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Western Hockey League Completes 2022 WHL U.S. Priority Draft

May 18, 2022 - Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release


Calgary, Alta. - The Western Hockey League completed the 2022 WHL U.S. Priority Draft today with WHL member Clubs selecting 44 players throughout the two-round draft.

With the first-overall pick, the Edmonton Oil Kings selected defenceman Blake Fiddler (Frisco, Texas / Dallas Stars Elite 14U). Fiddler, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound defenceman, played with the Dallas Stars Elite 14U during the 2021-22 season.

"It's a huge honour and a dream come true," Fiddler told OilKings.ca following the 2022 WHL U.S. Prospects Draft. "I've always wanted to play in this league and to be drafted by such a great organization is awesome. I'm just really excited for what the future holds.

"I'm a two-way defenceman, but very offensive minded. I like to jump up in the play, lead the rush, creating offence when we're in the offensive zone, but I'm also reliable in the defensive zone when I'm put on the ice."

Fiddler is the son of longtime NHL forward and former Kelowna Rockets star Vernon Fiddler, who spent 14 seasons in the NHL, playing 877 regular season games.

"He's taught me a lot," Blake said of his father's influence. "He's been a big part of my hockey career so far. He's really helped me develop into the player that I am today, and I'm really thankful for the opportunities my family has provided me and the sacrifices they've made to help get me to where I am."

Other notable NHL alumni to see their sons' names called included former San Jose Sharks stars Owen Nolan and Brad Stuart. For Stuart, his son Jake was selected second overall by the Brandon Wheat Kings, while Nolan's son Dylan was selected 10th overall by the Prince Albert Raiders.

Two-time Stanley Cup champion Grant Jennings saw his son's name, Gordon, called by the Prince Albert Raiders with the 35th overall selection. Grant played nine NHL seasons and was a member of the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins squads in 1991 and 1992.

All four of the aforementioned NHL alumni spent time in the Canadian Hockey League.

Vernon Fiddler spent three seasons with the Kelowna Rockets (1997-2000) before wrapping up his WHL career with the Medicine Hat Tigers during the 2000-01 campaign. Most recently, he served as an assistant coach with the Rockets (2019-21).

Brad Stuart spent three seasons with the Regina Pats (1996-99) before concluding his WHL career with the Calgary Hitmen (1999), winning a WHL Championship and being named WHL and CHL Defenceman of the Year.

Grant Jennings played two seasons (1983-85) with the Saskatoon Blades, while Owen Nolan skated in the Ontario Hockey League as a member of the Cornwall Royals (1988-90).

In total, 11 different states had players selected in the 2022 WHL U.S. Priority Draft, including California, which led the way with 13 players chosen.

2022 WHL U.S. Priority Draft - State-by-State Breakdown

California - 13

Minnesota - 9

Texas - 5

Colorado - 4

Alaska - 3

Arizona - 3

North Dakota - 2

Washington - 2

Michigan - 1

Nebraska - 1

Nevada - 1

Complete results from the 2022 WHL U.S. Priority Draft are available at WHL.ca/draft.

2022 WHL U.S. Prospects Draft Results

Round One

#1 - Edmonton Oil Kings

Name: Blake Fiddler Position: Defence Hometown: Irving, Texas

Team: Dallas Stars Elite 14U Stats: N/A

#2 - Brandon Wheat Kings

Name: Jake Stuart Position: Forward Hometown: Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Team: Los Angeles Jr. Kings 14U Stats: 62GP - 43G-38A-81 points

#3 - Regina Pats

Name: Dylan Lebret Position: Defence Hometown: Spokane, Wash.

Team: Los Angeles Jr. Kings 14U Stats: 57GP - 9G-18A-27 points

#4 - Lethbridge Hurricanes

Name: Harrison Boettiger Position: Goaltender Hometown: Wheatridge, Colo.

