The Whitehorse, YT forward joined the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ for the 2020/21 U15 Prep season. The following season he would play in the U18 Prep division as an underage player, posting a division best 42 assists and 65 points in 35 games with RHA Kelowna. The Medicine Hat Tigers would then select McKenna with the first pick at the 2022 WHL Draft.

During the 2022/23 U18 Prep season with South Alberta Hockey Academy McKenna would lead the league with 37 goals, 38 assists and 75 points while being named the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ U18 Prep MVP. That season McKenna would play 16 games with Medicine Hat tallying 18 points.

McKenna joined the Tigers full time for the 2023/24 season, posting 97 points in 61 games as he was named the WHL and CHL Rookie of the Year, a WHL (Central) First Team All-Star, a CHL All Rookie Team member, and a CHL Third Team All Star. He would also represent Canada Red U17 and Team Canada U18, posting a total of 28 points in 14 games. He would be named a U17 World Hockey Challenge All Star, and a U18 World Junior Championships Gold Medalist, All Star, and Top 3 Player on his team, leading the event with 10 goals.

In 2024/25 McKenna posted 129 points and a WHL best 88 assists in 56 games as he was named WHL and CHL Player of the Year, and a CHL and WHL (East) First Team All-Star. He would add 38 points in 16 playoff games as Medicine Hat were crowned WHL Champions before heading to the Memorial Cup where McKenna was named to the Memorial Cup All Star Team. McKenna would represent Team Canada at the World Juniors, posting 1 point in 5 games.

This past season McKenna joined Penn State University, posting 51 points in 35 NCAA games. He would add 14 points in 7 World Junior games with Team Canada, capturing a bronze medal. McKenna was named to the NCAA (B1G) All Rookie Team, NCAA (B1G) Second All Star Team, the NCAA (B1G) Rookie of the Year and Scoring Champion, and a NCAA (West) Second Team All-American,

McKenna is the second ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ alumni to be selected first overall at an NHL Entry Draft, joining former North Shore Warriors star Connor Bedard (2023 – Chicago Blackhawks)

Gavin McKenna (2026 – Toronto Maple Leafs) joins Connor Bedard (2023 – Chicago Blackhawks) as the second ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ alumni selected first overall at an NHL Entry Draft. Daxon Rudolph (2026 – Buffalo Sabres) joins Bowen Byram (2019 – Colorado Avalanche) as the highest selected ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ defenseman at an NHL Entry Draft, with each going fourth overall. 

The six ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ alumni selected in the first round beat the previous ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ record of five set in 2021, 2023 and 2025. A record 25 ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ alumni were selected at both the 2023 and 2024 NHL Entry Draft. Two alumni were selected inside the Top 5, and four inside the Top 10, both ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ records. 

A total of 223 players were selected at this year’s draft with 10.3% of players selected having played in the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ.

106 players developed in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) were selected at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, making up 47.5% of the players selected. The CHL’s 106 selections were its highest total in 16 years, dating back to 2010, and marked the first time since 2013 that the CHL reached the 100-pick mark at the NHL Draft.

39 of those 106 players were developed in the WHL, with 22 of the 23 ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ alumni making up 56.4% of WHLers. All 23 ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ alumni selected were developed in the CHL, making up 21.7% of all CHLers.

In total, 193 ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ alumni have now being selected at the NHL Draft since 2012. 157 of those 193 (81%) have been selected in the last seven years. 58 ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ alumni have gone on to play NHL regular season or playoff games. 

Number of Players Selected Per Draft

1. 2024 – 25
2. 2023 – 25
3. 2026 – 23
4. 2021 – 23
5. 2022 – 21
6. 2020 – 20
7. 2025 – 20
8. 2019 – 7
9. 2016 – 7
10. 2018 – 6
11. 2017 – 6
12. 2015 – 3
13. 2014 – 3
14. 2012 – 3
15. 2013 – 2

Most Players Selected from a ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Program In League History

1. Yale Hockey Academy – 26
2. Pursuit of Excellence/RHA Kelowna– 26
   • 14 POE, 12 RHA Kelowna
3. Edge School – 23
4. Northern Alberta Xtreme – 22
5. Okanagan Hockey Academy – 21
6. BWC Academy – 18
7. Delta Hockey Academy – 17
8. RHA Winnipeg – 16
9. OHA Edmonton – 12
10. West Van Warriors – 8
    • 5 West Van, 3 NSW
11. St. George’s School – 7
12. Pacific Coast Hockey Academy – 5
13. South Alberta Hockey Academy – 3
14. Notre Dame Hounds – 2
15. Calgary International Hockey Academy – 1
16. Champions Hockey Academy – 1
17. CIH Academy – 1
18. Coeur d’Alene Hockey Academy – 1
19. Mount Academy – 1
20. Ontario Hockey Academy – 1
21. Pilot Mound Hockey Academy – 1
22. Prairie Hockey Academy – 1

