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WHL Western Hockey League

WHL Completes 2024 WHL U.S. Priority Draft

May 8, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release


Calgary, Alta. - The Western Hockey League completed the 2024 WHL U.S. Priority Draft with WHL member Clubs selecting 44 players throughout the two-round draft on Wednesday, May 8, 2024.

With the first overall pick, the Regina Pats selected forward Braden Hordichuk from the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes 14U AAA squad.

The 15-year-old forward put up 20 goals and 12 assists for 32 points in 37 games to finish second on his team in points and goals.

"We're very excited to select Braden with the first overall pick of the U.S. Priority Selection," Regina Pats VP, Hockey Operations and General Manager Alan Millar said. "We really like Braden as both a player and a young man. He plays the game the right way and understands the competitiveness, how hard you need to play to be successful and play at this level. He projects to be a power forward in our league with skill, and we're excited about his future with the Pats."

Hordichuk's father, Darcy- a Kamsack, Sask. product- spent 12 seasons in the NHL with the Atlanta Thrashers, Phoenix Coyotes, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers. He also played parts of three seasons in the WHL with the Saskatoon Blades and the Calgary Hitmen.

Notable selections include three other sons of NHL alumni.

The Edmonton Oil Kings picked defenceman Matheas Hejda (5th overall), whose father, Jan, played 627 regular-season games with the Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets and Colorado Avalanche.

With the sixth overall pick, the Kamloops Blazers chose forward Eli Tverdovsky, the son of two-time Stanley Cup Champion Oleg Tverdovsky, who also suited up for the Brandon Wheat Kings in 1994-95.

The Vancouver Giants drafted blueliner Luke Storr, whose father, Jamie, won a World Championship gold medal for Team Canada and backstopped the Los Angeles Kings and Carolina Hurricanes for more than 200 games over a decade in the NHL.

The Tri-City Americans also selected forward Grady (6th overall) and defenceman Jackson (24th overall) Schaefer, a pair of twin brothers from Orange, Calif.

In total, 10 Western states had players selected in the 2024 WHL U.S. Priority Draft, including California, which led the way with 15 players chosen.

WHL Clubs drafted a total of 27 forwards, 13 defencemen and four goaltenders.

2023 WHL U.S. Priority Draft - State-by-State Breakdown

California- 15

Minnesota- 9

Texas- 5

Alaska- 4

Arizona- 3

Colorado- 3

North Dakota- 2

Michigan- 1

Ohio- 1

Washington- 1

Complete results for the 2024 WHL U.S. Priority Draft are available at WHL.ca.

2023 WHL U.S. Priority Draft Results

Round One

#1 - Regina Pats

Name: Braden Hordichuk Position: Forward Hometown: Scottsdale, Ariz.

Team: Phoenix Jr. Coyotes 14U Stats: 37 GP -20G-12A- 32 points

#2 - Seattle Thunderbirds

Name: Ewen Willers Position: Forward Hometown: Dallas, Texas

Team: Dallas Stars Elite 14U Stats: 78 GP- 26G-25A- 51 points

#3 - Calgary Hitmen

Name: Parker Schellenberg Position: Defence Hometown: Irvine, Calif.

Team: Anaheim Jr. Ducks 14U Stats: 58 GP- 4G-25A- 29 points

#4 - Tri-City Americans

Name: Grady Schaefer Position: Forward Hometown: Orange, Calif.

Team: Anaheim Jr. Ducks 14U Stats: 62 GP- 39G-35A- 74 points

#5 - Edmonton Oil Kings

Name: Matheas Hejda Position: Defence Hometown: Columbus, Ohio

Team: Chicago Reapers 14U Stats: 65 GP- 5G-22A- 27 points

#6 - Kamloops Blazers

Name: Eli Tverdovsky Position: Forward Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.

Team: OHA U15 Prep Stats: 27 GP- 20G-16A- 36 points

#7 - Spokane Chiefs

Name: Brady Elbert Position: Defence Hometown: Agoura Hills, Calif.

