2026 WHL Prospects Draft Recap
WHL Medicine Hat Tigers

2026 WHL Prospects Draft Recap

Published on May 8, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Medicine Hat Tigers News Release


Medicine Hat, AB - The Tigers started off the 2026 WHL Draft by bringing back a familiar name in the Tigers family in Max Osgood, the son of Tigers Alumnus and three-time Stanley Cup Champion Chris Osgood, with the 21st pick in the first round. Osgood is a smart, agile forward with quickness and slippery skill. He's hard on pucks, possesses strong vision, and reads the ice well. A detail-oriented player who competes at both ends of the rink.

Max Osgood - C

Birthdate: Mar 24, 2011

Hometown: Plymouth, MI

Height: 5 ‚¬Â² 9 ‚¬Â³

Weight: 142 lbs

Shoots Left

The Tigers kicked off day two of the 2026 WHL Draft by selecting defenceman Nash Springer from the Dallas Stars Elite 14U with the 44th pick of the draft. Springer is an engaged, dynamic defenseman who excels in all three zones. He shows strong puck confidence, fires a heavy shot from the blueline with a quick release, and jumps into seams effectively. A physical player who defends hard, separates opponents with big hits, and uses his skating to shake checks.

Nash Springer - RD

Birthdate: Aug 14, 2011

Hometown: McKinney, TX

Height: 5 ‚¬Â² 11 ‚¬Â³

Weight: 159 lbs

Shoots Right

Once again adding to their blueline, the Tigers drafted Shane Regehr, son of former NHLer Robyn Regehr, from the Calgary U15 AAA Northstars with the 55th pick of the draft. Regehr is a strong defensive minded defenseman with excellent stick work and gap control. He consistently blocks shots, wins battles along the boards, and plays a physical game that lays out opponents. He showed significant improvement throughout the year and brings reliable, competitive 2-way play to the backend.

Shane Regehr - RD

Birthdate: Jul 28, 2011

Hometown: Calgary, AB

Height: 6 ‚¬Â² 1 ‚¬Â³

Weight: 149 lbs

Shoots Right

While the Tigers did not have a fourth-round draft pick, they had two third-round picks, and with their second they looked to deepen their talent down the middle with Luke Bodtker at the 57th overall selection. Bodtker is an intelligent two-way center who supports the puck well in all three zones. He creates plays off the rush and in the OZ with strong passing and skating ability, consistently making those around him better.

Luke Bodtker - C

Birthdate: Mar 5, 2011

Hometown: Calgary, AB

Height: 5 ‚¬Â² 9.5 ‚¬Â³

Weight: 132 lbs

Shoots Left

With the 108th overall pick acquired early Thursday morning via trade with the Seattle Thunderbirds, the Tigers selected Nixon McLean from the Rink H.A. Kelowna U15 Prep team. Nixon is the son of Brett McLean, the all-time leading scorer for the Kelowna Rockets and Assistant Coach of the Vancouver Canucks. McLean skilled playmaking forward with strong hockey IQ. He dictates the pace through his puck skill and heads-up plays, showing excellent poise and confidence with the puck. He navigates traffic well and consistently finds teammates with creative passes, making him an offensive threat

Nixon McLean - C

Birthdate: Oct 11, 2011

Hometown: Kelowna, BC

Height: 5 ‚¬Â² 8 ‚¬Â³

Weight: 141 lbs

Shoots Left

Just five picks later at 113th the Tigers went back to the blueline, selecting Tyler Thomas from the AEHL Champion U15AAA Lethbridge Golden Hawks. Thomas is a puck-moving defenseman with excellent vision, poise, and high hockey IQ. He draws attention before making crisp plays, walks the blueline effectively to open lanes, and serves as a strong distributor who consistently finds teammates.

Tyler Thomas - RD

Birthdate: May 14, 2011

Hometown: Lethbridge, AB

Height: 5 ‚¬Â² 8.5 ‚¬Â³

Weight: 130 lbs

Shoots Right

In the sixth round with the 136th overall pick the Tigers added left winger Ryder Lefaivre from the Calgary International H.A. U15 Prep team, who he won the U15CSSHL Championship with this season. Lefaivre is an explosive, high-speed winger who plays a competitive two-way game. He forechecks hard, finishes checks, and drives to the net with physicality. His skating and work ethic create extended zone time for his line while contributing at both ends of the rink.

