Prince Albert, Sask.- When the Prince Albert Raiders called Daxon Rudolph‘s name with the first-overall pick in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, the youngster from Lacombe, Alta. joined rare territory.
Not only did he join a list of top picks that includes the likes of Gavin McKenna, Berkly Catton, and Connor Bedard, but Rudolph also became one of just four defencemen in 16 years to be chosen first (the last had been two-time WHL Champion and Montreal Canadiens rearguard Kaiden Guhle, another Raider, in 2017).
But Rudolph tried not to sweat the hype as he made tracks for Hockeytown North for the 2024-25 season.
“It was kind of something I’ve always dreamed of growing up in Lacombe, cheering for the Rebels as a young kid,” Rudolph recalled. “You wanted to play in the best league you possibly can, and the WHL is definitely that. Being selected first was an amazing moment for me and my family, super proud of that, but it’s a long time ago, and just kind of a step in the process.
Some people may post things or say things about coming in as a first overall pick, but I try not to take too much into that or put too much pressure on myself. I just try to go out there and play.”
The Raiders were quickly impressed by the youngster’s 6-foot-2, 202-pound frame, but were also taken aback by his composure.
“He’s just so even keel with how he does stuff every day,” Raiders Head Coach Ryan McDonald said. “He’s always been on teams where he’s looked upon as being that leader and being that rock. So I don’t think it was something that was out of the ordinary for him. He’s done a tremendous job handling that pressure and handling those situations. I’ve seen it here with us at Prince Albert. I’ve seen it on the international stage with Hockey Canada.
He’s a puck-moving defenseman who defends hard, and again, has that offensive ability to make those reads and jump up in the play when he needs to be, but he just has that real calming force about him.”
Indeed, Rudolph let his play do the talking in his rookie campaign, while crediting players like Seattle Kraken prospect Lukas Dragicevic for helping him get adjusted.
He made quite an impression by scoring the game-tying goal in his WHL debut against the Regina Pats on September 20, 2024, but really hit his stride in the second half of the season.
From the turn of the new year, Rudolph put up 31 points (5G-26A) in 36 games, including a 12-game point streak, and earned WHL Rookie of the Month honours for January of 2025.
“He was just doing the right things,” McDonald added. “Defending hard, moving pucks, putting himself in really good positions to funnel pucks in deep and get pucks there and just getting rewarded for it on the offensive side. But you know, what really impressed me about last year and moving into this year is just his ability to defend and his ability to defend 19 and 20-year-olds at such a young age.”
Rudolph was recognized as a finalist for the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy for WHL Rookie of the Year after finishing fourth in scoring among all first-year defencemen (7G-34A-41PTS), but also made the grade as a finalist for the Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Memorial Trophy for WHL Scholastic Player of the Year.
While the regular season accolades were a wonderful affirmation of his hard work, Rudolph learned his biggest lessons in his first trip to the WHL Playoffs.
Round One saw the Raiders trail the Edmonton Oil Kings 3-1 after a pair of gut-wrenching 3-2 losses in Alberta’s capital.
Prince Albert clawed out a win in Game 5 to extend the series, where the group truly locked in.
Rudolph netted a pair of assists in Game 6 to force a winner-take-all showdown in Game 7, where he upped the ante with three assists in a series-clinching 5-0 victory.
The Raiders ultimately fell to the eventual 2025 WHL Champion and Memorial Cup finalist Medicine Hat Tigers, but the promising campaign set the stage for Rudolph to suit up for Canada at the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship and earned an ‘A’ at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, earning a gold and bronze medal, respectively.
Now, he’s an alternate captain tasked with anchoring the top defensive pairing on the league’s stingiest team, along with Captain Justice Christensen.
Rudolph owns five goals, two of which were game-winners, and eight assists for 13 points in 17 games, while Prince Albert boasts the WHL’s best win percentage with a formidable 13-1-3-0 record.
“I was happy to step into a bigger role this season and kind of be a guy that’s leaned on a lot in every situation,” Rudolph said of his year-over-year development. “I think just kind of all around creating offense and kind of being mobile, being that guy who can join the rush and make plays and stuff like that, but also be that guy who’s reliable and can block shots and penalty kill and shut down other teams’ top lines.”
The 17-year-old is on the path to another first-round selection after receiving an ‘A’ rating from NHL Central Scouting in the agency’s preliminary player list in October.
He’ll also be an alternate captain for the upcoming CHL USA Prospects Challenge, where he’ll reunite with plenty of teammates from U18s and Hlinka Gretzky.
“I remember watching last year, just hoping I would be there one day,” Rudolph added. “Getting together with a bunch of high-level players, competing with them, and then also against the Americans. I think it’s just going to be an amazing event, and just have fun and create some relationships, get some games, some good competition, and hopefully come up with a couple wins.”
The CHL USA Prospects Challenge runs on November 25 and 26 in Calgary and Lethbridge, Alta.
Canadian viewers can catch the action on TSN, while those in the United States and around the world can stream the matches for free on Victory+.
