WHL Kamloops Blazers

Blazers Select 11 Players in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft

Published on December 9, 2021 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Kamloops Blazers News Release


Kamloops, BC - The Kamloops Blazers selected 11 players in the WHL Prospects Draft on Thursday, December 9th. The hockey club selected six forwards, four defensemen and a goaltender.

The Blazers made two separate trades on the day to improve their future draft picks. The hockey club traded their 1st round pick, 21st overall to the Regina Pats in exchange for a 1st round pick in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft.

The second trade of the day was the Blazers 3rd round pick, 67th overall. It was sent to the Winnipeg Ice in exchange for a 6th round pick, 115th overall in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft and a 3rd round pick in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft.

With the Blazers first pick of the draft, the hockey club selected forward Ashton Tait from Prince Albert, SK. The Blazers had another second round pick and they chose goaltender Jesse Sanche from Kamloops, BC.

The Blazers picked their first defenseman in the third round as they went to Calgary, AB to select Harrison Brunicke.

In the fourth round, the Blazers selected forward Max Sullivan and in the fifth round the Blazers stuck with forwards and selected Conner Radke from Langdon, AB.

The Blazers had two picks in the sixth round as they chose forward Luke Dahlen from Saskatoon and defenseman Jordan Murray from Decker, MB.

In the seventh round, the Blazers had three picks. The hockey club chose defenseman Tyson Jugnauth from the West Kelowna Warriors of the BCHL. Jugnauth was a former 1st round WHL Prospects Draft pick in 2019 by the Swift Current Broncos.

To round out the seventh round, the hockey club chose forwards Brogan Pilgaard-Kennedy and Bryce Minten. Minten is the younger brother of current Blazers forward Fraser Minten.

To finish the WHL Prospects Draft, the Blazers selected defenseman Thomas Byrne from Calgary, AB.

2nd round, 26th overall

Forward - Ashton Tait

5'10" 151lbs

DOB - July 30, 2006

Hometown - Prince Albert, SK

Team - Prince Albert Mintos U18 AAA

"Ashton has high end puck skills and strong hockey sense. He goes to the hard areas to score goals and make plays." - Director of Player Personnel, Robbie Sandland.

2nd round, 42nd overall

Goaltender - Jesse Sanche

6'1" 170lbs

DOB - March 19, 2006

Hometown - Kamloops, BC

Team - Okanagan Hockey Academy U17

"Talent. Compete and driven. Blazers Blueprint." - Goaltender Coach, Dan De Palma

3rd round, 52nd overall

Defenseman - Harrison Brunicke

6'1" 165lbs

DOB - May 8, 2006

Hometown - Calgary, AB

Team - Calgary Royals U18 AAA

"Harrison is a high end, two way defenseman with tremendous upside. We are thrilled to have the chance to select Harrison." - Director of Player Personnel, Robbie Sandland.

4th round, 87th overall

Forward - Max Sullivan

5'9" 150lbs

DOB - May 25, 2006

Hometown - Calgary, AB

Team - Calgary Royals U18 AAA

"Max is a quick and crafty player with a strong offensive ability. There is a lot of upside and a lot we like in the way Max plays the game." - Director of Player Personnel, Robbie Sandland.

5th round, 109th overall

Forward - Conner Radke

5'8" 150lbs

DOB - April 23, 2006

Hometown - Langdon, AB

Team - Okotoks Oilers U18 AAA

"Conner is a complete player. He works hard and can make plays. We think he will be a very good player." - Director of Player Personnel, Robbie Sandland.

6th round, 115th overall

Forward - Luke Dahlen

6'1" 151lbs

DOB - May 21, 2006

Hometown - Saskatoon, SK

Team - Saskatoon Blazers U18 AAA

"Luke is a hard working player that has great vision and awareness. He protects pucks well and goes to the net." - Director of Player Personnel, Robbie Sandland.

6th round, 130th overall

Defenseman - Jordan Murray

5'8" 135lbs

DOB - June 20, 2006

Hometown - Decker, MB

Team - Rink Hockey Academy U16 AAA

"Jordan is a very good skater with excellent edges. He's not afraid to jump into the play and be an offensive threat from the backend." - Director of Player Personnel, Robbie Sandland.

7th round, 147th overall

Defenseman - Tyson Jugnauth

5'11" 160lbs

DOB - April 17, 2004

Hometown - Kelowna, BC

Team - West Kelowna Warriors BCHL

"Tyson is an elite defenseman and an NHL prospect. With where our team is at now and moving forward, we believe we can provide Tyson with an excellent opportunity to develop." - GM/Head Coach Shaun Clouston

7th round, 153rd overall

Forward - Brogan Pilgaard-Kennedy

5'8" 160lbs

DOB - March 3, 2006

Hometown - Vancouver, BC

Team - Greater Vancouver Canadians U17 AAA

"Brogan has good size and an athletic frame. He has shown improvement this season and is a good fit in our program." - Director of Player Personnel, Robbie Sandland.

7th round, 154th overall

Forward - Bryce Minten

5'9" 160lbs

DOB - February 2, 2006

Hometown - Vancouver, BC

Team - Shawnigan Lake School U17 Prep

"Bryce plays an honest 200 foot game. He makes good decisions with and without the puck. High hockey IQ."- Director of Player Personnel, Robbie Sandland.

9th round, 198th overall

Forward - Thomas Byrne

5'11" 160lbs

DOB - February 9, 2006

Hometown - Calgary, AB

Team - Calgary Royals U16 AAA

"Thomas has showed lots of improvement this season. He can make good plays from the backend and thinks the game well."- Director of Player Personnel, Robbie Sandland.

Check out the Kamloops Blazers Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Western Hockey League Stories from December 9, 2021


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central