11 Players with Ties to Wenatchee Wild Organization Named to NHL Opening Night Rosters
WHL Wenatchee Wild

11 Players with Ties to Wenatchee Wild Organization Named to NHL Opening Night Rosters

Published on October 7, 2025 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release


WENATCHEE, Wash. - The National Hockey League regular season began Tuesday afternoon, and the Wenatchee Wild are excited to announce that 11 players with ties to the club have been named to Opening Night rosters across the Western Hockey League, including three who stepped onto the ice during its Junior A era from 2008 to 2023.

Eight players will open their seasons in the NHL after previously appearing for the WHL organization currently in Wenatchee, previously known as the Winnipeg ICE and Kootenay ICE. Two former Kootenay players will start their seasons in the NHL, including Sam Reinhart, whose last appearance in an NHL game helped the Florida Panthers clinch their second straight Stanley Cup. His four-goal game against the Edmonton Oilers was the first in a Cup-clinching game since 1922, and he became only the fourth player in NHL history to follow a 50-goal season with his team's eventual Cup-clinching goal. Brayden McNabb starts his ninth season with the Vegas Golden Knights, after playing in all 82 games for the third straight year. His +42 plus/minus rating shattered his previous career best, and ranked second across the entire NHL.

Three of the six former Winnipeg ICE players in the NHL also appeared in Wenatchee at least once. Conor Geekie returns to Tampa Bay after playing in 52 games last year for the Lightning, and picking up 14 points. Matthew Savoie played in four games for the Edmonton Oilers, and posted his first NHL point with an assist on February 22 at Philadelphia. Both players played regular-season games for Wenatchee during the 2023-24 campaign, while Zach Benson made a pair of preseason appearances for the Wild ahead of that season. Benson begins his third season in the NHL - he racked up 75 outings last year for the Buffalo Sabres, with 28 points.

Three others played in Winnipeg, but saw their WHL careers end before the team's 2023 relocation to Wenatchee. Peyton Krebs joins Benson in Buffalo once again, picking up a career-high 28 points for the Sabres last season. He missed only one game a year ago, and enters the new season just four games shy of 300 for his NHL career. Jack Finley was on season-opening injured reserve for the Tampa Bay Lightning last season, but made his NHL debut January 14 and earned a spot on Tampa Bay's active roster to open this season. Michael Milne rounds out the list for the Minnesota Wild, starting the season on the club's injured reserve list.

Nic Dowd begins his 10 th season in the NHL, and eighth with the Washington Capitals, signing a two-year contract extension during the spring after playing in all 82 games for the first time and notching a career-high 27 points last season. He opened his junior career with the Wild during the club's very first season in the North American Hockey League in 2008, and led the club to the Robertson Cup national championship game the following May.

Two others will open the 2025-26 campaign in the NHL after playing for the club in the BCHL - Devin Cooley returns to the NHL with the Calgary Flames after a late-season call-up to the San Jose Sharks in 2024. He spent all of last season with the Calgary Wranglers, the Flames' American Hockey League affiliate. Harrison Scott rounds out the list, earning a spot with the Dallas Stars after signing a one-year deal with the team in March and wrapping up the season in the AHL with the Texas Stars.

The Wenatchee Wild congratulate all 11 players on beginning the 2025-26 season with National Hockey League clubs, and wish them continued success as the season gets underway. Wild fans are encouraged to follow the progress of all alumni of the WHL organization and former Wild Junior A players throughout the season, with the club's regular "Alumn-ICE Report" features on its website at WenatcheeWildHockey.com.

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Western Hockey League Stories from October 7, 2025


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