By: Elise Williams

Elise Williams is a sophomore Sport Management major from Dublin, Ohio. She loves anything hockey and is incredibly passionate about the Canadian Hockey League. In her free time, she can be found searching for trinkets, eating sand, or staring at a life-sized pillow of her dog.

November 12, 2024

Continuing on from my previous post about the Ontario Hockey League, the Western league is up next. Plenty of talent has been sweeping through both leagues. The WHL is known for having some of the most elite hockey games in junior leagues. That being said, it has produced some amazing NHL talent, like Leon Draisaitl, Chandler Stephenson, and plenty of other talent.

(Quick note, Connor Bedard, the WHL phenom, will not be included in this list. He is such an icon in the hockey sphere that a single Google search would do him more justice than I could. He is also currently in the NHL, so I wouldn’t call him a ‘prospect’ anymore.)

Caedan Bankier keeps the puck away from the opposing team.

Caedan Bankier (#86 in 2021, Minnesota Wild)

Bankier was a key part of the Kamloops Blazers lineup for the past few years, rotating from second-line center to first-line winger regularly. However, his talent and potential were often overshadowed by one of his friends, Logan Stankoven. Bankier’s backcheck and tough, defensive forward play was exactly what helped Canada win a gold medal at the World Juniors (the big hockey tournament around Christmas, where 10* nations face off with players under 20). Having a point total of 85 points in 57 games with the Blazers, Bankier proved to be a force with whom to be reckoned. His skills are now with the Iowa Wild, Minnesota’s AHL team. Bankier was hurt for a good chunk of last season, and because of that, he has not had ample time to adjust to the quicker game of the American Hockey League. With his skillset, I think that Bankier has the ability to adjust pretty quickly. Wild fans can expect Bankier to make the jump within a few years.

Zach Benson hustling for his current team, the Buffalo Sabres.

Zach Benson (#13 in 2023, Buffalo Sabres)

Benson, going later in the draft than originally planned, has shown his amazing work ethic, especially in the National league. The Sabres opted to play Benson in the NHL now, instead of letting him develop within the Rochester Americans’ team to hone his skills. Because of this, someone (me) could say that Benson has not had the opportunity to really develop like some of the other guys in his draft. His skills are still incredible, his playmaking, hockey IQ, and skating are unmatched in his age group, but if he had the time to perfect those skills before being thrown to the wolves, I think he would be even better than he already is. Anyway, getting off my soapbox, Benson was a powerhouse with the Winnipeg Ice, tallying a shocking 98 points in 60 games in the 2022-23 season. That scoring has yet to transfer to the NHL level, but Sabres fans should sleep well at night knowing that Benson has the potential to be a top forward in the league.

Berkly Catton rushing up ice for the Spokane Chiefs.

Berkly Catton (#8 in 2024, Seattle Kraken)

Catton, the star forward for the Spokane Chiefs this year, is off to a staggering start. After being designated as the captain of the Chiefs, Catton has put up 26 points in 16 games, and is on pace to have 83 points this season (as of November 6th, 2024). However, his numbers last year were astronomical. Catton charted a shocking 116 points in 68 games. That was almost 2 points per game. His speed and ability to score points is impressive, especially for someone of his age (on the younger side of the draft class, but barely). His ability to make passes at the right time and place is fantastic as well, leading to more assists than goals. Overall, Catton was an amazing selection at #8. Kraken fans should see Catton within the next couple years, once he has aged out of the WHL. However, I think he’ll go earlier than that because of his point scoring, but also because he developed so quickly with the Spokane Chiefs and has proven to be at the NHL level.

Cristall suiting up for his current team, the Kelowna Rockets.

Andrew Cristall (#40 in 2023, Washington Capitals)

Cristall is a player that many had going in the early first round. However, many were then shocked to watch him fall as far down as he did. His creativity with the puck is great, along with his playmaking ability. I can still see why he fell so far down in the draft, as his defensive skills still need polishing, but that will eventually come with time and good development in the Caps system. With the Rockets last year, Cristall scored a shocking 111 points in 62 games, putting him 5th in the scoring race in the WHL, putting him just behind Berkly Catton (#4 in the scoring race, #3 in this article). These great point scores have one key difference: defense. Catton has developed his defensive skills, while Cristall is still working on perfecting his already-pretty-good defense. Also, Cristall is on the smaller side of prospects, setting him at a disadvantage from the jump. Still, if developed correctly, Cristall has the opportunity to take the NHL by storm and create his own league of talent.

Colton Dach keeping the puck away from a Portland Winterhawks forward.

Colton Dach (#62 in 2021, Chicago Blackhawks)

Colton Dach, not to be confused with older brother Kirby Dach, has had some unfortunate years after his draft in 2021. Riddled with injury, it is hard to see a great deal of development. However, he has come a long way in his recovery. He had gotten hurt in the World Juniors, where he played 4 games before going down with a shoulder injury. It took him quite a bit of time to recover, and once he came back to the game, he got injured again. This time, it was an ankle injury. He cannot really catch a break. However, he still has a place within the Blackhawks system, with the Rockford IceHogs. There, he is playing a game of ‘catch up’ to be with his prospect pool. Still, his scoring and physicality are something the Blackhawks need if they are to be real contenders this season. In 2023-24 with Rockford, Dach put up 27 points in 48 games. While not astounding numbers, he plays his role as a 3rd or 4th line guy. Most of the time they act as an insurance policy for some of the top-line guys (e.g., Connor Bedard). Let’s hope Dach can stay off the IR this year and develop.

