WHL Vancouver Giants

Giants Make 10 Selections on Thursday

May 9, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Vancouver Giants News Release


Ladner, B.C. - The Vancouver Giants made a total of 10 selections in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft on Thursday, highlighted by first-round selection Blake Chorney, third-round pick Landon Horiachka and some great value picks in the later rounds.

In total, the organization added five forwards, four defencemen and one goaltender. ROUND OVR PLAYER POS HT WT HOMETOWN 2023-24 TEAM 1 10 Blake Chorney C 5-11 170 Nipawin, SK Northern Alberta Xtreme U15 Prep 3 55 Landon Horiachka LW 6-2 186 Sherwood Park, AB Sherwood Park U15 AAA Flyers 4 70 Dylan Hurren RD 6-0 157 Maple Ridge, BC Delta Hockey Academy U15 Prep Green 5 94 Riley Charlton F 6-2 168 Chilliwack, BC Fraser Valley Thunderbirds U15 AAA 6 121 Brock Dingman RD 6-1 194 Carstairs, AB Red Deer Rebels U15 AAA 7 143 Richard Wonyeneh LW 6-0 184 Langley, BC BWC Academy U15 Prep 9 187 Braeden Malenchak LD 6-2 179 Rocky View, AB Yale Hockey Academy U15 Prep 10 209 Sam Rishaug LW 6-0 175 Calgary, AB Calgary U15 AAA Northstars 11 231 David Lu RD 6-0 174 Edmonton, AB Edmonton SSAC U15 AAA 12 253 Oliver Bryks G 6-0 162 Edmonton, AB Northern Alberta Xtreme U15 Prep Round 1, Pick 10: Blake Chorney, F, NAX U15 Prep

Chorney was a driving force for NAX this season, helping the program secure their second consecutive U15 Prep Western Championship , recording five goals and seven assists for 12 points in five playoff games. The left-shot forward recorded 19 goals and 23 assists for 42 points in 24 games in the regular season, which were second on a very deep NAX team and just outside the top-10 in the U15 Prep division.

"He competes so hard without the puck," Giants Head Scout Terry Bonner said. "He's a great skater. Good size. A real complete forward. He'll get involved in every play. Makes good passes; scored some big goals, but he never quits working. He's an honest to goodness, hard-working two-way forward."

The 5-foot-11 forward scored four shorthanded goals last season, which tied for the most in the U15 Prep division. His 12 playoff points were second amongst all skaters, trailing only teammate Jaggar John. In the Championship game against Edge, Chorney recorded a goal and an assist.

"I am extremely honoured and grateful to be picked by such a great organization like the Vancouver Giants," Chorney said. "I look forward to helping the Giants bring a championship to Vancouver."

The Nipawin, Sask. product will play for the Saskatoon Blazers in the Saskatchewan Male U18 AAA Hockey League for the 2024-25 season. Round 3, Pick 55: Landon Horiachka, F, Sherwood Park Flyers U15 AAA

Horiachka is a big, powerful forward that finished third in scoring in the Alberta Elite Hockey League this season with 64 points in 31 games (25G-39A). The Sherwood Park Flyers forward checks in at 6-foot-2 and 186 lbs.

"We're absolutely thrilled to be able to grab him where we did," Giants Director of Scouting Darryl Anning said. "We watched him extensively throughout the year and when he became available, it was really a no-brainer to grab him. He initiates the physical play and has a great compete level. He has no problem going to the dirty areas, to the front of the net and he will take grief. He had fantastic numbers this season and is not afraid to compete and get involved."

Horiachka was named a First-Team All-Star in the AEHL this season.

In a 'WHL Stars of Tomorrow' profile released on April 11, WHL Manager of Hockey Operations Taylor Green said Horiachka is someone who can impact the game in a number of different ways.

CLICK HERE FOR THE HORIACHKA PRE-DRAFT PROFILE Round 4, Pick 70: Dylan Hurren, D, Delta Hockey Academy U15 Prep Green

Hurren is a right-shot defenceman from Maple Ridge who recorded 25 points in 27 games from the backend (3G-22A) for Delta Hockey Academy's U15 Prep Green squad.

