The Swift Current Broncos opened the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft by selecting defenseman Peyton Kettles with the sixth overall selection on Thursday morning after trading the fifth pick to the Regina Pats.
The 6’2.5’’ Winnipeg product registered nine goals and 26 assists in 30 games with the Rink Hockey Academy Winnipeg U15 Prep team this season.
The Broncos traded the fifth pick and a fourth rounder in 2024 to the Pats for the sixth pick and the 54th overall pick in this year’s draft.
The Pats drafted Brandon forward Cole Temple fifth overall after the trade.
The Medicine Hat Tigers opened the draft by selecting forward Gavin McKenna first overall. The Whitehorse, YT product registered 23 goals and 42 assists in 35 games with the RHA Kelowna U18 Prep team.
The Tri-City Americans used the second pick to select Calgary defenseman Jackson Smith, a 6’2.5’’ blueliner from the Edge School.
Macklin’s Cole Reschny was selected third overall by the Victoria Royals after posting 92 points in 25 games with the Northern Alberta Xtreme U15 Prep.
The Calgary Hitmen followed up with Whitewood defenseman Reese Hamilton with the fourth pick.
The Broncos traded up to select defenseman Jace McFaul 26th overall. The 5’8.5’’ Edmonton product had 13 goals and 33 assists in 30 games with the Pacific Coast Hockey Academy U15 Prep team.
The Broncos selected hometown forward Parker Rondeau 30th overall. Rondeau finished 10th in SU15AAHL scoring with 68 points in 31 games. His father, Jeremy, played four seasons with the Broncos from 95-99.
The Broncos had a third pick in the second round and selected forward Ty Coupland 42nd overall. The 5’9.5’’ North Vancouver centre posted 36 goals and 29 assists in 21 games with the Vancouver NW Hawks in 2021-22.
The Broncos used the 52nd overall pick to grab Saskatchewan forward Brennan Brown. The 6’3’’ Milestone native had 20 goals and 25 assists in 29 games with the Weyburn U15 AA Wings this season.
The Broncos drafted Gull Lake’s Berney Weston 74th overall in Thursday’s 2022 WHL Prospects Draft. Weston was third in the SU15AAHL with a .922 save% in 17 games with the Swift Current U15 Broncos. He finished with a 12-4-0 record with two shutouts and a 2.66 goals against average.
The Broncos took forward Levi Benson 118th overall. The 5’1.5’’, 104-pound forward from Rosedale, B.C. had four goals and 24 assists in 30 games with the Yale U15 Prep team.
The Broncos added forward Jaxen Gauchier 140th. The 5’10’’ forward finished with 24 goals and 11 assists in 34 games with the Grande Prairie U15 AAA Storm last season.
The Broncos picked up a third defenseman with the 184th pick when they selected Calgary’s Brennen Hocher. The Calgary native had one goal, five assists, and 18 penalty minutes with his hometown Edge School U15 Prep team.
The Broncos drafted Chaplin’s Wesley Olson 206th overall for their third local player of the day. Olson was tied for fourth in SU15AAHL playoff scoring with 16 points in 10 games after registering 42 points in 24 regular season games.
The Broncos went back to Manitoba for forward Jack Clark with the 206th pick. The 5’9’’ Wawanesa native had 35 goals and 17 assists in 29 games with the U15 AAA Southwest Cougars this season.
