Wenatchee Wild Prepare for NHL Draft Tonight, Tomorrow
WHL Wenatchee Wild

Wenatchee Wild Prepare for NHL Draft Tonight, Tomorrow

Published on June 26, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release


Wenatchee Wild defenseman Darian Rolsing
Wenatchee Wild defenseman Darian Rolsing
(Wenatchee Wild, Credit: Ben Holten)

WENATCHEE, Wash. - This weekend, 223 of the world's top young hockey players will hear their names called as part of the National Hockey League's annual Entry Draft.

A few of those names are likely to come from the Wild family.

This year's draft is being held in Buffalo, New York, beginning at 4 p.m. Wenatchee time Friday. First-round selections will be made Friday evening, while the remainder of the selections in the seven-round draft will be made on Saturday, with the draft set to resume at 8 a.m. Three Wenatchee players were listed on this year's final NHL Central Scouting rankings, which were released in April.

TOBIAS TVRZNIK (G - Litomerice, Czechia - 8th-ranked North American goaltender)

Tvrznik headlines the list as one of North America's top eight draft-eligible goaltenders after finishing this past year with a .913 save percentage, good for third in the WHL, to go with 16 wins and a 3.10 goals-against average. The 10th overall pick in last year's Canadian Hockey League Import Draft, the Czech product has earned kudos across the WHL landscape as well, earning a nod as a Second-Team Western Conference All-Star and a nomination for the league's Del Wilson Memorial Trophy for Goaltender of the Year. He would also add an NCAA Division I commitment to Ohio State University late in the season, and was nominated to the inaugural WHL Prospects Game Presented by Showpass before being forced to bow out due to injury. He is especially high on the NHL draft radar of late, earning an invitation to the league's annual Scouting Combine at the start of this month.

CAELAN JOUDREY (RW - Airdrie, Alberta - 60th-ranked North American skater)

Joudrey is one of two Wenatchee skaters to be recognized, coming in with a top-60 ranking after leaping up from the 101st spot on the midterm rankings. The Quinnipiac University commit finished with 19 goals and 10 assists this season, and posted three multi-point games, including a pair of multi-goal games. The Airdrie, Alberta native easily eclipsed his 2024-25 total, after posting 16 points in 66 games last year as a WHL rookie. Joudrey was originally a third-round selection for the former Winnipeg ICE in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft.

DARIAN ROLSING (RD - Speyer, Germany - 138th-ranked North American skater)

Rolsing was the final player to be recognized, climbing 20 spots on the final rankings after landing at 158th on the midterm list. Rolsing finished with nine points on the season, his first in Wenatchee after receiving the team's second pick in this past summer's Canadian Hockey League Import Draft, at 16th overall. The product of Speyer, Germany led the Tappara club to a Finnish Under-18 title last season, and has represented his home country at the Under-18 World Championships each of the last two years.

Both Wenatchee's current Western Hockey League franchise and the Valley's former Junior "A" club are well-acquainted with seeing players taken in the NHL Draft. 44 players from the current WHL team have gone in the NHL Draft since its inaugural season in 1996-97, including two last year. Eight of the former Junior "A" team's players heard their own names called in the draft during Wenatchee's time in the North American Hockey League and British Columbia Hockey League, from 2008 to 2023.

ESPN will carry first-round coverage of this weekend's NHL Draft, while Saturday coverage of the draft will air on NHL Network. The Wild will also announce the selection of any Wenatchee players on social media, with a full wrap-up of the weekend Saturday afternoon following the end of the draft.

Check out the Wenatchee Wild Statistics

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Images from this story

Wenatchee Wild goaltender Tobias Tvrznik
Wenatchee Wild goaltender Tobias Tvrznik
(Russ Alman)		 Wenatchee Wild right wing Caelan Joudrey
Wenatchee Wild right wing Caelan Joudrey
(Ben Holten)		 Wenatchee Wild defenseman Darian Rolsing
Wenatchee Wild defenseman Darian Rolsing
(Ben Holten)



Western Hockey League Stories from June 26, 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.

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