Well, here we are. We did it. Another Draft season nearing completion and many excited players, families, coaches, scouts, executives, and fans on the edge of their seats. Puck Preps has finalized our Top-100 and many honorable mentions for this year’s draft as it begins this week and will be happy to watch the future for many of these players unfold.

This was an interesting and challenging year for a few reasons but some of the main points of conflict were able to be resolved as the season wore on. We did not have many players overall play in U18 games and some of the top players in the first round didn’t get any games in. We did get to see Yale vs Red Deer in a battle for the top spot in what I’m sure was a scout’s favorite for many. We had some injuries, some shifts in team roles, and some Sask players who didn’t attend Sask First camp so that scouts could get looks at them all together.

The strength of WHL Draft classes can be measured in many ways and I think this one has a couple very clear indicators for me. Firstly, I think the top-2 rounds are filled with lots of players who I would consider 4-star status or extremely close. I’d say much of the middle of the first round and beyond are all players who are either 4.5-star caliber right now but could end up 4-stars… or the other way around. There are players who are most likely 4-star players but might end up being that key 4.5 star. That bodes well for the class overall.

The other thing that is clear to me is that I think there are a lot of players who I’d say I can easily see becoming WHL players throughout even the 4th round of the draft which means that the quality of this draft when it comes to floor certainty is really excellent compared to some others. This draft has speed, size, and compete even deeper than most.

I also really love the players who are huge offensive upside potential players too at the forward spot. It feels like each province has a player or two who might be 5’5-5’7 right now who could be a dominant top line player if they have a significant growth spurt. That means some teams are gonna find a gem or two and I’m always in favor of those stories playing out.

Let’s break down this draft into sections and talk about the rankings with a bit more detail.

Top-10

I don’t think my opinion has changed in that this draft is about Madden Daneault and Parker McMillan. The quality of production that others like Brayden Jugnauth was able to put up at U18 this year especially on the PP shows he can replicate that at the WHL level with consistency. He’s an intelligent scorer certainly and it was nice to see him, McMillan, Vickers, and Forestal being teammates at a recent event in Ontario. It proves that all of those players are excellent and will drive offense for their respected teams one day. Artello Forestal still sits at 3rd and Vickers at 4th on our ranking but it is very, very close in that tier of 3-6.

Jevin Morrison seemed to establish himself as the next best defensive option in this draft due to the projectability of his skating growth, his well rounded passing, and his ability to break down plays in tighter spots and shoot with accuracy. Other players in this draft have pieces of that upside but not necessarily the totality of the upside.

First Round

The forwards from about 8th through to 16 are very, very close as well and I could see many of them being interchangeable for teams too. I’d imagine there was a lot of debate in the rooms if a team was picking here on who exactly is the one to win out. Unless they have a positional need or a prototype that makes the choice easier, each of these players project to be potentially excellent offensive WHL players.

Special shout out to some of the players who maybe haven’t reached their full physical growth left who add that extra bit of intrigue because of it. Players like Brock Vodden, Jett Evans, Luke Bodtker, Jackson Bradbeer, Emmett Abel, Nixon Gaudet, Noah Carignan, Carson Brown, Damon James, etc.

The Honorable Mentions

The reality of the WHL Draft is that once you get into the middle rounds you have just as good of a chance as getting signed to a WHL deal than if you went undrafted. Some players find an extra growth spurt and their skillset gets a chance at a higher pacing. Others put their head down and simply outwork others, out forecheck others, and get into WHL games by truly competing with intensity and detail. With the draft including Americans this year that will mean that the margin for who gets picked and when is most likely even tighter. It wouldn’t surprise me to see many players on this list go undrafted and find their way to the WHL in the future.

I’m looking forward to the WHL Draft since many scouts and executives that I’ve spoken to seem to indicate that the drafting strategy has been tweaked for a lot of clubs. Some are speaking very highly about committed players and loyalty. Others have been putting extreme efforts into scouting players from the US and will be pushing for recruitment in the later rounds to help supplement their roster as it goes.

Others have indicated to me how important they think rounds 2-4 are. Some have talked about targeting players with longer development paths physically. Some haven’t thought much at all about how they could or would change their plan of attack as far as a draft is concerned. Either way, we have a WHL Final now of Everett vs Prince Albert. Everett has an exceptional draft player and many extremely good stories of savvy drafting. Prince Albert had multiple high picks in consecutive years and is seeing the fruit of that even though many are only 17 or 18 years old. It shows that teams in the WHL will be able to turn around rosters even quicker than they had in the past.

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For the players: Keep working hard. Getting picked low, high, or not at all doesn’t determine your future. Keep the joy. Keep the work ethic. Treat people well and be curious how you can continue to grow and improve. There is lots of hockey to come and many more days after that. Congrats for how far you’ve come already.

Hopefully you enjoyed the articles, podcasts, graphics, and whatever else from this 2025-2026 Draft season and truly thank you for following along with our coverage.

Full 2026 WHL Draft Rankings