137 \u2013 Filip Ruzicka (G) \u2013 Minnesota Wild; Brandon Wheat Kings; Trinec, Czechia
\n#142 \u2013 Parker Snell (G) \u2013 Columbus Blue Jackets; Edmonton Oil Kings; St. Albert, Alta.
\n#153 \u2013 Giorgos Pantelas (D) \u2013 Los Angeles Kings; Brandon Wheat Kings; Victoria, B.C.
\n#158 \u2013 Cooper Williams (F) \u2013 Toronto Maple Leafs; Saskatoon Blades; Calgary, Alta.
\n#159 \u2013 Will McLaughlin (D) \u2013 Vegas Golden Knights; Portland Winterhawks; Canmore, Alta.<\/p>\n

Round Six (4)<\/strong><\/p>\n

#172 \u2013 Luke Wilfley (F) \u2013 New Jersey Devils; Portland Winterhawks; Englewood, Colo.
\n#174 \u2013 Jake Gustafson (F) \u2013 San Jose Sharks; Portland Winterhawks; San Jose, Calif.
\n#185 \u2013 Jonas Woo (D) \u2013 Columbus Blue Jackets; Medicine Hat Tigers; Winnipeg, Man.
\n#192 \u2013 Noah Kosick (F) \u2013 Anaheim Ducks; Seattle Thunderbirds; Victoria, B.C.<\/p>\n

Round Seven (1)<\/strong><\/p>\n

#199 \u2013 Alofa Tunoa Ta\u2019amu (D) \u2013 Winnipeg Jets; Edmonton Oil Kings; San Diego, Calif.<\/p>\n

* = last played in WHL during 2024-25 season<\/em><\/p>\n

2026 NHL Draft<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Players Committed to the WHL for 2026-27<\/p>\n

Round Four<\/strong><\/p>\n

#98 \u2013 Jonas Kemps (D) \u2013 Florida Panthers; Seattle Thunderbirds; Sebastopol, Calif.<\/p>\n

Round Five<\/strong><\/p>\n

#136 \u2013 Kent Sauer (F) \u2013 Philadelphia Flyers; Edmonton Oil Kings; Andover, Minn.<\/p>\n

Round Six<\/strong><\/p>\n

#164 \u2013 Bode Laylin (D) \u2013 Calgary Flames; Everett Silvertips; St. Michael, Minn.<\/p>\n

Round Seven<\/strong><\/p>\n

#208 \u2013 Logan Stuart (F) \u2013 Washington Capitals; Lethbridge Hurricanes; Manhattan Beach, Calif.
\n#224 \u2013 Tyler Deakos (F) \u2013 Montreal Canadiens; Penticton Vees; Canmore, Alta.<\/p>\n

\n

Don\u2019t miss your opportunity to own a piece of WHL history from the 2026 WHL Prospects Game. Fans can bid on event-worn memorabilia bundles featuring 2026 NHL Draft stars. Visit <\/em>DASH Auctions<\/em><\/a> for complete details.<\/em><\/p>\n

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

Regarded as the world\u2019s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 23 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and six in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada\u2019s National Junior Hockey Team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WHL leads all leagues with 22 developed players selected in first three rounds of 2026 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":268504,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":1301,"name":"2026 NHL Draft","slug":"2026-nhl-draft","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1301,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":129,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1029"}],"class_list":["post-268503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-2026-nhl-draft","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/27161522\/1920-1.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\/268503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/116"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=268503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268503\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":268501,"date":"2026-06-27T09:32:35","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T15:32:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268501"},"modified":"2026-06-27T09:32:35","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T15:32:35","slug":"gavin-mckenna-micd-up-2026-nhl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/video\/gavin-mckenna-micd-up-2026-nhl-draft","title":{"rendered":"Gavin McKenna Mic\u2019d Up | 2026 NHL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":614,"featured_media":268502,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1113],"tags":[{"term_id":1421,"name":"Toronto Maple Leafs","slug":"toronto-maple-leafs","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1421,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":5,"filter":"raw","term_order":"919"},{"term_id":1301,"name":"2026 NHL Draft","slug":"2026-nhl-draft","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1301,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":129,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1029"},{"term_id":1179,"name":"Gavin McKenna","slug":"gavin-mckenna","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1179,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":96,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1151"},{"term_id":30,"name":"medicine hat tigers","slug":"medicine-hat-tigers","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":185,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1237,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1787"}],"class_list":["post-268501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video","tag-toronto-maple-leafs","tag-2026-nhl-draft","tag-gavin-mckenna","tag-medicine-hat-tigers","video-channels-2026-nhl-draft","video-channels-medicine-hat-tigers","category-1113","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/27093211\/Screenshot-2026-06-27-at-9.17.13-AM-scaled.jpg",2560,1440,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":{"video_id":"2711049","partner_id":"31014","player_id":"47902","width":"16","height":"9","360p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/sd\/2711049.mp4","240p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/ld\/2711049.mp4","480p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/hsd\/2711049.mp4","1080p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/fhd\/2711049.mp4","hls":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/streaming\/2711049\/2711049.m3u8","webp":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/webp\/2711049.webp"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268501","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\/614"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=268501"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268501\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":268499,"date":"2026-06-26T22:49:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T04:49:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268499"},"modified":"2026-06-26T23:42:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T05:42:45","slug":"whl-leads-all-development-leagues-with-four-players-selected-in-top-10-of-2026-nhl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/whl-leads-all-development-leagues-with-four-players-selected-in-top-10-of-2026-nhl-draft","title":{"rendered":"WHL leads all development leagues with four players selected in top 10 of 2026 NHL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

