Brandon, Man.- In a draft class stacked with high-end defensive talent, Giorgos Pantelas counts himself lucky to be mentioned among the likes of ‘A’-rated prospects like Ryan Lin (Vancouver Giants), Daxon Rudolph (Prince Albert Raiders) and Carson Carels (Prince George Cougars).
But don’t mistake his humble nature for complacency.
NHL Central Scouting has tagged Pantelas as a potential second or third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, and the 17-year-old is fresh off his second appearance with Team Canada at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
“It means a lot,” Pantelas said of his growing status among North America’s top defenders. “Obviously, it means that I’m (ranked) a little lower down on the Western side- but I don’t look at it that way. I look at it like I keep playing against all these guys who are doing so good and are really well-rounded players. I’m just looking for more improvement. I get to learn from these guys playing against them, and see how they’re doing in the same league that I’m playing in.”
The Brandon Wheat Kings blueliner has quietly mounted a breakout season with 15 points (2G-13A) in 19 games- already surpassing his 10-point (4G-6A) rookie campaign- while managing top-pairing minutes that regularly exceed 20 minutes per game.
“He’s a defence-first type defenceman when you forecast what he is, hopefully, at the pro level,” Wheat Kings General Manager and Head Coach Marty Murray said. “He’s a guy that has an exceptional stick, breaking up plays and clogging up the neutral zone. I think there’s some offense to his game as well, but I think for him to be the most effective, he’s a defence-first guy that can play physical and can finish checks at the same time and get the puck moving to our forwards.”
Murray points to the 2025 WHL Playoffs as Pantelas’ breakout moment.
While the fifth-seed Wheat Kings bowed out in five games against the Eastern Conference powerhouse Lethbridge Hurricanes, a 16-year-old Pantelas was logging tough minutes against high-end NHL prospects and eked out two assists and a team-best +3 rating.
Since then, Pantelas has packed on more than 15 pounds without losing footspeed, clocking in at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds with a coveted right-hand shot and leadership ability.
“He’ll do what’s asked of him,” Murray said. “He’s a real happy-go-lucky guy. Our guys love him around the rink. He just kind of rolls with it day in, day out. If you asked him to go shovel the snow in front of the bench, he would. We, the staff, appreciate it, and his teammates love him.”
The positive momentum helped him earn a spot on Team Canada for the all-important 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
“That was just a crazy moment,” Pantelas added. “Never in my life would I ever expect myself to make a roster like that. It was amazing going all the way to Europe. (My) first time in Europe, first time out of North America was for a hockey tournament. It’s just awesome. When you’re younger, looking at all these teams, and there are so many players, hundreds of players who want to and have a shot at making those teams, and they only pick around 30. Just looking at those odds, I mean, obviously, there’s a lot of great talent coming out of the west. So, seeing all those players who are having amazing years and playing really well, I wouldn’t know how many are coming out of all the other provinces. So I was just ready for everything.”
He wasn’t rewarded on the scoresheet, but Pantelas suited up for all five contests en route to a bronze medal finish.
Now, the 2023 WHL 19th-overall pick has earned one of seven defensive spots on Team CHL for next week’s CHL USA Prospects Challenge.
The roster was chosen by CHL staff in conjunction with NHL Central Scouting and the NHL’s 32 clubs.
“It’s a real deep d-corps, especially from the Western Hockey League,” Murray noted. ” With all the prospects that are there, it’s pretty cool for him to kind of be grouped into that. I think it’s a special group and and for Gio to able to be able to stand there and be recognized in the same breath as those guys, I think that’s a huge accomplishment.”
Pantelas is one of eight Western Leaguers to make the cut- including his former Team Canada teammates Mathis Preston, Rudolph, Lin and Carels.
He’s looking forward to two tight games against the U.S. National Team Development Program- and putting his best foot forward when NHL scouts come calling.
“It has sort of sunk in, but I still can’t even believe that my WHL draft was two years ago,” Pantelas laughed. “There’s just so much to look at nowadays. This is where everyone starts talking to you, all your future options open up. It’s eye-opening, for sure.”
The CHL USA Prospects Challenge runs on November 25 and 26 in Calgary and Lethbridge, Alta.
TSN will carry the matches for Canadian viewers, while those in the United States and globally can stream the action for free on Victory+.
