Prospect Profile: Seth Garofalo
WHL Tri-City Americans

Prospect Profile: Seth Garofalo

Published on April 15, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Tri-City Americans News Release


Some of Seth Garofalo's fondest memories of hockey come from his early days in the sport.

"I think playing all those tournaments when you're in Novice and Atom," he said. "You're hanging out with your friends all the time and just playing hockey, which is so fun. You get to make friends for life during times like that."

Safe to say Garofalo never needed much encouragement to play the game. Having two older brothers, Nate and Reid, who also played hockey, pushed Garofalo even further into wanting to be a player himself.

Growing up in Calgary, Garofalo had the WHL right in his backyard while growing up, and says watching the Hitmen was a regular occurrence.

"We would always go to Hitmen games as part of a team bonding thing," he said. "When you're a kid you think those guys are professionals. You look up to them when you're a young kid."

As Garofalo advanced in his own hockey career, he arrived at the 2023-24 season which was the year he was eligible for the WHL Prospects Draft.

Now on the precipice of reaching the league he had watched so much, Garofalo says he enjoyed every moment of that season.

"It was a fun year for sure, knowing the draft was coming up," he said. "It was really cool to be able to talk to all these teams and experience what it was like to be drafted."

With scouts paying attention to every game, he says that only added motivation to want to perform his best.

"It was a reminder that I needed to focus before games," he said. "Knowing they're watching I can't have any off shifts. I used it as motivation and never really felt many nerves with them watching."

Playing for the U15 Calgary Buffaloes, Garofalo had a strong season with 39 points (19-20-39) in 34 games, leading his team in scoring by 10 points. He added a goal and three assists in two playoff games.

When it came to draft day, Garofalo said he had a lot of friends who were being drafted so he tuned in to the first round on the WHL's live stream.

As the rounds went on, he says he tried to distract himself from the draft, not knowing whether he was going to get picked.

"I had no clue, so I tried not to think about it too much," he said. "I kind of went on with my day and later a friend of mine texted me saying congratulations on being drafted by Tri-City. I thought it was cool to be able to go to the United States. It's different weather, different experience, and the jerseys are super cool."

The Americans drafted Garofalo in the seventh round, 135th overall.

Even a few months of training and preparation couldn't fully get Garofalo ready for the feeling of stepping onto the ice with established WHL veterans during his first training camp.

"I remember it was crazy because these guys are so massive," he recalled. "All of them are so good, they're all there for a reason. There was a bit of nervousness going into that first day, but everyone made me feel so welcome. It was fun to get to know people from all over the place."

After soaking in his first WHL training camp Garofalo returned to Calgary and made the jump to the U18 level with the Calgary Buffaloes.

Much like his camp experience, he says the jump to U18 was also quite steep.

"That was a big jump. Teams are faster, teams are bigger and there's a lot more hitting," he said. "The competition is great though, every team is close and tight, which helps create some rivalries."

In 22 games Garofalo scored five goals and added seven assists.

The Buffaloes had an excellent playoff run that season, getting all the way to the South Division Final. In nine post season games Garofalo scored once and picked up four assists.

Looking back, he says it was eye opening to see how far his team's game had come from those playoffs.

"I remember we got off to a slow start that year, and back in October we were watching one of our playoff games from last year," he said. "It was crazy to see the difference in our play. We were making passes in those playoff games that we never would have thought to do at the start of the season. It was great to see how far we had come."

That experience not only helped Garofalo feel more comfortable during his second WHL training camp last Fall, but also up his production significantly during his second season with the Buffaloes.

"We had a lot of veterans player on the team this year, including me, so you kind of feel like a leader on the team," he said. "We went so far the year before so everyone knew what it took to win. I definitely had a lot more confidence coming into this season compared to last year."

Garofalo recorded 21 points (13-8-21) in 30 games this year, battling through a fractured tailbone that cost him the final few weeks of the regular season.

That injury also caused him to miss the Buffaloes first playoff game, but when he was cleared to return to game action, Garofalo says he couldn't contain his excitement.

"Playoff hockey is so much fun to play in," he said. "I was so excited to get back playing and I think that's what helped me have a good performance in the playoffs. Even though we didn't go as far this year, those two overtime games against the Calgary Northstars were so close. They were our biggest rival over the course of the season."

Garofalo's Buffaloes bowed out of the playoffs with a Division Semifinal loss to fellow Americans prospect Ben Oliverio. Despite only dressing for three games, Garofalo made a major impact with three goals and three assists.

With his U18 season over, Garofalo was then told he would be heading South and joining the Americans for the rest of the season.

He says he was able to immediately share the news with family.

"It was really exciting getting that text from Bob Tory," he said. "I was with my grandparents and my parents, so I told them and they were all so happy. It's really cool to hear that they want you to come down and join them."

With the Americans hosting their training camps next door at the Toyota Arena, Garofalo had never actually set foot on the ice at the Toyota Center.

Being able to get onto that ice surface for the first time and join the team for practice was a huge thrill.

"The practices were really fun and high energy, even though the season wasn't going as planned," he said. "The atmosphere in Tri-City was awesome and every practice they knew what they were doing and how to execute."

After practicing with the team for a few days, Garofalo found out he was going to make his WHL debut March 14 against the Spokane Chiefs.

Standing in the tunnel ahead of his solo lap, he admits there were a lot of nerves running through his body.

"Once I got out there and started warming up with everyone it was really fun," he said. "The crowd that night was crazy so that's something I'll never forget. I was playing on right wing which wasn't a position I had played all season. You can tell there's a big rivalry between Spokane and Tri-City, so getting into that atmosphere was amazing."

The highlight from his debut was an open-ice hit against Spokane forward Asanali Sarkenov in the neutral zone.

Garofalo says he say the play developing and knew what he had to do.

"I tried to hit him, honestly, but it was like hitting a brick wall," he laughed. "He was massive I remember the puck was on the wall and he was looking back, so I knew I had to take the body. It kind of hurt, but it was worth it. That's the kind of energy I'd like to bring next season."

When the season came to an end Garofalo was told he would be getting signed by the Americans.

His long journey from a seventh-round pick to being signed by the team had finally come to an end, but he knows that's only the next step in the process of becoming a WHL regular. Getting into a pair of games this year gives him a huge leg up heading into training camp next season he says.

"I think it was the best thing for me," Garofalo said. "It let me know what the competition was like and what I need to work toward. Now I know how hard I need to work and that's the level that's expected."

Despite being signed, Garofalo knows he still has to show up to training camp in August with a chip on his shoulder.

"I have to show them that I know what my role is, and that I can do that role really well," he said. "I think they need my role, so I can show them that I can do that and show them that I can be part of this team.

Check out the Tri-City Americans Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Western Hockey League Stories from April 15, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central