TIGERS ALUMNUS MCKENNA GOES FIRST OVERALL TO TORONTO; RAIDERS DEFENCEMAN RUDOLPH IS FIRST BLUELINER SELECTED AS WHL FINISHES WITH SEVEN PLAYERS IN FIRST ROUND<\/em><\/p>\n

Buffalo, N.Y. \u2013<\/strong> The Western Hockey League announced today seven players developed in the WHL have been selected in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft, held Friday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.<\/p>\n

For the second time in three drafts, the WHL boasts four players selected in the top 10 of the NHL Draft. This also serves as the second consecutive NHL Draft in which the WHL has led or tied for the most first-round players selected among any development league. The 2025 NHL Draft featured nine WHL players chosen in the first round.<\/p>\n

Former WHL Player of the Year Gavin McKenna (Medicine Hat Tigers) was selected first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs, followed by Prince Albert Raiders defenceman Daxon Rudolph going to the Buffalo Sabres with the fourth pick. Prince George Cougars blueliner Carson Carels was called by the Calgary Flames with the sixth-overall selection and former Victoria Royals rearguard Keaton Verhoeff rounded out the group after being chosen ninth overall by the San Jose Sharks.<\/p>\n

PLAYER ASSETS<\/a> \u2013 ACTION PHOTOS & HIGHLIGHTS
\nPHOTOS<\/a> \u2013 2026 NHL Draft (Credit to Natalie Shaver \/ CHL)
\nMEDIA AVAILS<\/a><\/p>\n

2026 NHL Draft<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 WHL Developed Players<\/p>\n

Overall \u2013 Player (Pos.) \u2013 NHL Team; WHL Team; Hometown<\/strong><\/p>\n

#1 \u2013 Gavin McKenna (F) \u2013 Toronto Maple Leafs; Medicine Hat Tigers*; Whitehorse, Yukon
\n#4 \u2013 Daxon Rudolph (D) \u2013 Buffalo Sabres; Prince Albert Raiders; Lacombe, Alta.
\n#6 \u2013 Carson Carels (D) \u2013 Calgary Flames; Prince George Cougars; Cypress River, Man.
\n#9 \u2013 Keaton Verhoeff (D) \u2013 San Jose Sharks; Victoria Royals*; Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.
\n#21 \u2013 Ryan Lin (D) \u2013 San Jose Sharks; Vancouver Giants; Richmond, B.C.
\n#22 \u2013 Liam Ruck (F) \u2013 Pittsburgh Penguins; Medicine Hat Tigers; Osoyoos, B.C.
\n#23 \u2013 JP Hurlbert (F) \u2013 Detroit Red Wings; Kamloops Blazers; Allen, Texas<\/p>\n

* = last played in WHL during 2024-25 season<\/em><\/p>\n

The 5-foot-11, 170-pound McKenna, who helped the Medicine Hat Tigers win the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2025, became the first player developed by the Club to be selected first overall in the NHL Draft. He also goes into the history books as the 10th player developed in the WHL to be selected first overall in the NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

McKenna represents the second WHL player chosen first overall by the Maple Leafs, following Wendel Clark of the Saskatoon Blades, who was the top choice in the 1985 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

