Sports stats



WHL Western Hockey League

WHL to Announce 2021 WHL Prospects Draft Lottery Results Wednesday

May 31, 2021 - Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release


Calgary, Alta. - The Western Hockey League announced today the details for the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft Lottery.

The results for the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft will be announced Wednesday, June 2 at 10 a.m. MT, premiering on the WHL's YouTube channel and available via WHL.ca.

2021 WHL Prospects Draft Lottery - Wednesday, June 2

The 2021 WHL Prospects Draft is scheduled to be conducted Thursday, December 9, 2021. The WHL Prospects Draft Lottery will determine the order of selection for all 22 WHL Clubs in the first round of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft. Inverse order of final standing from the 2020-21 WHL Regular Season will determine the order of selection for the second round through conclusion of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft.

The WHL Prospects Draft Lottery will be conducted in four phases with teams divided into three pools based on 2020-21 WHL Regular Season performance as determined by points-per-game percentage.

Pool A - WHL Division Champions from 2020-21 (four teams)

Brandon Wheat Kings

Edmonton Oil Kings

Everett Silvertips

Kamloops Blazers

Each team in Pool A will have one (1) ball entered into Phase 1 of the lottery. Teams from Pool A have the potential to select as high as sixth overall in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft.

Pool C - lowest place Club from each of the B.C., Central & U.S. Divisions, and the two lowest place Clubs in East Division (five teams)

Moose Jaw Warriors

Red Deer Rebels

Swift Current Broncos

Tri-City Americans

Victoria Royals

Each team in Pool C will have four (4) balls entered into Phase 1 of the lottery. Teams from Pool C have the potential to select as high as first overall and no lower than sixth overall in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft.

Pool B - remaining 13 WHL teams

Calgary Hitmen

Kelowna Rockets

Lethbridge Hurricanes

Medicine Hat Tigers

Portland Winterhawks

Prince Albert Raiders

Prince George Cougars

Regina Pats

Saskatoon Blades

Seattle Thunderbirds

Spokane Chiefs

Vancouver Giants

Winnipeg ICE

Each team in Pool B will have two (2) balls entered into Phase 1 of the lottery. Teams from Pool B have the potential to select as high as first overall and no lower than 19th overall in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft.

Phase 1 - 50 selection balls entered into lottery

One ball will be drawn during Phase 1 of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft Lottery.

Should a selection ball belonging to a team from Pool A be drawn during Phase 1, that team will move up to sixth overall in the order of selection for the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft.

Should a selection ball belonging to a team from Pool B or Pool C be drawn during Phase 1, that team will obtain the first overall selection in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft.

Phase 2 - three to four selection balls entered into lottery

Phase 2 of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft Lottery will determine the order of selection for all teams from Pool A. If a team from Pool A had its selection ball drawn during Phase 1, it will not be eligible to participate in Phase 2. One (1) ball for each eligible team from Pool A will be entered into the Phase 2 lottery.

The highest draft position that a team may obtain during the Phase 2 lottery is 19th overall, assuming that a team from Pool A did not win the Phase 1 lottery. If a team from Pool A wins the Phase 1 lottery, then the highest draft position the remaining teams may obtain during the Phase 2 lottery is 20th overall.

Selection balls will be drawn until there are none remaining in the lottery.

Phase 3 - 12 to 13 selection balls entered into lottery

Phase 3 of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft Lottery will determine the order of selection for all teams from Pool B. If a team from Pool B had its selection ball drawn during Phase 1, it will not be eligible to participate in Phase 3. One (1) ball for each eligible team from Pool B will be entered into the Phase 3 lottery.

The highest draft position that a team may obtain during the Phase 3 lottery is sixth overall, assuming that a Pool C team wins the Phase 1 lottery. If a team from Pool A or Pool B wins the Phase 1 lottery, then the highest draft position a team may obtain during the Phase 3 lottery is seventh overall.

Selection balls will be drawn until there are none remaining in the lottery.

Phase 4 - four to five selection balls entered into lottery

Phase 4 of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft Lottery will determine the order of selection for all teams from Pool C. If a team from Pool C had its selection ball drawn during Phase 1, it will not be eligible to participate in Phase 4. One (1) ball for each eligible team from Pool C will be entered into the Phase 4 lottery.

The highest draft position that a team may obtain during the Phase 4 lottery is first overall, assuming a team from Pool A wins the Phase 1 lottery to obtain the sixth overall selection. If a team from Pool B or Pool C wins the Phase 1 lottery, the highest draft position that a team may obtain during the Phase 4 lottery is second overall.

The lowest position that a team may obtain during the Phase 4 lottery is sixth overall, assuming a team from Pool B wins the Phase 1 lottery to obtain the first overall selection.

Selection balls will be drawn until there are none remaining in the lottery.

The selection process for all four phases of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft Lottery will be performed by Kevin Jenken of KPMG. The 2021 WHL Prospects Draft will be conducted digitally on Thursday, December 9, 2021.

Players eligible for the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft will be 2006-born players who reside in Alberta, B.C., Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Yukon, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

2021 WHL Prospects Draft - Traded First Round Selections

A number of selections in the first round of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft have been traded from their original Clubs, as follows:

Kelowna Rockets selection belongs to Edmonton Oil Kings

Moose Jaw Warriors selection belongs to Brandon Wheat Kings

Portland Winterhawks selection belongs to Swift Current Broncos

Saskatoon Blades selection belongs to Moose Jaw Warriors

Victoria Royals selection belongs to Brandon Wheat Kings

2021 WHL U.S. Priority Draft Lottery - Thursday, June 3

The WHL will announce the results of the 2021 WHL U.S. Priority Draft Lottery on Thursday, June 3 at 10 a.m. MT. Further details on the 2021 WHL U.S. Priority Draft Lottery will be provided Tuesday, June 1.


• Discuss this story on the Western Hockey League message board...

Western Hockey League Stories from May 31, 2021


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.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central