The Western Hockey League is proud to announce 33 WHL players have been selected in the 2023 NHL Draft, which was hosted Wednesday, June 28 and Thursday, June 29 at Bridgestone Arena.
Since the 1967 NHL Amateur Draft, a total of 2,162 players have been selected out of the WHL, including 339 first-round selections. Of the 80 players selected out of the Canadian Hockey League at the 2023 NHL Draft, 41 per cent hail from the WHL.
The 2023 NHL Draft also marked the second consecutive NHL Draft in which the WHL was the most-represented league among the players chosen in the first round.
Wednesday night, six WHL players were selected in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft, led by Regina Pats captain Connor Bedard, the first-overall selection by the Chicago Blackhawks. Five of the top 16 selections hailed from the WHL; Brandon Wheat Kings co-captain Nate Danielson was selected ninth overall by the Detroit Red Wings, Winnipeg ICE forward Zach Benson was selected 13th overall by the Buffalo Sabres, Moose Jaw Warriors forward Brayden Yager was taken 14th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins while Vancouver Giants forward Samuel Honzek went 16th overall to the Calgary Flames. Saskatoon Blades defenceman Tanner Molendyk was the top WHL blueliner chosen in the 2023 NHL Draft, going 24th overall to the Nashville Predators.
The second round began with a WHL selection, as Seattle Thunderbirds forward Nico Myatovic was chosen 33rd overall by the Anaheim Ducks before Kelowna Rockets forward Andrew Cristall rounded out the top 40 picks, going 40th overall to the Washington Capitals.
The 2023 NHL Draft marks the 15th time in the past 17 years in which the WHL has seen five or more players selected in the first round of the NHL Draft. With six more WHL players chosen in the first round of the NHL Draft, the WHL’s all-time total number of first-round NHL Draft selections sits at 333 since the 1967 NHL Amateur Draft.
Of the 33 WHL players selected, 17 were called during the first three rounds of the 2022 NHL Draft, including six in the first round, seven in the second round, and four in the third round.
The WHL Champion Seattle Thunderbirds led the way among WHL Clubs with six players selected. In addition to the selection of Myatovic with the 33rd-overall pick, forward Gracyn Sawchyn was selected 63rd overall by the Florida Panthers. In the third round, defenceman Sawyer Mynio was taken 89th overall by the Vancouver Canucks before goaltending partners Scott Ratzlaff (141st, Buffalo Sabres) and Thomas Milic (151st, Winnipeg Jets) were selected in the fifth round.
The Brandon Wheat Kings had three players selected in the 2023 NHL Draft, while eight WHL Clubs, the Everett Silvertips, Kamloops Blazers, Kelowna Rockets, Portland Winterhawks, Prince George Cougars, Saskatoon Blades, Vancouver Giants and Victoria Royals, all saw two players chosen. The Edmonton Oil Kings, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Moose Jaw Warriors, Prince Albert Raiders, Red Deer Rebels, Regina Pats, Tri-City Americans and Winnipeg ICE each had one player selected at the 2023 NHL Draft.
2023 NHL Draft – WHL Players
Overall – Player (Pos.) – NHL Team; WHL Team; Hometown
Round One (6)
#1 Connor Bedard (F) – Chicago Blackhawks; Regina Pats; North Vancouver, B.C.
#9 Nate Danielson (F) – Detroit Red Wings; Brandon Wheat Kings; Red Deer, Alta.
#13 Zach Benson (F) – Buffalo Sabres; Winnipeg ICE; Chilliwack, B.C.
#14 Brayden Yager (F) – Pittsburgh Penguins; Moose Jaw Warriors; Saskatoon, Sask.
#16 Samuel Honzek (F) – Calgary Flames; Vancouver Giants; Trencin, Slovakia
#24 Tanner Molendyk (D) – Nashville Predators; Saskatoon Blades; McBride, B.C.
Round Two (7)
#33 – Nico Myatovic (F) – Anaheim Ducks; Seattle Thunderbirds; Prince George, B.C.
#40 – Andrew Cristall (F) – Washington Capitals; Kelowna Rockets; Burnaby, B.C.
#46 – Kalan Lind (F) – Nashville Predators; Red Deer Rebels; Shaunavon, Sask.
#51 – Carson Bjarnason (G) – Philadelphia Flyers; Brandon Wheat Kings; Carberry, Man.
#57 – Lukas Dragicevic (D) – Seattle Kraken; Tri-City Americans; Richmond, B.C.
#63 – Gracyn Sawchyn (F) – Florida Panthers; Seattle Thunderbirds; Grande Prairie, Alta.
#64 – Riley Heidt (F) – Minnesota Wild; Prince George Cougars; Saskatoon, Sask.
Round Three (4)
#78 – Koehn Ziemmer (F) – Los Angeles Kings; Prince George Cougars; Mayerthorpe, Alta.
#84 – Caden Price (D) – Seattle Kraken; Kelowna Rockets; Saskatoon, Sask.
#85 – Egor Sidorov (F) – Anaheim Ducks; Saskatoon Blades; Vitebsk, Belarus
#89 – Sawyer Mynio (D) – Vancouver Canucks; Seattle Thunderbirds; Kamloops, B.C.
Round Four (3)
#102 – Terrell Goldsmith (D) – Arizona Coyotes; Prince Albert Raiders; Fort St. James, B.C.
#112 – Jaden Lipinski (F) – Calgary Flames; Vancouver Giants; Scottsdale, Ariz.
#123 – Luca Cagnoni (D) – San Jose Sharks; Portland Winterhawks; Burnaby, B.C.
Round Five (5)
#135 – Carter Sotheran (D) – Philadelphia Flyers; Portland Winterhawks; Sanford, Man.
#141 – Scott Ratzlaff (G) – Buffalo Sabres; Seattle Thunderbirds; Irma, Alta.
#148 – Kaden Hammell (D) – Seattle Kraken; Everett Silvertips; Langley, B.C.
#151 – Thomas Milic (G) – Winnipeg Jets; Seattle Thunderbirds; Coquitlam, B.C.
#160 – Justin Kipkie (D) – Arizona Coyotes; Victoria Royals; Calgary, Alta.
Round Six (5)
#161 – Vojtech Port (D) – Anaheim Ducks; Edmonton Oil Kings; Jihlava, Czechia
#175 – Austin Roest (F) – Nashville Predators; Everett Silvertips; Coldstream, B.C.
#181 – Kalem Parker (D) – Minnesota Wild; Victoria Royals; Clavet, Sask.
#185 – Noah Chadwick (D) – Toronto Maple Leafs; Lethbridge Hurricanes; Saskatoon, Sask.
#187 – Jeremy Hanzel (D) – Colorado Avalanche; Seattle Thunderbirds; Coquitlam, B.C.
Round Seven (3)
#200 – Brett Hyland (F) – Washington Capitals; Brandon Wheat Kings; Edmonton, Alta.
#201 – Emmitt Finnie (F) – Detroit Red Wings; Kamloops Blazers; Lethbridge, Alta.
#210 – Connor Levis (F) – Winnipeg Jets; Kamloops Blazers; Vancouver, B.C.
About the Western Hockey League
Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 16 located in Western Canada and six in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.
(Courtesy of the Western Hockey League)