Rudolph was the first defenceman taken off the board when the Buffalo Sabres called him fourth overall. The 6-foot-2, 206-pound rearguard helped the Raiders advance to the 2026 WHL Championship after posting 78 points (28G-50A) in 68 games. A finalist for the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy, presented annually to the WHL Defenceman of the Year, Rudolph also captained Team East at the 2026 WHL Prospects Game in Langley. This marks the second consecutive draft in which the Sabres have chosen a WHL defencemen in the first round, after Seattle Thunderbirds rearguard Radim Mrtka went ninth overall in 2025.<\/p>\n

The 6-foot-2, 202-pound Carels followed shortly after \u2013 the second defenceman selected in the draft \u2013 going sixth overall to the Flames. Another finalist for the WHL\u2019s Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy, Carels enjoyed a career season, collecting 73 points (20G-53A) in 58 games with the Cougars. The product of Cypress River, Man., led Team West as captain at the 2026 WHL Prospects Game in Langley. This represents the third consecutive draft in which the Flames have used a first-round pick on a WHL player after the selection of Cole Reschny of the Victoria Royals in 2025.<\/p>\n

The 6-foot-4, 208-pound Verhoeff served as the third WHL-developed defenceman off the board, when he was selected ninth overall by the San Jose Sharks. The former Victoria Royals phenom lands in San Jose after putting up 21 goals in 63 games on Vancouver Island during the 2024-25 WHL season.<\/p>\n

Lin was the fourth defenceman having come through the WHL to hear his name called, going 21st overall to the San Jose Sharks. The 5-foot-11, 177-pound blueliner represented Team CHL at the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge, coming off the 2024-25 season in which he was named a finalist for the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy, presented annually to the WHL\u2019s Rookie of the Year. That season, the hometown product set a Vancouver Giants record for points by a rookie defenceman when he registered 53 (5G-48A) in 60 games \u2013 making him one of only two WHL rookie blueliners to surpass the 50-point plateau.<\/p>\n

Ruck was the second Tiger taken in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft, joining McKenna. The sharp-shooting winger was selected 22nd overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins on the heels of securing an impressive 104 points (45G-59A) in 68 games., which was good enough for second in the entire Canadian Hockey League \u2013 trailing only his twin brother Markus (108 points). Ruck was named a finalist for the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy, presented annually to the WHL\u2019s Player of the Year. He helped the Tigers claim the 2025 WHL Championship. This marks the second consecutive draft in which the Penguins have used a first-round pick on a player from the WHL, following the selection of Ben Kindel with the 11th overall pick in 2025.<\/p>\n

Rounding out the WHL contingent in the first round was Hurlbert, who went 23rd overall to the Red Wings. Detroit moved on from former Edmonton Oil Kings goaltender Sebastian Cossa, trading the up-and-coming netminder to the Utah Mammoth in order to acquire the pick used to select Hurlbert. The 6-foot, 182-pound product of Allen, Texas, enjoyed an outstanding campaign with the Kamloops Blazers, rattling off 97 points (42G-55A) in 68 games to take home the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy, which is presented annually to the WHL Rookie of the Year. This marks the third time in four NHL Drafts the Red Wings have used a first-round pick on a WHL player, following the selection of Carter Bear in 2025 and Nate Danielson in 2023.<\/p>\n

The 2026 NHL Draft serves as the 18th time in the past 20 years the WHL has seen five or more players selected in the first round of the NHL Draft. With seven players selected in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft, the WHL\u2019s all-time number of first-round picks sits at 360 since the 1967 NHL Amateur Draft.<\/p>\n

In total, 16 players from the CHL were selected in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft \u2013 including seven from the WHL, seven from the Ontario Hockey League, and two from the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.<\/p>\n

The 2026 NHL Draft resumes Saturday morning at 9 a.m. MT \/ 11 a.m. ET. For more information on WHL players at the 2026 NHL Draft, please visit WHL.ca.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t miss your opportunity to own a piece of WHL history from the 2026 WHL Prospects Game. Fans can bid on event-worn memorabilia bundles featuring 2026 NHL Draft stars. Visit DASH Auctions<\/a> for complete details.<\/em><\/p>\n

