Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League announced today the Prince Albert Raiders will select first and second overall in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft following the completion of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft Lottery. The Raiders won the draft lottery, moving from fourth to second overall. The Raiders own the first-overall selection, having acquired it in a trade with the Edmonton Oil Kings.
The 2023 WHL Prospects Draft is scheduled for Thursday, May 11, 2023, with first-round coverage streaming on WHL Live.
All six WHL Clubs that did not qualify for the 2023 WHL Playoffs participated in the lottery. The lottery proceedings determined the order of selection for the first six picks in the first round of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, with inverse order of standing from the 2022-23 WHL Regular Season determining the order of selection for the second round and all subsequent rounds.
2023 WHL PROSPECTS DRAFT – FIRST ROUND ORDER OF SELECTION
1. Prince Albert Raiders (from Edmonton)
2. Prince Albert Raiders
3. Spokane Chiefs
4. Victoria Royals
5. Brandon Wheat Kings
6. Vancouver Giants (from Swift Current)
7. Prince Albert Raiders (from Kelowna)
8. Vancouver Giants
9. Medicine Hat Tigers
10. Everett Silvertips
11. Calgary Hitmen
12. Edmonton Oil Kings (from Regina)
13. Tri-City Americans
14. Lethbridge Hurricanes
15. Prince George Cougars
16. Moose Jaw Warriors
17. Portland Winterhawks
18. Red Deer Rebels
19. Brandon Wheat Kings (from Saskatoon)
20. Everett Silvertips (from Kamloops)
21. Saskatoon Blades (from Seattle)
22. Spokane Chiefs (from Winnipeg)
The Prince Albert Raiders (via Edmonton), Spokane Chiefs, and Victoria Royals had the opportunity to obtain the first-overall selection in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft. The process for the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft Lottery was administered by Juan Guzman from KPMG.
2023 WHL PROSPECTS DRAFT – SECOND ROUND (AND SUBSEQUENT ROUNDS) ORDER OF SELECTION
1. Edmonton Oil Kings
2. Spokane Chiefs
3. Victoria Royals
4. Prince Albert Raiders
5. Brandon Wheat Kings
6. Swift Current Broncos
7. Kelowna Rockets
8. Vancouver Giants
9. Medicine Hat Tigers
10. Everett Silvertips
11. Calgary Hitmen
12. Regina Pats
13. Tri-City Americans
14. Lethbridge Hurricanes
15. Prince George Cougars
16. Moose Jaw Warriors
17. Portland Winterhawks
18. Red Deer Rebels
19. Saskatoon Blades
20. Kamloops Blazers
21. Seattle Thunderbirds
22. Winnipeg ICE
Players eligible for the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft will be 2008-born players who reside in Alberta, B.C., Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Yukon, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
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 17 located in Western Canada and five 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.
