Last season the Western Hockey League saw five players selected in the first round of the NHL Draft and ended the weekend in Florida with a total of 35 guys picked. Going into a new season, the league lost out on having the consensus No. 1 selection in 2016 when Auston Matthews chose the pro ranks in Switzerland over the Everett Silvertips. So with Mathews out of the picture, who will be the top WHL player selected? Who could slip into the first round?
As the WHL season kicks off, here are the top NHL Draft prospects to watch for:
Tyler Benson, LW, Vancouver Giants
The former top WHL Bantam pick is going to start the season on the shelf as he recovers from an injury. It’s not expected to keep him out long and didn’t stop the Giants from naming Benson their captain this week. That’s a high honour for a 17-year-old, but Benson seems poised enough to live up to the responsibility. He had a stellar rookie season that saw him pick up 14 goals and 45 points. Expect those numbers to rise this year, even with the early injury.
Kale Clague, D, Brandon Wheat Kings
The Wheat Kings had defenceman Ivan Provorov become the first WHL player off the board in the 2015 NHL Draft and could see a repeat this year with Clague. The Alberta-raised blueliner put up huge numbers in bantam—an absurd 35 goals and 77 points in 33 games—and is expected to take a big step up in his draft year. He only got into 20 games last year but will get a much larger role this season. With the prospect of playing alongside Provorov, Clague could be in for a huge campaign.
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Vojtech Budik, D, Prince Albert Raiders
The Dub has seen some pretty good import defenceman come through the league of late and Budik appears to be the next one in line. Prince Albert used the 17th pick on the CHL Import Draft to pick the puckmover from the Czech Republic and is hoping he can adapt quickly to the WHL and North American style of play. If he does, he has the potential to be a first-round pick in next June’s NHL Draft.
Brett Howden, C, Moose Jaw Warriors
Howden is one of the reasons the folks in Moose Jaw think their club can make a big improvement this year. As a 16-year-old, he was outstanding, potting 22 goals—and has the early league lead in scoring with a two-point opening night—and the thought is that he will be even better in his draft year. Howden’s older brother Quinton has already made the leap to the NHL with the Florida Panthers, so Brett knows what’s in store for him this season. He has size and ability that will make him an intriguing prospect for the NHL.
Libor Hajek, D, Saskatoon Blades
Another Czech blueliner, Hajek should give the Blades some much needed punch on their back end. He was the second pick in the Import Draft and while it’s a small sample size, he notched three points in his first two pre-season games. If that’s an early indication of how he’s adjusting, Hajek could make it two WHL import blueliners picked in the first round . Working in his’s favor is that he is not afraid to play a physical style, which will help him adjust even more to the North American game.
Sam Steel, C, Regina Pats
Steel is a tremendous talent. He was on his way to a great rookie season with the Pats before getting hurt down the stretch. That injury capped him at 61 games and he put up 54 points in that time. The biggest concern with Steel could be his health as he missed a ton of games the year before joining the Pats as well. Is he injury prone or was last year just a fluke? Staying healthy will go a long way to assuaging any fears the NHL might have about his durability. He’s as talented, if not more so, than the rest of the WHL draft eligibles and only time will tell if he ends up being the top guy in this group.
Jake Bean, D, Calgary Hitmen
Bean had an incredible breakout campaign last year as a 16-year-old rookie. He never looks rattled and ended up setting a franchise record for 16-year-old defenceman with 39 points. Coming back this year to a solid Hitmen squad, Bean could be one of three WHL blueliners drafted in the first round.
Carter Hart, G, Everett Silvertips
Going into last year, Hart was slotted to be the backup to 19-year-old veteran Auston Lotz, but by the mid-way point of the year, Hart had taken over the No. 1 job. The Sherwood Park, Alta., product ended the season with a .915 save percentage and a goals-against of 2.29. He raised his draft profile this summer with a strong camp with Team Canada and was equally as good at the Ivan Hlinka tournament where he was part of the gold medal winning club.