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

Regarded as the world\u2019s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 23 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and six in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada\u2019s National Junior Hockey Team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For the second time in three drafts, the WHL boasts four players selected in the top 10 of the NHL Draft.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":268500,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":2164,"name":"JP Hurlbert","slug":"jp-hurlbert","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2164,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":27,"filter":"raw","term_order":"211"},{"term_id":1518,"name":"Ryan Lin","slug":"ryan-lin","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1518,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":32,"filter":"raw","term_order":"841"},{"term_id":1517,"name":"Keaton Verhoeff","slug":"keaton-verhoeff","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1517,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":28,"filter":"raw","term_order":"843"},{"term_id":1510,"name":"Carson Carels","slug":"carson-carels","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1510,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":34,"filter":"raw","term_order":"848"},{"term_id":1494,"name":"Daxon Rudolph","slug":"daxon-rudolph","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1494,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":43,"filter":"raw","term_order":"857"},{"term_id":1478,"name":"Liam Ruck","slug":"liam-ruck","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1478,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":39,"filter":"raw","term_order":"870"},{"term_id":1301,"name":"2026 NHL Draft","slug":"2026-nhl-draft","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1301,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":129,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1029"},{"term_id":1179,"name":"Gavin McKenna","slug":"gavin-mckenna","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1179,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":96,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1151"}],"class_list":["post-268499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-jp-hurlbert","tag-ryan-lin","tag-keaton-verhoeff","tag-carson-carels","tag-daxon-rudolph","tag-liam-ruck","tag-2026-nhl-draft","tag-gavin-mckenna","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/26224730\/260626_NHL_Draft_Rd1.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\/268499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/116"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=268499"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268499\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":268497,"date":"2026-06-26T17:18:40","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T23:18:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=268497"},"modified":"2026-06-26T17:18:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T23:18:40","slug":"medicine-hat-tigers-alumnus-gavin-mckenna-selected-first-overall-by-toronto-maple-leafs-in-2026-nhl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/medicine-hat-tigers-alumnus-gavin-mckenna-selected-first-overall-by-toronto-maple-leafs-in-2026-nhl-draft","title":{"rendered":"Medicine Hat Tigers alumnus Gavin McKenna selected first overall by Toronto Maple Leafs in 2026 NHL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

Buffalo, N.Y. \u2013<\/strong> Medicine Hat Tigers alumnus Gavin McKenna \u2013 2025 WHL Champion and WHL Player of the Year \u2013 was the first-overall selection of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2026 NHL Draft on Friday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.<\/p>\n

McKenna, who helped the Medicine Hat Tigers win the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2025, became the first player developed by the Club to be selected first overall in the NHL Draft. He also goes into the history books as the 10th player developed in the WHL to be selected first overall in the NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

McKenna represents the second WHL player chosen first overall by the Maple Leafs, following Wendel Clark of the Saskatoon Blades, who was the top choice in the 1985 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

McKenna\u2019s time in the WHL was well decorated.<\/p>\n

The 5-foot-11, 170-pound product of Whitehorse, Yukon, finished his time in the WHL by winning the WHL Championship along with the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as WHL Player of the Year and the CHL\u2019s David Branch Player of the Year Award following a 129-point campaign in 2024-25.<\/p>\n

Selected first overall by the Tigers in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft, McKenna played 133 WHL regular season games in Medicine Hat, tallying 244 points (79G-165A). He added another 45 points (12G-33A) in 25 WHL Playoff games. From 2022 through 2025, McKenna played a total of 158 games across the WHL regular season and playoffs, collecting 289 points (91G-198A).<\/p>\n

During the 2023-24 season, he recorded 63 assists to lead all WHL rookies en route to winning the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy, which is presented annually to the WHL Rookie of the Year. McKenna was also awarded CHL Rookie of the Year honours for his impressive effort. That same season, he was named to the WHL\u2019s Central Division First All-Star Team and also earned nods on the CHL Third All-Star Team and CHL All-Rookie Team.<\/p>\n

Prior to McKenna, the highest selection in Medicine Hat Tigers franchise history was second overall \u2013 Trevor Linden to the Vancouver Canucks in 1988, Barry Dean to the Kansas City Scouts in 1975, and Tom Lysiak to the Atlanta Flames in 1973.<\/p>\n

McKenna joins WHL legend and Hockey Hall of Famer Lanny McDonald as the second Medicine Hat Tiger to be selected by the Maple Leafs in the top five of the NHL Draft. McDonald went fourth overall to Toronto in the 1973 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

Finally, McKenna becomes the first Medicine Hat Tiger selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs since Dan Turner went 172nd overall in the ninth round of the 1984 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

On 11 occasions, the Maple Leafs have used a top 10 pick to select a player from the WHL:<\/p>\n