Rebels first round pick Danny Ramazanov thankful for opportunity with Red Deer

“My parents were coaches, so I would go on the ice extra all the time,” he said. “My brother would go with my dad, but I would go with my mom. My dad was a referee too, so we would come and watch some games.”

Years later, Ramazanov was selected by the Red Deer Rebels 17th overall in the first round of the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft. He watched the draft with his family.

He said that he’s very excited to join the organization.

“I’m very thankful for this opportunity,” he said.

“To see my name pop up was so special. I felt very excited to be a Red Deer Rebel.”

The Saskatoon forward said he didn’t feel nervous heading into the draft and felt comfortable landing with whatever team took a chance on him.

Ramazanov actually already knows a couple of players on the team from Saskatoon, including forward Beckett Hamilton and defenceman Jake Missura.

“I have a couple of friends there, so it’s not going to be too hard for me to develop there,” he added.

“I’ve enjoyed [living in Saskatoon]. I have some close friends here, and the people around here are so nice. I like it, and the hockey skill level here is pretty good.”

This past season, Ramazanov moved to Edmonton to play for the Northern Alberta Xtreme (NAX) U15 Prep team, where he recorded 58 points in 29 games in the Canadian Sport School League.

This came after he put up 74 points in 29 games with the Saskatoon Generals U15 AA team in the 2024-25 season.

“I looked at NAX on YouTube, and it was really cool, but I thought I was never going to play there. My agent just gave me a chance there… and my parents just sacrificed for that,” he said.

“I had probably the best season. I put in a lot of hard work just for the draft. I wanted to go on a good team, and I’m just so happy I went to Red Deer.”

He described himself as a creative and fun player who can help his team win, especially in important moments.

Standing at five feet nine inches tall and 155 pounds, he also likes to play a physical game.

“No matter what happens on the ice, I’m never afraid to go at it,” he said, adding he trains in boxing during the offseason.

Rebels Director of Player Personnel Jamie Novakoski said Ramazanov is very skilled, exciting, and has the ability to score highlight reel goals.

He’s also able to make plays at very high speeds and make everyone around him better. Novakoski added that the youngster is also very competitive and physical for his size.

“We had him ranked higher than where we were picking, so when the opportunity came, we were definitely very happy to select him,” he said.

“He brings that level of excitement that only a certain level of kids do in the draft, and he’s one of them. We anticipate him being a top-six forward with an ability to score some big goals down the road for us.”

by Ian Gustafson

Rebels first round pick Danny Ramazanov thankful for opportunity with Red Deer

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