Team: California Golden Bears 14U Stats: 59 GP- 6G-9A- 15 points

#8 - Victoria Royals

Name: Brayden Willis Position: Forward Hometown: Gilbert, Ariz.

Team: Phoenix Jr. Coyotes 14U Stats: 46 GP- 27G-27A- 54 points

#9 - Prince Albert Raiders

Name: Gavin Burcar Position: Forward Hometown: Coto De Caza, Calif.

Team: Anaheim Jr. Ducks 14U Stats: 51 GP- 29G-33A- 62 points

#10 - Vancouver Giants

Name: Boone Chartier Position: Forward Hometown: Minnetonka, Minn.

Team: Shattuck-St. Mary's Sabres 14U Stats: 57 GP- 24G-42A- 66 points

#11 - Kelowna Rockets

Name: Colton Lien Position: Forward Hometown: Highlands Ranch, Col.

Team: Okanagan (Colorado) 14U Stats: 17 GP- 10G-14A- 24 points

#12 - Wenatchee Wild

Name: Marcus Matyas Position: Forward Hometown: Edina, Minn.

Team: Cretin/Derham Hall HS Raiders Stats: 31 GP- 9G-17A- 26 points

#13 - Lethbridge Hurricanes

Name: Enzo Didomenicantonio Position: Forward Hometown: Detroit, Mich.

Team: Los Angeles Jr. Kings 14U Stats: 62 GP- 45G-57A- 102 points

#14 - Brandon Wheat Kings

Name: Colin Grubb Position: Forward Hometown: Burlington, N.D.

Team: Shattuck-St. Mary's Sabres 14U Stats: 57 GP- 42G-60A- 102 points

#15 - Red Deer Rebels

Name: Nikolas Ferry Position: Defence Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.

Team: Los Angeles Jr. Kings 14U Stats: 68 GP- 4G-16A- 20 points

#16 - Medicine Hat Tigers

Name: Owen Hayes Position: Forward Hometown: Centennial, Col.

Team: Okanagan (Colorado) 14U Stats: 17 GP- 16G-20A- 36 points

#17 - Swift Current Broncos

Name: Easton Johnson Position: Defence Hometown: Luverne, Minn.

Team: Sioux Falls POWER 14U Stats: 47 GP- 22G-32A- 54 points

#18 - Moose Jaw Warriors

Name: Mathieu Bowerman Position: Defence Hometown: Quincy, Wash.

Team: Wenatchee Wild 15U Stats: 8 GP- 5G-4A- 9 points

#19 - Everett Silvertips

Name: Evan Enck Position: Goaltender Hometown: Costa Mesa, Calif.

Team: Anaheim Jr. Ducks 14U Stats: 34 GP- .921 SV%

#20 - Portland Winterhawks

Name: Tyler DiCarlo Position: Goaltender Hometown: Anchorage, Alaska

Team: Team Alaska 14U Stats: 26 GP- 13-8-1- 1.92 GAA, .912 SV%

#21 - Prince George Cougars

Name: Cole Hajt Position: Forward Hometown: El Segundo, Calif.

Team: Los Angeles Jr. Kings 14U Stats: 70 GP- 20G-24A- 44 points

#22 - Saskatoon Blades

Name: Mason Moreland Position: Forward Hometown: Coto De Caza, Calif.

Team: Anaheim Jr. Ducks 14U Stats: 66 GP- 28G-11A- 39 points

Round Two

#23 - Kamloops Blazers

Name: Kaeden Tate Position: Goaltender Hometown: Huntington Beach, Calif.

Team: Anaheim Jr. Ducks 14U Stats: 34 GP- .911 SV%

#24 - Tri-City Americans

Name: Jackson Schaefer Position: Defence Hometown: Orange, Calif.

Team: Anaheim Jr. Ducks 14U Stats: 63 GP- 10G-15A- 25 points

#25 - Regina Pats

Name: Camden Zaporzan Position: Forward Hometown: Anchorage, Alaska

Team: Shattuck-St. Mary's Sabres 14U Stats: 57 GP- 18G-32A- 50 points

#26 - Seattle Thunderbirds

Name: Brendan Williams Position: Forward Hometown: Frisco, Texas

Team: Dallas Stars Elite 14U Stats: 79 GP- 11G-14A- 25 points

#27 - Edmonton Oil Kings

Name: Brock Stevenson Position: Forward Hometown: Denver, Col.