Team: Shattuck-St. Mary's Sabres 14U Stats: 26GP - 24-0-0 - 1.12 GAA, .948 SV%

#5 - Moose Jaw Warriors

Name: Carter Murphy Position: Defence Hometown: The Woodlands, Texas

Team: Dallas Stars Elite 14U Stats: N/A

#6 - Seattle Thunderbirds

Name: Lukas Sawchyn Position: Forward Hometown: Victoria, Minn.

Team: Shattuck-St. Mary's Sabres 14U Stats: 52GP - 35G-50A-85 points

#7 - Victoria Royals

Name: Rui Han Position: Forward Hometown: San Diego, Calif.

Team: St. George's School U15 Prep Stats: 26GP - 20G-15A-35 points

#8 - Spokane Chiefs

Name: Landon Hafele Position: Forward Hometown: Fairbanks, Alaska

Team: Green Bay Jr. Gamblers 14U Stats: N/A

#9 - Tri-City Americans

Name: Brady Turner Position: Forward Hometown: Scottsdale, Ariz.

Team: Phoenix Jr. Coyotes 14U Stats: N/A

#10 - Prince Albert Raiders

Name: Dylan Nolan Position: Forward Hometown: San Jose, Calif.

Team: San Jose Jr. Sharks 14U Stats: 42GP - 30G-20A-50 points

#11 - Winnipeg ICE

Name: Carson Steinhoff Position: Defence Hometown: Shakopee, Minn.

Team: Minnesota Blades 14U Stats: N/A

#12 - Swift Current Broncos

Name: Tyson Ulmer Position: Forward Hometown: Grand Forks, N.D.

Team: North Dakota BEL Stats: N/A

#13 - Everett Silvertips

Name: Ben Kevan Position: Forward Hometown: Fairfield, Calif.

Team: Los Angeles Jr. Kings 14U Stats: 61GP - 67G-48A-115 points

#14 - Red Deer Rebels

Name: Jeramiah Roberts Position: Defence Hometown: Monument, Colo.

Team: Colorado Rampage 14U Stats: 46GP - 29G-20A-49 points

#15 - Calgary Hitmen

Name: Brandon Gorzynski Position: Forward Hometown: Scottsdale, Ariz.

Team: Phoenix Jr. Coyotes 14U Stats: N/A

#16 - Prince George Cougars

Name: Jackson Crowder Position: Centre Hometown: Allex, Texas

Team: Dallas Stars Elite 14U Stats: N/A

#17 - Kelowna Rockets

Name: Jackson Gillespie Position: Defence Hometown: Dallas, Texas

Team: Dallas Stars Elite 14U Stats: N/A

#18 - Kamloops Blazers

Name: Conrad Fondrk Position: Forward Hometown: White Bear Lake, Minn.

Team: Mount St. Charles Academy 14U Stats: 70GP - 70G-57A-127 points

#19 - Saskatoon Blades

Name: Trace Frieden Position: Forward Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.

Team: St. George's School U15 Prep Stats: 29GP - 14G-25A-39 points

#20 - Portland Winterhawks

Name: Gavin Kor Position: Forward Hometown: Rochester, Minn.

Team: Shattuck-St. Mary's Sabres 14U Stats: 52GP - 39G-46A-85 points

#21 - Vancouver Giants

Name: Masun Fleece Position: Right Wing Hometown: Rolling Hills, Calif.

Team: Shattuck-St. Mary's Sabres 14U Stats: 51GP - 45G-61A-106 points

#22 - Medicine Hat Tigers

Name: Max Silver Position: Forward Hometown: Poway, Calif.

Team: Fairmont Prep Warriors 15s Stats: 18GP - 17G-9A-26 points

Round Two

#23 - Medicine Hat Tigers

Name: Ben Davis Position: Forward Hometown: Denver, Colo.

Team: Colorado Thunderbirds 14U Stats: N/A

#24 - Vancouver Giants

Name: Cooper Simpson Position: Forward Hometown: Shakopee, Minn.

Team: Minnesota Machine 14U Stats: N/A

#25 - Portland Winterhawks

Name: Garrett Lindberg Position: Defence Hometown: Moorhead, Minn.

