2028 Draft Class

[Chef Boi RD]

The WHL bantam draft was held yesterday and Regina as expected selected the supposed “next one” - Maddox Schultz 1st overall. All the scouts are calling him the next Sidney Crosby, his skating, shot and compete level is off the charts good. Check out the insane numbers he was putting up playing with 18 year olds, dominated.

What’s remarkable is that the Pats made a trade to get the 3rd overall pick to draft Liam Pue out of Langley, whom like Schultz, was granted exceptional status. The Regina Pats will be a team to watch leading up to the 2028 NHL Draft. Apparently there is a new exceptional status category where the kids who qualify can opt for, playing up to 35 games in the WHL and not the full season, bouncing between their major Junior team and bantam team. Both Schulz and Pue opted for this, smart move. There is always the danger of a 15 year old simply not being mature enough physically to play in the majors.

Surprised the Oil Kings chose RS D-man Holden Wouters 2nd overall instead of Pue. Routers is a Vancouver kid who already is 6’-2” 180 lbs, but apparently the kid is a beaut, considered the best d-man for his year in all of Canada, but still surprising as Pue gets similar accolades to Schultz. What’s with BC now being a hot bed of hockey development?

Seems like the Oil Kings were drafting by position as they went with another D-man with their 6th overall pick - big Christopher Kokkoris, another BC product. At 15 years of age he’s already 6’-6”.

The Canadian hockey academies are definitely taking over for where the best bantam talent in Canada is developing. On one hand it’s nice to see, but on the other hand, your parents have to have some decent bucks to put you through it. But the academy’s are definitely doing a bang up job developing super talent these days.