Blades, Pats begin building rosters for future through WHL draft

Even though the Saskatoon Blades and Regina Pats didn’t make a first-round selection in 2023 WHL draft Thursday, there were plenty of additions in the later rounds.

Each team made 12 selections in the 13-round draft.

The Prince Albert Raiders had the first two picks in the draft and selected defenceman Daxon Rudolph from Lacombe, Alta., with the No. 1 pick and centre Riley Boychuk from Cochrane, Alta., at No. 2.

Centre Dayne Beuker from Humboldt was the first Saskatchewan-born player selected in the draft; he went 14th overall to the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

Swift Current-born defenceman Griffin Darby was selected by the Portland Winterhawks with the 17th pick. He was followed at No. 18 by Saskatoon’s Beckett Hamilton, a centre who was chosen by the Red Deer Rebels.

The Everett Silvertips also took a Saskatoon-born player at No. 20, selecting centre Caine Wilke.

The Blades were set to select right after Everett at No. 21, but traded that pick to the Medicine Hat Tigers for a 2023 second-round pick (29th overall), a 2023 fifth-round pick (97th overall) and a 2024 second-round pick.

The first pick by Saskatoon was in the second round (29th overall), when the Blades selected forward Zachery Olsen from Calgary.

Saskatoon then made a trade, sending goalie Ethan Chadwick to Everett for a 2023 second-round pick and a 2025 fourth-round pick.

The Blades made two other picks in the second round, taking forward Cooper Williams at No. 41 and goaltender Ryley Budd at No. 42.

Regina’s first pick of the draft didn’t come until the third round, when the Pats took Martensville-born forward Cohen Klassen at No. 51.

Here’s how the draft finished for the Pats and Blades.

Regina:

• Round 3 (51st overall) — LW Cohen Klassen, Martensville.
• Round 3 (61st overall) — LW Cameron Kuzma, St. Albert, Alta.
• Round 4 (67th overall) — D Hudson Kowalchuk, Winnipeg.
• Round 4 (78th overall) — C Zachary Lansard, Ste. Anne, Man.
• Round 5 (96th overall) — D Jett Deschamps, Headingley, Man.
• Round 6 (120th overall) — D Kohen Volk, Saskatoon.
• Round 6 (122nd overall) — RW Carter Haney, Winnipeg.
• Round 7 (148th overall) — D Fenton Mann, Winnipeg.
• Round 8 (173rd overall) — LW Maddox Malmquist, East St. Paul, Man.
• Round 9 (188th overall) — G Kai Zurowski, St. Albert, Alta.
• Round 10 (210th overall) — RW Dain Gordon, Denver, Colo.
• Round 11 (232nd overall) — LW Tegan Kurtz, Winnipeg.

Saskatoon:

• Round 2 (29th overall) — C Zachery Olsen, Calgary.
• Round 2 (41st overall) — C Cooper Williams, Calgary.
• Round 2 (42nd overall) — G Ryley Budd, Calgary.
• Round 4 (70th overall) — D Nathan Guenther, Edmonton.
• Round 4 (84th overall) — RW Matthew Dowdall, Coquitlam, B.C.
• Round 4 (85th overall) — D Liam Eisnor, Edmonton.
• Round 5 (97th overall) — D Jack Lavallee, Saskatoon.
• Round 6 (131st overall) — C Benjamin Bowtell, Lake Country, B.C.
• Round 7 (151st overall) — C Luke Senick, Saskatoon.
• Round 9 (195th overall) — LW Kohen Lodge, Red Deer.
• Round 10 (217th overall) — D Rhett Romanchuk, Dewberry, Alta.
• Round 11 (239th overall) — LW Triston Mitchell-McElhone, Flaxcombe.

More on the Pats’ selections can be found here.

In total, there were 44 Saskatchewan-born players selected in the draft, with 18 hailing from Saskatoon and seven from Regina.

Humboldt, Moose Jaw and Yorkton each had two players selected, while teams took one player from each of Battleford, Flaxcombe, Lanigan, Martensville, Meadow Lake, Mossbank, Nipawin, Pilot Butte, Scout Lake, Shaunavon, Swift Current, Wakaw and Weyburn.