Team: Little Falls HS Flyers Stats: N/A

#26 - Saskatoon Blades

Name: William Belle Position: Forward Hometown: Minnetonka, Minn.

Team: Shattuck-St. Mary's Sabres 14U Stats: 49GP - 31G-32A-63 points

#27 - Kamloops Blazers

Name: Ethan Bryant Position: Forward Hometown: Scottsdale, Ariz.

Team: Phoenix Jr. Coyotes 14U Stats: N/A

#28 - Kelowna Rockets

Name: Ryder Mcleod Position: Defence Hometown: Dallas, Texas

Team: Dallas Stars Elite 14U Stats: N/A

#29 - Prince George Cougars

Name: Christian Plaga Position: Forward Hometown: Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Team: Los Angeles Jr. Kings 14U Stats: 41GP - 20G-16A-36 points

#30 - Calgary Hitmen

Name: Sam Spehar Position: Forward Hometown: Edina, Minn.

Team: Chaska HS Hawks Stats: 28GP - 7G-13A-20 points

#31 - Red Deer Rebels

Name: Quinten Flores Position: Defence Hometown: Arvada, Colo.

Team: Colorado Thunderbirds 14U Stats: N/A

#32 - Everett Silvertips

Name: Patrick McSharry Position: Forward Hometown: Anchorage, Alaska

Team: Team Alaska 14U Stats: 43GP - 46G-23A-69 points

#33 - Swift Current Broncos

Name: Lincoln Kuehne Position: Defence Hometown: West Fargo, N.D.

Team: Team North Dakota 14U Stats: 17GP - 3G-6A-9 points

#34 - Winnipeg ICE

Name: Jacob Kvasnicka Position: Forward Hometown: Wayzata, Minn.

Team: Minnesota Walleye 14U Stats: 18GP - 12G-19A-31 points

#35 - Prince Albert Raiders

Name: Gordon Jennings Position: Forward Hometown: Anchorage, Alaska

Team: Alaska Oilers 14U AA Stats: 52GP - 15G-22A-37 points

#36 - Tri-City Americans

Name: Vincent Rodriguez Position: Defence Hometown: Richland, Wash.

Team: Tri-Cities Jr. Americans 14U AA Stats: 50GP - 29G-41A-70 points

#37 - Spokane Chiefs

Name: Ryan Denes Position: Goaltender Hometown: Saugus, Calif.

Team: Mount St. Charles Academy 14U Stats: 34GP - 23-10-2 - 2.40 GAA - .910 SV%

#38 - Victoria Royals

Name: Zach Spagnuolo Position: Centre Hometown: Grand Blanc, Mich.

Team: Dallas Stars Elite 14U Stats: N/A

#39 - Seattle Thunderbirds

Name: Aaron Sachs Position: Goaltender Hometown: San Diego, Calif.

Team: Fairmont Prep Warriors 15s Stats: 12GP - 4.13 GAA - .897 SV%

#40 - Moose Jaw Warriors

Name: Kyle Jones Position: Goaltender Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.

Team: Los Angeles Jr. Kings 14U Stats: 33GP - 2.90 GAA - .736 SV%

#41 - Lethbridge Hurricanes

Name: Clarke Nehmens Position: Defence Hometown: Chino Hills, Calif.

Team: Shattuck-St. Mary's Sabres 14U Stats: 51GP - 12G-32A-44 points

#42 - Regina Pats

Name: Stephen Grumley Position: Defence Hometown: Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Team: Los Angeles Jr. Kings 14U Stats: 60GP - 8G-27A-35 points

#43 - Brandon Wheat Kings

Name: Carson Craig Position: Defence Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada

Team: Vegas Jr. Golden Knights AA 14U Stats: 4GP - 2G-1A-3 points

#44 - Edmonton Oil Kings

Name: Jakeb Lynch Position: Forward Hometown: Omaha, Neb.

Team: Omaha AAA HC 14U Stats: N/A

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