Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League will conduct the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft this Wednesday, May 6, with exclusive livestreaming coverage of the first round available for FREE on Victory+.
The 2026 WHL Prospects Draft Show will commence Wednesday, May 6, with pre-draft coverage beginning at 5:30 p.m. MT. The first round of the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft will get underway at 6 p.m. MT.
The 2026 WHL Prospects Draft Show will be co-hosted by award-winning sports reporter Cami Kepke (WHL Manager, Community Engagement and Content) and WHL alumnus Brad Ginnell (WHL Manager, Hockey Operations and Recruitment), and is set to feature special guests from WHL Clubs, in-depth coverage and analysis of each selection.
Real-time results for the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft will be available at WHL.ca.
The Kelowna Rockets hold the first-overall selection in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft. The only time the Rockets selected first overall in the WHL Prospects Draft, they called the name of Adam Smith in 1991, when the franchise was located in Tacoma, Wash.
Other recent first-overall picks include 2024-25 WHL Rookie of the Year Landon DuPont (Everett Silvertips (2024), 2025-26 WHL Eastern Conference First Team All-Star Daxon Rudolph (Prince Albert Raiders, 2023), 2024-25 WHL Player of the Year Gavin McKenna (Medicine Hat Tigers, 2022), and Seattle Kraken forward Berkly Catton (Spokane Chiefs, 2021), among others.
The first round of the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft will stream FREE on Victory+. The remainder of the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft will be completed Thursday, May 7, beginning at 10 a.m. MT.
2026 WHL Prospects Draft – First Round Order of Selection
| 1. Kelowna Rockets (from Lethbridge) | 13. Everett Silvertips (from Kamloops |
| 2. Vancouver Giants (from Wenatchee) | 14. Lethbridge Hurricanes (from Saskatoon) |
| 3. Wenatchee Wild (from Swift Current) | 15. Brandon Wheat Kings |
| 4. Vancouver Giants | 16. Spokane Chiefs (from Calgary) |
| 5. Victoria Royals (from Moose Jaw) | 17. Red Deer Rebels (from Kelowna) |
| 6. Tri-City Americans | 18. Saskatoon Blades (from Prince George) |
| 7. Victoria Royals | 19. Tri-City Americans (from Edmonton) |
| 8. Kamloops Blazers (from Red Deer) | 20. Penticton Vees |
| 9. Regina Pats | 21. Medicine Hat Tigers |
| 10. Portland Winterhawks | 22. Swift Current Broncos (from Prince Albert) |
| 11. Seattle Thunderbirds | 23. Swift Current Broncos (from Everett) |
| 12. Spokane Chiefs |
The order of selection for the second round and all subsequent rounds will be the inverse order of the final standings from the 2025-26 WHL Regular Season. The complete order of selection for the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft can be found at WHL.ca.
Players eligible for the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft are 2011-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.
Players not selected in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft will remain eligible to be listed by WHL Clubs at any time thereafter.
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 23 member Clubs with 17 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.
