WHL Prospect Draft shows strength of Saskatchewan hockey development - BERITAJA

The early of the Western Hockey League was beforehand and centre arsenic the WHL Prospects Draft has conscionable wrapped up.

The Regina Pats made 1 of the biggest headlines of the opening round, selecting goaltender Fletcher MacDonald pinch the ninth wide pick. MacDonald posted a 0.925 prevention percent successful the 2025-26 play pinch the Edmonton CAC U15 AAA and became the highest drafted goalie successful WHL Prospects Draft history, tying pinch Ian Scott.

Both netminders were selected by the aforesaid man, Dale Derkatch, now the Pats’ wide manager, who felt a spot of deja vu much than a decade later.

“It was the nonstop aforesaid emotion erstwhile I walked into the rink and saw Fletcher for the first clip that I had erstwhile I watched Ian Scott and that was a emotion of it seemed for illustration each changeable I would opportunity thing for illustration this, he’s sewage it,” Derkatch recalled. “He conscionable pinch easiness the measurement he moved, it conscionable felt right.”

The Pats continued building their early connected time 2 of the draft, adding defenceman Tyson Wolanski successful the 2nd information astatine 31st overall, earlier selecting guardant Kai Dingwall astatine 35th overall.

Regina besides added defencemen Riley Rubidge successful the 3rd information and Carter Bleau successful the sixth, on pinch American guardant Baze Hielscher not agelong after. They capped it disconnected pinch centre Klay Weber and winger Alex Kowalyk successful the ninth round.

It’s different clear motion the Pats are continuing a rebuild focused about elite young talent. After drafting Maddox Schultz first wide successful 2025, the statement now adds a imaginable franchise goalie pinch 1 of the WHL’s brightest stars.

Meanwhile, the Saskatoon Blades took an fierce attack successful the first round. The Blades traded up from the 18th to the 15th wide to prime guardant Teagan Dernisky, a subordinate the statement heavy targeted heading into the draft. In his 2025-26 run pinch Yale U15 Prep Dernisky recorded 18 goals and 30 assists complete 33 games.

Blades head of scouting, Dan Tencer, couldn’t beryllium much thrilled pinch the outcome.

“We’re ace excited to get Teagan,” Tencer said. “Obviously we traded up for him. We felt very powerfully about his imaginable and we can’t beryllium much excited for his upside pinch america successful the future.”

Tencer compares elements of his crippled to NHL-style powerfulness guardant and Saskatchewan autochthonal Brandon Hagel, owed to his compete level and violative upside.

The Blades followed that up by selecting defenceman Hayden Harvey successful the 2nd round, earlier continuing to adhd extent passim the draught including forwards Mason West and Joshua Koehler successful the fifth.

They followed that up successful the seventh information by selecting bluish liner Jack Arseniuk and goaltender Blake Pickens. Saskatoon made moreover much moves connected draught day, acquiring further seventh-round picks from lethbridge to stockpile for much early prospects. With their remaining picks they selected forwards Brayden Lindsay and Carson Brown successful the 8 and ninth rounds, respectively, on pinch Rylen Schneider astatine 175th.

Across the province, the draught erstwhile again showed the spot of Saskatchewan lucky development. Eleven Saskatchewan products were drafted successful the first 3 rounds, and complete 30 full successful the draught arsenic section AAA programs proceed producing WHL level talent twelvemonth aft year.

For the Pats, the draught was about accelerating the push retired of a rebuild. For the Blades, it was about reloading and staying competitive in the Eastern Conference.

Either way, some franchises judge they added players who person the imaginable to go awesome pieces of their early cores.