Jhett Larson, selected 163rd overall in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft, is a key piece of today's Red Deer Rebels, and is a prime example of how a club can find a diamond in the rough deep in the draft. Larson has churned out 29 goals and 69 points over three seasons for the Rebels. (Red Deer Rebels/Rob Wallator)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

mining for the future

Rebels eager for draft as latest crop of players have many unknowns

May 9, 2023 | 5:01 PM

The Red Deer Rebels, like all of the Western Hockey League, have big decisions to make this week, as The Dub hosts its U.S. Priority Draft on Wednesday and then the Prospects Draft on Thursday.

These decisions could one day prove pivotal in a team’s chances of contending for an Ed Chynoweth Cup or a berth in the Memorial Cup.

Shaun Sutter, Rebels Associate General Manager, admits there are some unknowns with this year’s group of available 14- and 15-year-olds, whom scouts just watched one final time at the Alberta Cup in Red Deer.

“I think this age group, as a by-product of COVID, is a little underdeveloped. There’s a top group in every year in terms of a portion which is elite, but generally speaking, there are going to be players who need a couple more years before making the jump to the Western Hockey League,” Sutter believes.

“It’s a moving target, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter; you need to find players; that’s what you have to do on the scouting end, regardless of what picks you have and if the group is deep or not.”

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Sometimes it’s the unknowns who turn out to be diamonds in the rough, Sutter agrees, reminiscing about the weaker 2019 [then] WHL Bantam Draft.

That year, the Rebels didn’t even have a first rounder, and still, “mined,” as Sutter says, right-handed blueliners Hunter Mayo (23rd overall) and Jace Weir (38th), plus forward Jhett Larson (163rd), all currently stalwarts on the Rebels roster.

The U.S. Priority Draft starts at 10 a.m., May 10, with Spokane holding the first selection.

Red Deer is currently set to pick 18th overall, as determined by how teams finished in the regular season.

This draft has two rounds and 44 total selections. Players eligible for the 2023 WHL U.S. Priority Draft are 2008-born players who reside in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

The most recent U.S. Priority Draft pick to play for the Rebels was Torrance, CA native Quentin Bourne, selected eighth overall in 2021. Bourne appeared in 31 games this past regular season, and another two in the playoffs.

Meantime, the Prospects Draft starts at 10 a.m., May 11, with Red Deer holding the 18th pick, again determined by regular season standings.

Prince Albert has picks one and two, with first overall coming from a previous trade with Edmonton.

Lacombe, Alberta’s Daxon Rudolph is expected to be selected early, and well before the Rebels could take a crack at him.

Players eligible for the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft are 2008-born players who reside in Alberta, British Columbia, 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.

From the Prospects Draft, the Rebels most notable pick in recent memory is Ollie Josephson, taken fifth overall in 2021. Josephson recorded five goals and 14 assists in 63 games this past regular season, adding two goals and one helper in 12 playoff games.

Goaltender Chase Wutzke was also taken in 2021, and has made seven appearances over the last two seasons, winning four of them.

“Because you’re drafting these guys at 14-years-old, it’s very much about looking at the here and now. There are trends with teams looking to draft to fill things they didn’t have the previous season, but we’ve never really looked at it that way,” says Sutter.

“Regarding the U.S. Draft, in some ways there are parallels to the Import Draft where you can pick a very good player, but the probability of seeing him in your camp or playing for you might be zero per cent because they’re focused on the U.S. National Development Team or pursuing an NCAA scholarship. But there are some kids who have genuine interest, so you do have to do the legwork to see who they are.”

The Prospects Draft can be watched for free via WHL Live on CHL TV. All you have to do is register and login using a free CHL TV account. A pre-draft show starts at 9:30.

More on the two drafts is at WHL.ca. The CHL Import Draft is slated for July 5, with Red Deer to pick 54th and 114th.