Oil Kings Select Eight Players at 2026 WHL Prospects Draft
WHL Edmonton Oil Kings

Oil Kings Select Eight Players at 2026 WHL Prospects Draft

Published on May 7, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Edmonton Oil Kings News Release


Edmonton, Alta. - The Edmonton Oil Kings welcomed eight 2011-born prospects to the organization on Thursday at the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft.

"Exciting to make those phone calls today and for our staff who put in a tremendous amount of work this season," said Oil Kings President and General Manager Kirt Hill. "It's always nice to for them to kind of see this day come to fruition and make some picks."

Without a first round selection, the Oil Kings were first on the clock in the second round, selecting 40th overall. At that spot, they selected forward Brayden Dean out of Shattuck St. Mary's 14U AAA. In 58 games this season, Dean had 30 goals and 43 assists for 73 points. Dean, out of Maple Grove, MN, U.S.A, also had five points in four games at 14U Nationals.

"He's a very hard-working player with skill and in terms of his tenaciousness and his ability to get to the net and want to be around the net and win battles and make plays in areas that most players don't want to do is something that's really exciting," said Oil Kings Director of Scouting Michael Chan.

Brayden is the younger brother of current Oil Kings forward Dylan Dean.

The Oil Kings then made a move, sliding up to the 51st spot in the third round. The trade saw the Oil Kings acquire that selection from the Moose Jaw Warriors, in exchange for a sixth-round selection this season (134th overall), along with a sixth-round pick in 2027, originally belonging to Brandon, and a second-round pick in 2030.

With that selection, the Oil Kings drafted forward Brock Vodden out of Manitou, Man. and the Pilot Mound Academy U15 Prep squad. In 30 regular season games, Vodden had 20 goals and 24 assists for 44 points. In the playoffs, Vodden would go on to record five goals and eight assists for 13 points in just five games.

"He is a very hard-working player with great compete, really good skill set, good skater, great hands and shot," Chan said. "I think as the year went on, he wasn't playing on the strongest team but his compete level was very consistent throughout the entire year. We see a player that brings a very well-rounded skill package."

With the Oil Kings second, third-round pick, 64th overall, they selected defenceman Brayden Lee out of Waxahachie, TX, U.S.A. While playing this season with Detroit Little Caesars U14 AAA, Lee had five goals and 23 assists for 28 points in 20 games. In the playoffs, he added another five assists in three games. Lee would then go on to add five points in six games at 14U Nationals, helping his club to a Tier I National Championship.

"A very mobile puck-moving D-man, very intelligent game comes easy to him as an offensive player, but he's very competitive as well and can play both sides of the coin," added Chan.

In the fourth round, 88th overall, the Oil Kings would head to Red Deer, selecting defenceman Nate Lodge out of the Red Deer Rebels U15 AAA program. In 32 games this season, Lodge scored eight goals and added 32 assists for 40 points before a playoff run that saw him score four goals and add 12 assists for 16 points in nine games. Lodge also notched five points in six games at the John Reid Memorial Tournament this year.

"Nate is a puck-moving D-man, he's a little smaller in stature right now, but seeing him throughout the year, even at his smaller size, he's able to make so many plays," Chan said. "His mobility is excellent and I think the thing we liked about him too, maybe coming in a little undersized is his competitive nature and how much when he's out there that he looks like he loves to play the game."

Nate is the brother of Red Deer Rebels forward Kohen Lodge.

In the seventh round, the Oil Kings added to their goaltending pool of prospects, selecting Champ Vannus 157th overall. Vannus, out of East St. Paul, MB played this season with the Winnipeg Thrasher U15 AAA club. In 19 games, Vannus had an 8-10-1 record, with a 3.15 goals-against-average, and a .910 save percentage to go along with one shutout. In four playoff games, Vannus earned a .920 save percentage. He was named to the Winnipeg AAA U15 First All-Star Team and was the Goalie of the Year.

In the eighth round, 168th overall, the Oil Kings selected forward Jake Dunlop out of the Delta Hockey Academy's U15 Prep squad. Out of Surrey, B.C., Dunlop scored nine goals and added 13 assists in 18 games for 22 points. He also added three points in three playoff games and had four points in five games at the John Reid Memorial Tournament.

The Oil Kings then made a trade in round nine, adding the 185th overall selection from the Lethbridge Hurricanes, in exchange for a 2029 9th round pick. With that selection, the Oil Kings would take defenceman Logan Schoettler out of Edmonton. Playing for Northern Alberta Xtreme's U15 Prep squad this season, Schoettler scored one goal and added 17 assists for 18 points in 29 games. He then added one point in four playoff games. At the John Reid Memorial Tournament, Schoettler had three assists in six games.

With another pick in round nine, 203rd overall, the Oil Kings would select forward Cooper Lappi out of the Minnesota Lakers 14U AAA program. In 16 games, Lappi would score seven goals and add 14 assists for 21 points. He would then notch eight points in four playoff games.

At the draft this year, the Oil Kings took four forwards, three defencemen, and one goalie. Chan added that all of these prospects have a similar characteristic.

"I think it's going to come back to the compete level," he said. "All the players we took were really skilled, but I think something we really zeroed in on this year was the ability of players to play in battles and play in those tough games."

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Western Hockey League Stories from May 7, 2026


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