Hurricanes Select 13 Players in 2022 WHL Prospects Draft
May 19, 2022 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Lethbridge Hurricanes News Release
LETHBRIDGE, AB - The Lethbridge Hurricanes Hockey Club selected a total of 13 players in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft on Thursday, including seven forwards, five defenseman and one goaltender.
With their first-round selection (11th overall) the Hurricanes picked defenseman William Sharpe. The 2007-born defenseman skated in 21 games in 2021-2022 with the Yale Hockey Academy U15 Prep team totaling 42 points (19g- 23a) along with 38 penalty minutes, finishing fourth in league scoring among rearguards. The 6 '1, 194-pound blueliner from South Delta, BC added five points (2g-3a) in three post-season games at the U15 level.
"We had [Sharpe] in the top-3 defenseman all year; to pick him at number 11, we are pretty ecstatic," said Hurricanes Head Scout Rob MacLachlan.
"He is a two-way defenseman, he can rush the puck, he can go end-to-end, he can score goals and he 's quick to get back on defence."
Sharpe also skated in four regular season games with the Yale U17 team while suiting up in three playoff games with eh Yale U18 club. He totaled five points (3g-2a) in five games with the Pro Hockey Selects U15 team at the WSI U15 showcase.
With the second-round pick (33rd overall), the 'Canes took a forward Kash Andresen. The 5'10, 140-pound left-shot forward from Saskatoon, SK spent the 2021-2022 season with the Saskatoon Bandits U15 AA club collecting 57 points (25g-32a) with 50 penalty minutes in 31 games.
The 5'10, 140-pound forward finished first in Bandits regular season scoring while finishing second in playoff scoring with 15 points (7g-8a) and 16 penalty minutes in nine post-season games with the Bandits. Andresen is the younger brother of Medicine Hat Tigers defenseman Reid Andresen.
"We really like our top four picks," said MacLachlan. "We had Andresen projected to go higher in the draft, and to be able to get him where we did, we were very happy. He's a good, two-way centerman that plays a 200-foot game and can score."
Lethbridge had a pair of third round picks. With the 48th overall selection, the Hurricanes took goaltender Koen Cleaver.
The Port Alberni, BC product appeared in 15 games posting a 9-2-2 record with a 2.85 goals against average and a .910 save percentage with two shutouts with the Pacific Coast Hockey Academy U15 Prep team.
While with the 55th overall pick, the 'Canes drafted left-shot defenseman Carsen Adair. In 28 games with the Martensville Marauders U15 AA team, he collected 34 points (8g-26a) along with 44 penalty minutes. The 5'11, 145-pound blueliners added three points (1g-2a) and six penalty minutes in six post-season games.
The Hurricanes then selected forward Shea Busch with their sixth round (121st overall) pick. Hailing from North Vancouver, BC, the 5'10, 175-pound forward registered 29 points (12g-17a) with 14 penalty minutes with the Yale U15 Prep team. He added three points (2g-1a) in three post-season games for Yale U15 while totaling four points (2g-2a) in four playoff games for the Yale U17 team.
In the seventh round (147th overall), Lethbridge selected forward Gage Nagel. The Swift Current, SK product suited up in 29 games last season with the Notre Dame Hounds where he collected 16 points (8g-8a) with 34 penalty minutes while going pointless in three post-season games. Gage is the cousin of former Lethbridge Hurricane Tanner Nagel.
After acquiring the 204th overall pick from the Prince George Cougars, the Hurricanes selected defenseman Zachary Larmour. The 5'10, 150-pound Edmonton product totaled 20 points (5g-15a) and 10 penalty minutes in 28 games with the Northern Alberta Xtreme U15 Prep.
The 'Canes then picked forward Nate Crashley with the 209th overall selection. The Calgary, AB product skated in 28 games registering 13 points (4g-9a) with 18 penalty minutes with the Edge U15 Prep club. The 5'10, 145-pound forward added five points (2g-3a) in eight games at the U17 level with Edge during 2021-2022.
In the eleventh-round (231st overall), the Hurricanes picked Medicine Hat, AB product Cole Fisher. In 2021-2022, the forward totaled 23 points (12g-11a) with 14 penalty minutes in 20 games with the SEAC Tigers U15 AAA team.
The 'Canes chose defenseman Kaden Woodcox at 253rd overall. The 6'2, 175-pound rearguard totaled 17 points (5g-12a) with 18 penalty minutes in 30 games with the Okanagan Rockets U15 AAA team. The Fort St. John, BC product added six points (2g-4a) in seven playoff games.
With their 275th overall selection, the 'Canes selected forward Lucas Hvidston. The Tisdale, SK product registered 48 points (23g-25a) with 20 penalty minutes in 25 games with the North East Wolfpack U15 AA. Lucas is the younger brother of Swift Current Broncos forward Connor Hvidston.
In the 14th round, with their final selection, the Hurricanes selected defenseman Rhett Vedress 297th overall. The 2006- born defenseman from Annaheim, SK spent the 2021-2022 season with the Humboldt Broncos U18 AA team totaling 19 points (5g-14a) with 26 penalty minutes. The 6'0, 155-pound rearguard added three assists in five playoff games.
"Overall, we are really happy with the players we were able to get in today's draft," added MacLachlan. "We think we did well in adding to our organizational depth."
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