MINTEN, BEHM, EDMONSTONE AMONG HOCKEY CANADA INVITES – Kamloops Blazers
Calgary, Alta. – The WHL is proud to recognize the 37 players and prospects who were invited to participate in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence summer meetings in preparation for the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship.
“This impressive group of athletes is an excellent representation of the talent pool in our country, and these meetings were a great opportunity to kick off a new season and begin our preparations for two major international events,” said Regina Pats vice-president of hockey operations and general manager Alan Millar, who oversaw the meetings as Hockey Canada director of player personnel. “This was a great opportunity to introduce prospective national team players to the Program of Excellence and help prepare them for international competition.”
A total of 21 WHL prospects participated in summer meetings in preparation for the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, while 16 WHL players, including 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship gold medalist Kevin Korchinski of the Seattle Thunderbirds, took part in meetings ahead of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship. In all, 19 of the 22 WHL Clubs were represented at the Hockey Canada Program of Excellence summer meetings.
WHL Prospects – World Under-17 Hockey Challenge
| Last Name | First Name | Team | Hometown | Height | Weight | Position |
| Cleaver | Koen | Lethbridge Hurricanes | Port Alberni, B.C. | 6’2” | 177 | G |
| Edmonstone | Logan | Kamloops Blazers | Saskatoon, Sask. | 5’10” | 160 | G |
| Hamilton | Reese | Calgary Hitmen | Whitewood, Sask. | 6’0” | 160 | D |
| Kettles | Peyton | Swift Current Broncos | Winnipeg, Man. | 6’3” | 160 | D |
| Schmidt | Connor | Moose Jaw Warriors | Sturgeon County, Alta. | 5’11” | 163 | D |
| Sharpe | Will | Lethbridge Hurricanes | Delta, B.C. | 6’0” | 183 | D |
| Smith | Jackson | Tri-City Americans | Calgary, Alta. | 6’3” | 179 | D |
| Vlooswyk | Luke | Red Deer Rebels | Calgary, Alta. | 6’2” | 160 | D |
| Baumuller | Joby | Brandon Wheat Kings | Wilcox, Sask. | 5’11” | 175 | F |
| Behm | Nathan | Kamloops Blazers | Calgary, Alta. | 6’0” | 173 | F |
| Cootes | Braeden | Seattle Thunderbirds | Sherwood Park, Alta. | 5’9” | 151 | F |
| Harrington | Chase | Spokane Chiefs | Langley, B.C. | 6’0” | 166 | F |
| Harsanyi | Hayden | Medicine Hat Tigers | Calgary, Alta. | 5’7” | 140 | F |
| McCann | Kadon | Medicine Hat Tigers | Cochrane, Alta. | 6’3” | 184 | F |
| McKenna | Gavin | Medicine Hat Tigers | Whitehorse, Yukon | 5’11” | 165 | F |
| Moroz | Luke | Prince Albert Raiders | Regina, Sask. | 5’8” | 150 | F |
| Reschny | Cole | Victoria Royals | Macklin, Sask. | 5’9” | 160 | F |
| Sawchyn | Lukas | Seattle Thunderbirds | Grande Prairie, Alta. | 5’9” | 165 | F |
| Schmidt | Cameron | Vancouver Giants | Prince George, B.C. | 5’7” | 136 | F |
| Shurgot | Lee | Prince George Cougars | Saskatoon, Sask. | 6’1” | 177 | F |
| Temple | Cole | Regina Pats | Brandon, Man. | 5’9” | 150 | F |
WHL Players – National Junior Team
| Last Name | First Name | Team | Hometown | Height | Weight | Position |
| Ratzlaff | Scott | Seattle Thunderbirds | Irma, Alta. | 6’0” | 175 | G |
| Young | Ty | Prince George Cougars | Coaldale, Alta. | 6’2” | 183 | G |
| Cagnoni | Luca | Portland Winterhawks | Burnaby, B.C. | 5’9” | 182 | D |
| Korchinski^ | Kevin | Seattle Thunderbirds | Saskatoon, Sask. | 6’2” | 187 | D |
| Mateychuk | Denton | Moose Jaw Warriors | Dominion City, Man. | 5’11” | 189 | D |
| Pickering | Owen | Swift Current Broncos | St. Adolphe, Man. | 6’4” | 182 | D |
| Benson | Zach | Wenatchee Wild | Chilliwack, B.C. | 5’9” | 170 | F |
| Danielson | Nate | Brandon Wheat Kings | Red Deer, Alta. | 6’1” | 186 | F |
| Firkus | Jagger | Moose Jaw Warriors | Irma, Alta. | 5’10” | 155 | F |
| Geekie | Conor | Wenatchee Wild | Strathclair, Man. | 6’3” | 190 | F |
| Gustafson | Jordan | Seattle Thunderbirds | Ardrossan, Alta. | 5’11” | 182 | F |
| Minten | Fraser | Kamloops Blazers | Vancouver, B.C. | 6’1” | 185 | F |
| Roest | Austin | Everett Silvertips | Coldstream, B.C. | 5’9” | 175 | F |
| Savoie | Matthew | Wenatchee Wild | St. Albert, Alta. | 5’9” | 170 | F |
| Yager | Brayden | Moose Jaw Warriors | Saskatoon, Sask. | 5’11” | 170 | F |
| Ziemmer | Koehn | Prince George Cougars | Mayerthorpe, Alta. | 6’0” | 210 | F |
^ – returnee from 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship gold-medal team.
Players took part in virtual meetings that covered a variety of topics, including education on the Program of Excellence, Sport Safety presentations, short-term international competition preparation and meetings with the Hockey Canada management group. The discussions will allow participants to continue to evolve as high-performance athletes and utilize the strengths and experience of the Program of Excellence’s leadership.
Players will continue to be evaluated through the early portion of the 2023-24 season before Canadian rosters are named for the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and the 2024 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in Gothenburg, Sweden.
For more information on Hockey Canada and the Program of Excellence, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook and Twitter.
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 16 located in Western Canada and six 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.