The U..S. priority selection is May 10. (raiderhockey.com)

By Rob Mahon

U.S. Prospects Draft

Raiders hold fifth pick in U.S. Prospects Draft

May 10, 2023 | 7:55 AM

The hockey world has grown with the game, and as it grows teams are looking in new places to find the best possible players.

The Prince Albert Raiders and the rest of the WHL will turn their gaze to the United States for a day as they try to find some future stars.

On Wednesday, the WHL will hold its U.S. prospects draft for the fourth time. The draft began in 2020, and the Raiders have some optimism that they’ll soon start seeing results from their crop of players.

“Last year, we got some kids that had some Saskatchewan roots and we had a player that was an NHL player’s son as a draft pick,” said Raiders’ director of player personnel Bruno Zarrillo. “You hope that maybe we get a Mike Modano somehow, we get someone that knocks it out of the park.”

Last year, those players were Dylan Nolan (son of former NHL player and all-star Owen Nolan) and Gordon Jennings (son of former NHLer Grant Jennings). Jennings made his way north for the Raiders camp, and so did the two players the Raiders selected in 2021, Dmitri Toporowski and AJ Ulrich.

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Getting players selected in the U.S. draft to come north of the border has been a challenge for many teams since the draft was first implemented, but a slow trickle of American prospects from the draft is starting to make its way into the league. Among the first was Regina Pats’ 2020 selection Matteo Michels.

“All teams are in the same arena as us when it comes to U.S. players,” Zarrillo said. “There are lots of opportunities for them and you have to get them to come north of the border for a product that we feel proud of.”

Opportunities south of the border pertain mainly to college hockey, which is a circuit that appeals to a lot of American players. Junior A in the U.S. has also expanded in recent years. But if the Raiders want to entice players to the WHL, they simply have to point at their track record, both recent and distant, of moving players on to the highest levels of hockey.

“We will offer that, we will show that we develop,” said Zarrillo. “We will show that they can believe in their dreams and get to the NHL. It’s all positive.”

The U.S. prospects draft will begin at 10:00 Mountain Time.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP