Prospect Profile: Carter Bylycia
WHL Tri-City Americans

Prospect Profile: Carter Bylycia

Published on April 20, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Tri-City Americans News Release


Carter Bylycia loves the game of hockey. His first foray into the game didn't go so smoothly, however.

"I remember being out on the ice with my dad and I hated it at first," he said. "I was losing my mind out there. But eventually I went back out a few more times and then I started to love it."

Sometimes persistence pays off, and a second chance at hockey has turned into Bylycia becoming a legitimate WHL prospect.

He says he wouldn't be where he is without the support of his family.

"They've been my support system since I was a little guy," he said. "They've always been there supporting me, pushing me and getting me from point A to point B."

One of those points was often the Sandman Centre in Kamloops where Bylycia watched his hometown Blazers hit the ice.

He says having a WHL team in your hometown makes you view those players as superstars as a young kid. He cites Olen Zellweger as a favorite of his.

The Blazers, along with a minor hockey coach, helped put Bylycia on the path towards the WHL.

"Right from my first or second year of Peewee that was the goal," he said. "My coach, Mike Newman, whose son played in the WHL, really motivated me and pushed me to get to that level.

Newman's son is Reggie Newman, who just wrapped up his WHL career serving as captain of the Victoria Royals this past season.

For his first year of U15 Bylycia elected to join the CSSHL ranks and went west to Yale Hockey Academy in Abbotsford. He says the history of players from his area going to Yale was a big factor in why he went.

"There was a bunch of Kamloops native who went there," he said. "I thought following in the footsteps of them would be pretty cool. It turned out to be a really good decision. You're at the rink all day with your buddies, you're in the classroom with them, on the ice with them, it helps create a special bond with them."

After playing his 13-year-old season at the Varsity level, posting 25 points (8-17-25) in 27 games, Bylycia moved to the U15 Prep level for his WHL Draft season. He transitioned there smoothly with 20 points (2-18-20) in 25 games.

Talking to WHL teams throughout that season leading up to the draft, he says that 2023-24 year was one of the most fun years he's ever had playing hockey, despite some outside pressure with scouts watching.

"I like the pressure," he stated. "I think it's good, it gives you more confidence and something to play for."

When the season was over and the draft finally arrived Bylycia admitted he didn't have a clue where he was going to go, both to what team and where in the draft.

After finishing up a practice that took place while the draft was happening Bylycia found out he had been drafted 68th overall by the Americans.

The news came as a surprise as Bylyica says the Americans were a team he had never spoken to throughout that season. Despite that, he was excited as he knew a few other Yale Academy players, like Kainoah Brankovic and Savin Virk, who had been drafted by the Americans previously.

Before training camp even began, it was announced that Bylycia had signed a Scholarship and Development Agreement with the Americans. It was something he says he worked all summer for.

"It was really exciting," he said. "It was one of the goals I worked up to all summer, training as hard as I could. When they offered me the player development plan I was really excited."

Being close to WHL size already, listed at 6-foot-1 and 182 pounds on draft day, Bylycia had a distinct advantage heading into his first WHL training camp. There were still nerves, he admits.

"I remember I was a little scared," he said. "But once you get into a rhythm, you're just one of the guys doing your thing. It was a really cool experience; I tried to get as much out of it as I could. The speed was definitely a big change. You have to think so much faster and move quicker than I was used to."

Bylycia parlayed his experience from training camp to the U18 Prep level at Yale Academy, picking up 14 points (4-10-34) in 32 games during the 2024-25 season.

He says adjusting to playing against older competition took a little while to get used to, and he had to fight for every opportunity as there were four defenseman older than him on the roster that season.

Following his second training camp with the Americans this past year, Bylyica elected to return to Kamloops and play for the Thompson Blazers rather than play another season at Yale Hockey Academy.

He says the coaching staff with the Blazers was the deciding factor.

"We had Ed Patterson and Darryl Sydor, a couple of former NHL players," he said. "They taught me a lot this year, what they had been through and how I could use their experiences to help grow my game. I also hadn't been home in a few years, so it was nice to finally have a year at home."

Paterson appeared in 68 NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1990s while Sydor had an 18-year NHL career skating in 1,291 games, recording 274 points (77-197-274) and winning a pair of Stanley Cups in 1999 and 2004.

The decision to play for the Blazers paid off in spades as Bylycia's game reached new heights by scoring 37 points (7-30-37) in 30 games, leading all defenseman in the British Columbia U18 League in scoring.

He says the work he put in during the summer paid huge dividends.

"I think my offseason was a big contributor to that," he said. "I trained as hard as I could, training with pros trying to elevate my game. I was able to work out with guys like Logan Stankoven, Josh Doan, Ryan Chyzowski and Aidan Sutter. It gives you a lot of motivation to see the kind of work those guys are putting in. They were in my shoes at one point, so you take what they're doing now and realize that you have to do it yourself."

Bylycia's performance was a key factor in the Blazers having team success, making it all the way to the league final of the BC U18 League.

That included knocking out the number one seed in the second round.

"We had a great playoff run with a four vs five matchup that went to a deciding game three to start," he said. "We played the number one seed in round two and had a few tight games, 7-5 and 6-5, including scoring with about 30 seconds left to win one of those games. Unfortunately, we couldn't get the job done in the final, but it was a heck of a run."

The Blazers fell to the Okanagan Rockets in the league final with Bylycia tacking on eight points (1-7-8) in seven playoff games.

With an excellent 16-year-old season under his belt, Bylycia turns his attention to becoming a full-time WHL player for 2026-27.

He knows the Americans have a lot of young players on the roster and in the system and hopes to be part of that core group moving forward.

"We've got a bunch of young guys who are going to be driving the bus," he said. "It's going to be really exciting. I'm a two-way player who can shut down opposing team's top lines. My compete level is really high and I think my skating is pretty good too."

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Western Hockey League Stories from April 20, 2026


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