14 ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Programs saw student-athletes selected at this years draft:

• Okanagan Hockey Academy – 5
• RHA Kelowna – 5
• Northern Alberta Xtreme – 4
• Edge School – 3
• Delta Hockey Academy – 2
• OHA Edmonton – 2
• Calgary International Hockey Academy – 1
• Champions Hockey Academy – 1
• Ontario Hockey Academy – 1
• Pacific Coast Hockey Academy – 1
• Pilot Mound Hockey Academy -1
• RHA Winnipeg- 1
• South Alberta Hockey Academy – 1
• Yale Hockey Academy – 1

Buhr has signed an NHL Entry level deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs after spending the last four seasons in the NCAA. The North Vancouver, BC forward tallied 88 points in 116 NCAA games, including 36 in 35 this past season with Union College. Buhr has since joined the Toronto Marlies, playing two AHL games and recording one assist. He spent the 2017/18 U16 Prep season with the North Shore Warriors, finishing with 36 points in 35 games. In 2019/20 he would return to North Shore and the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ, finishing second on his U18 Prep team and fifth in the league with 71 points in 34 games.

Slipec played two season for Delta Hockey Academy before joining North Shore for two more seasons in the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ. The White Rock, BC forward spent the last four seasons with the University of Nebraska-Omaha, tallying 24 points in 124 NCAA games. Slipec has since signed in the ECHL and played one game with the Adirondack Thunder.

Mahesh spent four years in the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ in both assistant and head coaching roles. During the 2016/17 season he was with the Banff Hockey Academy (now South Alberta Hockey Academy) as an assistant coach.

The Vanderhoof, BC product would return to the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ in 2018/19 as the PMHA U17 Prep head coach, leading his team to a 19-4-1 record and second place regular season finish. The following campaign Pilot Mound would finish the regular season in first place with a 17-6-1 record, before capturing their first ever ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Western Championship.

During the 2020/21 COVID-19 shortened season Mahesh split duties as the PMHA U17 Prep head coach and assistant coach in the MJHL with the Winkler Flyers.

He would join the Winnipeg Freeze the following season as GM/Head Coach, becoming the first ever General Manager of South Asian descent in Canadian Junior A Hockey.

This past season he worked as a Development Coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Minten spent three seasons in the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ with West Van, joining the program in 2017/18 for the U15 season. In 26 games he would record 38 points. The following season he would lead all ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ U15 Prep skaters with 50 assists, while finishing second in team scoring with 65 points in 29 games. Following the 2018/19 season the Kamloops Blazers would select the Vancouver, BC forward in the fourth round of the 2019 Western Hockey League (WHL) Draft. Minten would return to West Van for the 2019/20 U18 Prep season, tallying 61 points in 34 games.

In 2020/21 Minten would join the Blazers, tallying 18 points in 20 games. During the 2021/22 WHL season Minten would score 20 goals and 35 assists to finish fifth in team scoring.

Brandon Duhaime has signed a two-year contract extension with the Minnesota Wild, while Pavel Gogolev has signed his three-year entry level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Duhaime was drafted by the Wild in the fourth round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. Duhaime spent three seasons with Pursuit of Excellence (POE), including two in the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ, joining the program in 2011/12. In 37 U18 Prep ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ games the Parkland, FL forward recorded 32 points. He would go on to play one season in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) for the Merritt Centennials, along with one season in the United States Hockey League (USHL).

In 2016/17 Duhaime would join NCAA program Providence College, spending three seasons there before signing his NHL entry level contract with the Wild on April 17, 2019. He would spend the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Iowa Wild, tallying 29 points in 87 games.

Gogolev spent the 2014/15 season in the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ, as he played for POE for two seasons. In 16 U15 Prep games the Russian forward tallied 12 goals and 5 assists. He would make the jump to the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in 2016/17. He would play four seasons in the OHL with the Peterborough Petes and Guelph Storm, recording 182 points in 219 games, winning an OHL Championship in 2018/19 with the Storm.

Having went undrafted in the NHL Entry Draft, Gogolev would split the 2019/20 season between Väsby IK in Sweden and the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. After an impressive AHL campaign that saw him finish with 6 goals and 6 assists in 13 game, the Leafs signed Gogolev to an NHL entry level contract on July 29, 2021.