WHL teams face draft uncertainty

Chris Moulton has been scouting for a long time, but he’s never quite had the headache the Western Hockey League draft has given him this year.

With the league set to pick its first rounders tonight at 7 o’clock, followed by the rest of the draft on Thursday at 11 a.m., the Brandon Wheat Kings’ director of hockey operations said he’s in uncharted territory.

After all, with the influx of American players, the exodus of younger WHL players to college and the unknown draft dynamic created by the decision to end the U.S. priority draft, there is uncertainty everywhere.

“It’s been the most challenging year in my career of over 30 years as far as just trying to figure out the landscape and trying to predict outcomes and get a feel for what organizations’ trends are,” Moulton said. “Not to take anything away from the American players, but if other teams select the American players, it will free up more higher-end Canadian kids for us.”

The team has prepared a list of 140 western Canadian players plus 50 Americans — all born in 2011 — so they are ready for whatever awaits. Moulton mostly finalized it last Tuesday, with a final scouts meeting held last night to give it another once-over.

One of their jobs is clearing up a cluster of several players who could be available to them at 15.

“It’s been an interesting year of preparation,” Moulton said. “I’m very uncomfortable … because of the uncertainty. Usually this is old hat to me, I usually have my guys, pick my guys and go away happy. This is the most unsteady I’ve been in a while so it will make it interesting.

“We’ll see how it goes.”

U.S. DRAFT

The biggest development this year is the elimination of the U.S. priority draft, which the league held for six years to mixed results. But with the change in NCAA eligibility for major junior players, the league has suddenly become a more attractive destination for Americans.

“It’s going to be interesting and it’s going to be different,” Moulton said. “I have no idea of what to expect. As far as we’re concerned, we’re very open to drafting good American players, but in saying that, we’ve done our due diligence and want to make sure the kids have a genuine interest in playing in the Western Hockey League and Brandon.

“I think there is definitely more interest from American kids with the new landscape, but you’re still fighting the USHL and the national development program.”

The team boosted its American scouting contingent, adding Brian Bauman in North Dakota to supplement the work done in Minnesota by longtime staffer Kori Pearson.

Players from Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming are in the WHL’s jurisdiction.

“You need a bigger presence in the U.S., these days obviously,” Brandon head coach and general manager Marty Murray said. “You can argue we should even have more of a presence down there.”

The other potential impact is that some American kids will almost certainly be taken high in the draft, which could push other skilled players down.

Brandon has no picks in the third and fourth rounds due to previous trades, and two in the fifth and ninth rounds. That means there will be additional pressure to make sure their top players are impactful, and that could make taking a high-end American player who might not come a massive gamble.

“If you miss out on a first or second and have no third or fourth, that’s a big hole in your lineup for the next four years,” Moulton said. “We’re playing it by ear.”

Murray agreed.

“We’ve had good conversations with the U.S. kids, and they’re highly interested, but a lot of them want to sit back and maybe see how the national team plays out for them and things like that,” Murray said. “I can’t speak for every organization but a lot of them probably think like us. You have to hit on those first- and second-round picks and have all but a commitment that they’re going to sign.”

He added that a team that has a bevy of top picks might take a chance, but most teams want more certainty than that.

He also noted that some of the American kids from out west may be more likely to join a U.S. Division team than coming east, and he’s curious if once a couple of American players are taken it will create a ripple effect similar to when the top goalies begin to go.

OVERALL TALENT

Positionally, Moulton said there is more depth at forward as the draft goes on, but at the top it’s equal. It isn’t a very deep draft for goaltenders, however.

A pair of forwards likely to hear their names called early include Madden Daneault of Red Deer and Parker McMillan of Vancouver.

The news isn’t as good for Manitoba. The province set a draft record in 2025 with 39 players selected, but that’s not likely the case this year unless a group goes in the late rounds.

“It’s not as good as it was last year, let’s put it that way,” Moulton said. “I thought last year was a really good year for Manitoba, and unfortunately a lot of the kids we liked got picked in those areas where we didn’t have picks, which was a bit of a stinger for us.

“We definitely like some Manitoba kids but I thought the (2010-born) group was stronger for sure.”

