The 2025 WHL Prospects Draft made dreams come true for 12 Okanagan-based up-and-coming hockey players.
Over the course on May 7 and 8, the draft took place as teenagers waited3 for their names to be called to the next level. In the Okanagan, 12 players were selected in the draft, 10 of which came from local hockey academies.
Peachland
Peachland represented the Central Okanagan best at the draft as two players were selected in the first two rounds.
Forward Kain Martiniuk was highly regarded going into the draft, as he was selected in the first round, 15th overall by the Saskatoon Blades, using what was originally the Brandon Wheat Kings pick.
Last season for Shattuck St. Mary鈥檚 14U AAA, he scored 44 goals and added 36 assists for 80 points in 57 games.
Goaltender Dylan Mingo also was selected early in the draft as he went in the second round, 41st overall to the Moose Jaw Warriors. Mingo was one of six players from Rink H.A. 麻豆精选 U15 Prep to be picked in this year's draft.
He went 7-14-0-0 on 21 games last season with a .899 save percentage.
麻豆精选
麻豆精选's Miller Watkins is joining Mingo in Moose Jaw, as he was selected by the Warriors in the third round, 57th overall. The 5'11" defenceman played for the Burnaby Winter Club Academy U15 Prep team last season where he potted three goals and added 24 assists in 33 games.
Forward Gage Mark, from 麻豆精选 and the Okanagan Hockey Academy U15 Prep was selected by the WHL's newest team, the Penticton Vees. He was picked in the eighth round, 164th overall. He was nearly a point a game player last season as he collected 35 points in 36 games.
Lake Country
Forward Bronson Lamontagne gets to stay close to home.
The Lake Country product was selected by the 麻豆精选 Rockets in the seventh round of the draft, 149th overall. Last season for the Rink H.A. 麻豆精选 U15 Prep, he had 36 points (13 goals, 23 assists) in 27 games.
His Rink teammate Kaius Millan was the penultimate pick in the draft as he was taken in the 14th round, 300th overall by the Penticton. The forward scored 20 goals, totalling 38 points in 36 games. He also collected 58 penalty minutes.
West 麻豆精选
Also from the Okanagan Hockey Academy U15 Prep, West 麻豆精选's Roman Haddad is now a product of the Swift Current Broncos. The 14-year-old defenceman was selected in the eighth round, 171st overall. He had 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) and 62 penalty minutes in 36 games last season.
Coldstream
With the 199th overall pick, the Saskatoon Blades picked Alexander Sharman from Coldstream. The forward is also a product from Rink H.A. 麻豆精选 U15 Prep, where he collected 59 points (21 goals, 38 assists) in 36 games.
Kamloops
Four players were selected out of Kamloops, highlighted by forward Cohen Baker, who was selected in the first round, 17th overall by the Prince George Cougars. Baker was teammates with Watkins at the Burnaby Winter Club where he scored more than a goal per game (34 goals in 33 games) and averaged just under two points per game (64).
Teammates for the Thompson Blazers U15 AAA, Kamloops' Carter McKenzie and Cyrus Gurski were both selected on Thursday. McKenzie, a defenceman, went in the fourth round (85th overall) to the Seattle Thunderbirds while Gurski went in the seventh round (154 overall) to the Spokane Chiefs.
McKenzie was 22 points in 30 games from the backend last season while Gurski had a 40 goal season, finishing with 66 points in just 27 games.
Lastly, from Kamloops and out of the Rink H.A. 麻豆精选 U15 Prep, Deacon Gayfer was drafted seven picks ahead of Gurski, 147th overall to the Tri-City Americans. The defenceman had 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 36 games last season.
Rounding out the local academies
In addition to the local talent, two other players were selected after suiting up for local teams last season.
Hailing from Whitehorse, Yukon, defenceman Channon Fummerton gets to stay in 麻豆精选 as he was drafted by the Rockets in the fifth round, 95th overall after playing for the Rink H.A. 麻豆精选 U15 Prep team. Last season, he scored eight goals and added 13 assists, totalling 21 points in 29 games.
After moving from Victoria to Penticton to play for the Okanagan Hockey Academy U15 Prep team, Shea Mooney also gets to stay in town. The defenceman was the last pick in the WHL draft, selected in the 15th round (323rd overall) by the Penticton Vees. He scored four goals and finished with 15 points in 31 games last season.
And that's the local talent that was selected in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft.