Ryder Lefaivre - LW

Birthdate: Feb 19, 2011

Hometown: Cochrane, AB

Height: 6 ‚¬Â² 0.5 ‚¬Â³

Weight: 170 lbs

Shoots Left

In the seventh round with the 159th overall pick the Tigers selected Div. II U15 CSSHL Champion Kelson Hawreluik from the OHA Edmonton U15 Prep team. Hawreluik is a solid two-way forward with a strong frame and good skating ability. He possesses strong skill and a dangerous shot, snapping the puck quickly from prime scoring areas. He protects the puck well in the offensive zone, shows good poise around the net, and moves the puck with purpose and pace.

Kelson Hawreluik - C

Birthdate: Feb 16, 2011

Hometown: Yorkton, SK

Height: 5 ‚¬Â² 9.25 ‚¬Â³

Weight: 159 lbs

Shoots Right

The Tigers added a pair of defencemen in the last round of their 2026 WHL Draft. The first was 6-foot-2, 160-pound defenceman Max Maas from the Rosemount Irish AA 14U team. Maas is a long, heavy defenseman who skates smoothly with good foot agility and high-level transition ability. He defends effectively with a strong stick, plays with great detail, and is physical in the corners and net front. Plays a mature game, and is hard-to-play-against defender who holds his ice well.

Max Maas - RD

Birthdate: Jan 5, 2011

Hometown: Rosemount, MN

Height: 6 ‚¬Â² 2 ‚¬Â³

Weight: 160 lbs

Shoots Right

With their final selection of the 2026 WHL Draft, the Tigers kept it in the family by drafting Landon Ruck, the younger brother of Tigers forwards Liam and Markus Ruck, from the Okanagan Hockey Academy U15 Prep team. Ruck is a smart, heads-up puck moving defenseman with solid passes and good deception. He supports the puck and his partner well, makes strong reads, and isn't afraid to jump into the rush with calculated risks to create offense.

Landon Ruck - LD

Birthdate: Jul 29, 2011

Hometown: Osoyoos, BC

Height: 5 ‚¬Â² 7.5 ‚¬Â³

Weight: 142 lbs

Shoots Left

Tigers' 2026 Prospect Draft Overview:

RD Pick Name Hometown Position 2025-26 Team Ht Wt (lbs)

1 21 Max Osgood Plymouth, MI C Detroit Little Caesars 14U

5'9 ‚¬Â³ 142

2 44 Nash Springer McKinney, TX RD Dallas Stars Elite 14U 5 ‚¬Â² 11 ‚¬Â³ 159

3 55 Shane Regehr Calgary, AB RD Calgary CNHA U15 AAA Northstars 6 ‚¬Â² 1 ‚¬Â³ 149

3 57 Luke Bodtker Calgary, AB C Edge School U15 Prep 5 ‚¬Â² 9.5 ‚¬Â³ 132

5 108 Nixon McLean Kelowna, BC C Rink H.A. Kelowna U15 Prep 5 ‚¬Â² 8 ‚¬Â³ 141

5 113 Tyler Thomas Lethbridge, AB RD Lethbridge Golden hawks U15 AAA 5 ‚¬Â² 8.5 ‚¬Â³ 130

6 136 Ryder Lefaivre Cochrane, AB LW Calgary International H.A. U15 Prep 6 ‚¬Â² 0.5 ‚¬Â³ 170

7 159 Kelson Hawreluik Yorkton, SK C OHA Edmonton U15 Prep 5 ‚¬Â² 9.25 ‚¬Â³ 159

8 164 Max Maas Rosemount, MN RD Rosemount Irish AA 14U 6 ‚¬Â² 2 ‚¬Â³ 160

8 171 Landon Ruck Osoyoos, BC LD Okanagan Hockey Academy U15 Prep 5 ‚¬Â² 7.5 ‚¬Â³ 142

Geographical Breakdown:

Alberta (4) Shane Regehr, Luke Bodtker, Tyler Thomas, Ryder Lefaivre

U.S.A. (3) Max Osgood, Nash Springer, Max Maas

British Columbia (2) Nixon McLean, Landon Ruck

Saskatchewan (1) Kelson Hawreluik

The Medicine Hat Tigers would like to congratulate all the players & their families drafted today and look forward to watching them develop and see where their game takes them next.

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Western Hockey League Stories from May 8, 2026


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