Hurricanes Select Eight Players in 2026 WHL Prospects Draft
WHL Lethbridge Hurricanes

Hurricanes Select Eight Players in 2026 WHL Prospects Draft

Published on May 7, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Lethbridge Hurricanes News Release


LETHBRIDGE, AB - The Lethbridge Hurricanes Hockey Club selected a total of eight 2011-born players in the 2026 Western Hockey League Prospects Draft, including four forwards, three defenceman and one goaltender.

On Wednesday, the Hurricanes selected forward Artello Forestal with the 14th overall selection in the first-round of the draft. The Edmonton, Alberta, product appeared in 21 regular season games with OHA Edmonton U15 Prep team where he totaled 47 points (22g-25a) along with 22 penalty minutes. Forestal added four points (2g-2a) along with 16 penalty minutes in three playoff games. He also collected nine points (5g-4a) with four penalty minutes with Team Alberta Gold at the 2026 Alberta Cup after racking up 12 points (7g-5a) and six penalty minutes at the John Reid Memorial with OHA Edmonton U15 Prep.

"We were really impressed by his ability to put the puck in the net every opportunity that he got, he sees the ice very well and makes his linemates around him play well too," said Hurricanes Head Scout Garry Carson on Wednesday. "We really stressed that we wanted way more speed and skill in this draft and Artello is one of those players who has the attributes that we were looking for. We needed to add more scoring to our group moving forward and he will bring that to our lineup right away."

The' Canes opened the second day with their first selection by picking 2011-born forward Ronan Gow in the third-round (50th overall). The Nanaimo, British Columbia, product appeared in 30 regular season games with the Delta U15 Prep team amassing 52 points (26g-26a) along with 22 penalty minutes. The 6'1, 175-pound centre finished second in points while leading Delta U15 Prep in goals. He also finished 13th in league scoring with his 52 points. Gow also served as Captain of the Delta U15 Prep team during the 2025-2026 season. He added five points (2g-3a) and four penalty minutes in three post-season games.

With their second third-round pick, the Hurricanes selected defenceman Evan Cuthbertson. The Kamloops, British Columbia, product spent the 2025-2026 season with the Yale U15 Prep team where he collected 12 points (2g-10a) along with six penalty minutes in just 16 regular season games. He also collected three points (1g-2a) in five playoff games. The 6'1, 150-pound rearguard recorded 21 points (6g-15a) along with two penalty minutes in 16 games with Thompson of the BC U15 league during the 2024-2025 season.

Lethbridge had a pair of fourth-round draft picks. The' Canes selected American forward CJ Dornfeld with the 70th overall pick. The St. Paul, Minnesota, product had a standout season with the Woodbury Bantam AA team where he finished the season with an impressive 92 points (36g-56a) along with 100 penalty minutes in 61 contests. The 6'1, 185-pound forward finished third in team scoring while leading his team in penalty minutes while ending the campaign sitting 15th in league scoring with 92 points.

The' Canes then selected American goaltender Chay Ekblad with the 77th overall selection in the sixth round. The Williston, North Dakota, product spent the 2025-2026 season with Fox Motors 14 team in the T1EHL14 league. In 13 regular season games, he posted a 3-5-2-0 record with a 3.34 goals against average and one shutout. The 6'2, 159- pound netminder also appeared in two playoff games with Fox Motors 14.

The Hurricanes continued with two sixth-round draft picks. First, Lethbridge selected forward Knox Kehler with the 116th overall pick. The Yellow Head County, Alberta, product amassed 44 points (21g-23a) along with 74 penalty minutes in 33 regular season games with the St. Albert Sabres of the ABU15A league. He added an impressive 22 points (13g-9a) along with 16 penalty minutes in just nine playoff games with the Sabres while adding 10 points (6g-4a) along with 10 penalty minutes in the AEHL U15 AAA Provincials. The 6'1, 181-pound forward is the son of former WHLer Joff Kehler who played five seasons with the Spokane Chiefs from 1999 to 2004.

With their second pick of the sixth-round, the 'Canes chose defenceman Kai Genereaux with the 120th overall selection.

The Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan, product skated in 30 regular season games with the Calgary Edge U15 Prep team where he finished with 13 points (4g-9a) along with 30 penalty minutes. The 6'1, 166-pound rearguard added six penalty minutes in two playoffs games with Edge U15. Genereaux collected 20 points (6g-14a) with 34 penalty minutes with the Lloydminster Athletics 14U of the JPHL.

In the seventh round, the Hurricanes made their final selection of the draft by choosing defenceman Rowen Norrie. The Calgary, Alberta, product had 15 points (2g-13a) along with 60 penalty minutes in 34 regular season games with the Calgary Bisons U15 AAA team. He added one assist in three post-season games. The 6'1, 165-pound blueliner also appeared in one game with the CBHA Hawks U16 AA team and one game with the Calgary Bulls U17 club during the 2025-2026 season.

"We are very pleased with how this draft went for us and are excited about the eight players that we selected," said Hurricanes Head Scout Garry Carson. "Our group had an objective and a plan for this year's draft in adding a lot of skill and speed to our team and we feel that we accomplished that. The blend of high-end scoring ability, mixed with the three puck moving defenceman and an exciting goaltender, we feel that this group has a lot of potential and we are excited for the future."

The Hurricanes also made four trades during the draft. Lethbridge traded the 154th and 160th overall picks in the 2026 draft to the Saskatoon Blades in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick in 2028 and an eighth-round draft pick in 2029. The 'Canes also dealt their 150th overall pick to the Swift Current Broncos for a sixth-round pick in the 2028 draft before acquiring an eighth-round draft pick in the 2028 draft from the Kamloops Blazers in exchange for the 174th overall pick.

Finally, the Hurricanes flipped their 185th overall pick to the Edmonton Oil Kings for a ninth-round draft pick in 2029.

Season Tickets for the 2025-2026 season, which will mark the Hurricanes 40th Anniversary season in Lethbridge, are now on sale with Loyalty Pricing available until July 2nd at 5:00pm. Premium Season Tickets are also available for an additional $250 per seat. Season Tickets can be purchased by visiting the Yates Memorial Theatre and VisitLethbridge.com Arena Ticket Centre, by calling 403-329-SEAT (7328) or online at www.visitlethbridgearena.ca. Catch up on all the latest on the Lethbridge Hurricanes by visiting the team's website at www.lethbridgehurricanes.com, and/or follow on Twitter @WHLHurricanes.

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Western Hockey League Stories from May 7, 2026


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