Brandon also set a new record last year with six players taken, including Reid Nicol (Everett, fifth), Kevin Knee (Victoria, 88th), Cooper Dryden (Portland, 130th), Talon Scinocca (Penticton, 139th), Nash Lenton (Everett, 161st) and Brayden Watt (Brandon, 176th) eclipsing the record of five set in 2000.

The city has also had four picks in the top six recently, starting with Clarke Caswell in 2021 (sixth overall, Swift Current), Cole Temple in 2022 (fifth, Regina) Jaxon Jacobson in 2023 (fifth, Brandon) and Nicol.

Nicol’s younger brother Kale is still a year away from consideration, and there’s no one who will step in to fill that void this year.

“There were good teams, but other than particular underage, there are no superstars and no top-end guys,” Moulton said of Westman. “I think there are going to be kids selected, but in the Westman area, there was Kale Nicol as an underage and then there was everybody else.”

“There are definitely draftable players,” he added.

The majority of Manitobans taken will be from the Eastman area, Winnipeg AAA or the Rink Hockey Academy.

Prep schools remain an important part of the draft equation, with the percentage of players in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League rising dramatically over the last decade. Moulton said the battle with the AAA system is starting to even out a little bit at this point.

“I definitely think there is a large percentage of the draft will be prep school kids,” Moulton said. “There will be more of a percentage from there than anywhere else but I think it’s stabilized.

“There’s no question, as you’ll see on Wednesday and Thursday, how much the CSSHL makes on the draft. It’s big, especially in the top two rounds.”

WHAT’S BEST?

The interesting philosophical question has become whether the value of high draft picks will be degraded if more elite players leave earlier.

If you draft a superstar and he’s gone after a year or two, would you have been better served getting three or four years from a less talented player?

It’s something Murray has considered.

“When you’re drafting the first or second overall player in the WHL draft, you kind of feel they’re a franchise-type player,” Murray said. “In today’s world, you might get them at 16 and 17 and they’ll be good players for you, but you’re drafting for them to shine at 18 and potentially 19.

“Before the only thing to keep them out of the WHL at 19 was if they’re playing in the NHL. Now that’s different. These highly coveted young players coming in, you just don’t have the time you did before. It’s a challenge.”

The reverse argument is that because the prices have been so high to acquire players for much of the last decade, that drafting well is imperative.

Murray said the phone has been ringing and he has seen a lot of general manager at the year-end tournaments in Alberta and Manitoba. The discussions are invariably about the availability of certain players or picks, although a lot of it is just basic tire kicking.

“With the uncertainly of everything, it’s hard to forecast what the next couple of months are going to look like,” Murray said. “Right now it’s business as usual with our draft picks but we’ll see what comes up.”

NUTS AND BOLTS

Since the league decentralized the draft during COVID — it used to be held in a ballroom in Calgary with all the teams in attendance — Brandon will set up shop in the boardroom of their office at the Keystone Centre.

Murray and the British Columbian Moulton will be joined in the room by Manitoba scouts Rob Bell and Craig Anderson, plus Alberta regional scout Brennan York.

The other scouts — Bill Chow and Mark Penny of Saskatchewan, Liam Liston of Alberta and Brian Lundberg of B.C. — will be on a Zoom call that will also include the two American guys.

“Everybody will be there and have input,” Murray said.

Murray said no real change resulted after the draft was split into two days, other than it gives everybody a chance to regroup after the first round is over.

“I think it’s good to have the ability to take a breath and have a plan going into the next day,” Murray said. “The second day happens real quick too.”

Murray said Moulton does an excellent job working with the team of scouts to prepare for the big event. Even so, the GM notes the days come with plenty of highs and lows. The highs are when you get the guy you want.

The lows, as the Prince Albert Raiders discovered in 2016, arrive when a team trades up and grabs hometown product (and future Wheat Kings captain) Braden Schneider one pick before they were going to grab him.

“If you go back a couple of years with Jaxon being our top kid, is he going to be available, so there is tension in the air,” Murray said. “I know our guys were really giddy about potentially getting Cruz Jim (in the first round in 2025) and were really holding their breath that he would be there when we picked. Those are some good wins.

“There have been others where you’re hoping to pull the trigger on a player and he gets picked. We’ve literally had it where he gets taken the pick before us. I’m not going to mention names, but they turn out to be real good players in the league. and you’re so close.

“There are a lot of emotions, a lot of roller coaster, but it’s a fun day.”

» pbergson@brandonsun.com