Team: Okanagan (Colorado) 14U Stats: 12 GP- 10G-16A- 26 points

#28 - Calgary Hitmen

Name: Logan Brown Position: Forward Hometown: Palmer, Alaska

Team: Dallas Stars Elite 14U Stats: 75 GP- 34G-40A- 74 points

#29 - Spokane Chiefs

Name: Spencer Anderson Position: Forward Hometown: Thief River Falls, Minn.

Team: Thief River Falls HS Prowlers Stats: 27 GP- 17G-15A- 32 points

#30 - Victoria Royals

Name: Cooper Avelar Position: Defence Hometown: Medina, Minn.

Team: Minnesota Walleye 14U Stats: 15 GP- 3G-7A- 10 points

#31 - Prince Albert Raiders

Name: Diego Gutierrez Position: Defence Hometown: McAllen, Texas

Team: Shattuck-St. Mary's Sabres 14U Stats: 56 GP- 12G-66A- 78 points

#32 - Vancouver Giants

Name: Luke Storr Position: Defence Hometown: EL Segundo, Calif.

Team: Los Angeles Jr. Kings 14U Stats: 68 GP- 6G-25A- 31 points

#33 - Kelowna Rockets

Name: Drew Larioza Position: Forward Hometown: San Jose, Calif.

Team: San Jose Jr. Sharks 14U Stats: 36 GP- 28G-27A- 55 points

#34 - Wenatchee Wild

Name: Gunnar Conboy Position: Forward Hometown: Lakeville, Minn.

Team: Lakeville North HS Panthers Stats: 26 GP- 13G-9A- 22 points

#35 - Lethbridge Hurricanes

Name: Aydan Murphy Position: Goaltender Hometown: Surprise, Ariz.

Team: Phoenix Jr. Coyotes 14U Stats: 23 GP- 7-16-0, 3.50 GAA, .878 SV%

#36 - Brandon Wheat Kings

Name: Ethan Sung Position: Forward Hometown: Pasadena, Calif.

Team: Shattuck-St. Mary's Sabres 14U Stats: 57 GP- 49G-70A- 119 points

#37 - Red Deer Rebels

Name: Bodi Anderson Position: Defence Hometown: Eagle River, Alaska

Team: Team Alaska 14U Stats: 48 GP- 6G-8A- 14 points

#38 - Medicine Hat Tigers

Name: Nolan Marto Position: Forward Hometown: Grand Forks, N.D.

Team: Team North Dakota 14U Stats: 58 GP- 63G-67A- 130 points

#39 - Swift Current Broncos

Name: Nolan Fitzhenry Position: Forward Hometown: Andover, Minn.

Team: Shattuck-St. Mary's Sabres 14U Stats: 57 GP- 53G-47A- 100 points

#40 - Moose Jaw Warriors

Name: Gage Beveridge Position: Forward Hometown: Edina, Minn.

Team: Okanagan (Colorado) 14U Stats: 17 GP- 13G-6A- 19 points

#41 - Everett Silvertips

Name: Drew Fox Position: Forward Hometown: Hickory Creek, Texas

Team: Dallas Stars Elite 14U Stats: 80 GP- 48G-51A- 99 points

#42 - Portland Winterhawks

Name: Finn Spehar Position: Forward Hometown: Minneapolis, Minn.

Team: Minnetonka Skippers 14U Stats: N/A

#43 - Prince George Cougars

Name: Dax Diep Position: Defence Hometown: San Diego, Calif.

Team: Anaheim Jr. Ducks 14U Stats: 66 GP- 9G-24A- 33 points

#44 - Saskatoon Blades

Name: Noah Morrison Position: Defence Hometown: Plano, Texas

Team: Dallas Star Elite 14U Stats: 79 GP- 14G-48A- 62 points

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