Kevin Korchinski all smiles at Blackhawks camp.

Kevin Korchinski (#7 in 2022, Chicago Blackhawks)

Hailing from Saskatoon, Korchinski has a very bright future ahead of him with the Blackhawks. However, many seemed to pass on Korchinski initially, because there were still plenty of other defenseman who have been in the public eye. Still, his skill as a defensive defenseman landed him in the top 10 of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The Blackhawks knew Korchinski would be amazing for their blue line, coming to their organization with great puck handling, and skating. I believe that many were skeptical of Korchinski at first because he didn’t seem to measure up to the other defenseman in his draft class, as mentioned earlier. However, the Seattle Thunderbirds did an excellent job of developing Korchinski into being an NHL-caliber defenseman what seemed like overnight after he was drafted. His point totals for 2022-23 (The year after his draft) were great, totaling 73 points in 54 games. Currently, he is with the Rockford IceHogs after spending almost all of last year with the Blackhawks. I can only assume it is to develop his defensive zone skills even more. He will be back soon.

Thomas Milic saluting the crowd in Seattle.

Thomas Milic (#151 in 2023, Winnipeg Jets)

Thomas Milic is the blueprint for a lot of young goaltenders. Putting up rockstar numbers when (what feels like) the fate of the world is on your shoulders, staying relaxed in the face of defeat, anything. It takes so much mental toughness to be a goaltender, I do not think many fans realize that. Sorry, I need to get off my soapbox once again when writing about Thomas Milic. He originally went undrafted in 2021, and came back with probably one of the biggest “You Guys Missed Out” seasons I have ever seen. In the World Juniors he put up a .932 save percentage, and went undefeated in the tournament. In the WHL, he was consistently shutting teams down, and eventually won the WHL ‘Goaltender of the Year’ in 2022-23. He also won Championship MVP in the same year. The decorated goaltender proved himself in more ways than one, which lead to him being drafted by the Winnipeg Jets, alongside OHL goaltender, Dom Divincentiis, whom I discussed in my previous article. This goaltending tandem is going to be unstoppable in a few years with the Jets.

Fraser Minten suits up for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Fraser Minten (#38 in 2023, Toronto Maple Leafs)

Minten has always been an interesting player to me. Especially when he was given the captaincy of the Kamloops Blazers… only to be traded away within the month. Still, I think Minten’s development between the Blazers (then the Saskatoon Blades) is notable. While not projected in the first round, many teams were clamoring to get Minten into their system. His amazing two-way game sense is unmatched, along with his skill to know when and where to be on the ice. The Maple Leafs needed that consistent piece to hopefully get them out of the first round, and they got that in both Minten and Cowan, as well as their other draft picks. Minten’s point totals across teams were also great, while trying to stand out on a team full of greats in Kamloops. He tallied 67 points in 57 games with Kamloops in 2022-23, and then 10 points in 7 games before being traded to the Blades. While Minten has already played a few games with the Leafs, I think that Minten needs a few more years of development before he can break out as a great forward for the team.

Tanner Molendyk makes a pass for the Saskatoon Blades.

Tanner Molendyk (#24 in 2023, Nashville Predators)

I feel like the whole hockey world forgot about Tanner Molendyk. Probably because they did. Molendyk was supposed to play in the World Juniors in 2024, but unfortunately got injured during the pre-tournament games against Switzerland, only a few days before the tournament. This sidelined him for the entire tournament, and even some of his junior season. After that, he slotted right back into his role as a top pair defenseman with the Blades. His puck control and absolute speed/skating is amazing, which is what allowed him to go in the first round in 2023. Still, I think many forgot about Molendyk simply because he was hurt. On top of that, not many articles were posted about Molendyk, but he was still putting in great work behind the scenes. His development is going very well within the Blades organization, and Predators fans can be excited to have Molendyk on their team shortly.

Olen Zellweger on the blue line for the Ducks.

Olen Zellweger (#34 in 2021, Anaheim Ducks)

Zellweger, coached by BGSU’s own head coach Dennis Williams for many years with the Silvertips, is doing Olen Zellweger things. Zellweger was doing great things for years with the Silvertips, but many were waiting for his draft year to see where he would land. Many had originally predicted that he would go later in the draft, since he wasn’t really putting up NHL-caliber numbers. He was also 16-17 trying to get his bearings in the WHL. After being drafted pretty high, Zellweger really started to ramp up in all facets. He developed keen offensive awareness, as well as sheer speed and played all 200 feet. The only issue? He’s on the shorter side. Many NHL teams are looking for the whole package and tend to pass up on great talent for size instead because they want that physicality, and to not have a player blow away with the wind or a slight check to the shoulder. Zellweger has come to play around his size, and has developed into a top four defenseman for the Ducks, in one of the best prospect pools I’ve ever seen for any team.

With all that being said, all junior leagues are getting more and more talented as years pass. The game of hockey is growing steadily, whether that be because of fans or simply because of how the NHL is set up with farm teams. I think that the future of the NHL rests in the hands of these 16, 17, and 18-year-olds who want to experience the rush of being on an NHL team. Once again, watch junior leagues. They’re the future of hockey.