"Dylan is a good-sized defenceman. He skates well, has good mobility and strong edges," Anning said. "He thinks the game really well and moves the puck effectively. Defends well, but did chip in offensively, so he does contribute at both ends of the rink and part of that is due to the way he thinks the game."

Hurren's 25 points were T-11th amongst all defencemen in the U15 Prep division of the CSSHL. Round 5, Pick 94: Riley Charlton, F, Fraser Valley Thunderbirds U15 AAA

Charlton is a left-shot forward who finished third on his team in scoring this past season with 40 points in 30 games (15G-25A), helping the Thunderbirds finish first in the BCEHL regular season with a 24-5-0-1 record.

"Riley is a big body. Tremendous compete level and a very good 200-foot player," Anning said. "He was more than a point-per-game player, but a complete player."

His 40 points ranked 6th in the U15 division of the BCEHL. Round 6, Pick 121: Brock Dingman, D, Red Deer Rebels U15 AAA

Dingman, who checks in at 6-foot-1, 194 lbs., led all defenceman on the U15 Red Deer Rebels in scoring with 32 points (11G-21A) in 34 games. Those 32 points were T-7th amongst all defencemen in the AEHL U15 division.

"Had a good offensive year for the Red Deer club," Giants Scouting Coordinator Kelly Kursteiner said. "He's a good skater. He makes that good first outlet pass. Plays a heavy game and is really physical. Good size. Has good attention to detail and strong character."

The product of Carstairs, Alta. got better as the season went on, with 21 points in his final 17 games, after just 11 points in his first 17 games. Round 7, Pick 143: Richard Wonyeneh, F, BWC U15 Prep

Wonyeneh is another big forward who used a lethal shot to score 20 goals in 24 games for Burnaby Winter Club this season. His 20 goals were tied for the team lead, while his 37 points were one back of the team lead.

"We're really excited to get him later in the draft. He's a player we watched all year long," Kursteiner said. "He's really athletic and put up some good numbers: he was almost a goal per game. Plays a hard, physical game as well and skates very well. We felt he is still really raw and has really good upside to him."

The left-shot power forward ended the season on an eight-game point streak, during which he recorded 17 points (8G-9A). Round 9, Pick 187: Braeden Malenchak, D, Yale Hockey Academy U15 Prep

Malenchak had 10 points in 27 games this season for the Yale Lions (2G-8A).

"Big, local defenceman who skates well and plays a physical game," Kursteiner said. "He's really strong defensively. A player who has real upside. Played on a good team and his coaches speak very highly of him."

The left-shot defender was also called up to the U17 Lions in January and had two points in three games, including the game-winning-goal against NAX Blue on January 13. Round 10, Pick 209: Sam Rishaug, F, Calgary Northstars U15 AAA

Rishaug led the Northstars in scoring this season with 45 points in 32 games (22G-23A).

"Sam plays a strong 200-foot game. One of the biggest things for Sam is that he loves the physical play of the game and he does that without taking a bunch of bad penalties. He loves to be involved and he can chip in offensively as well."

The 6-foot, 170 pound forward finished his regular season with 18 points in the final 10 games (7G-11A) and added six points in four playoff games. His 22 goals in the regular season were also top-20 in the U15 division of the AEHL. Round 11, Pick 231: David Lu, D, Edmonton SSAC U15 AAA

Lu recorded four goals and 19 assists for 23 points from the blueline this season in 32 games, which led all defencemen on his team in the AEHL.

"He has good mobility. I watched him quite a bit and thought his game steadily improved as the season went on," Anning said. "He moves pucks effectively. He's not overly-offensive, but does chip in with some points. He defends well. Having watched him all season and watched the way he progressed, he's got a high ceiling."

The right-shot defender finished the regular season with eight points in his final six games (2G-6A). Round 12, Pick 253: Oliver Bryks, G, NAX U15 Prep

Bryks led the U15 Prep division in both save percentage (.925) and goals-against average (2.29) this season, posting an 11-2 record.

"We like his size. We like his focus," Anning said. "He has good agility, moves well side to side and competes really hard. He had some very good stats."

The 6-foot goaltender won a CSSHL U15 Prep Western Championship alongside Giants first-round pick Blake Chorney, posting a 2-0 record in the playoffs.

On Wednesday, the G-Men made two selections in the U.S. Priority Draft. Click here for those results.

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