Ryan Denney was drafted for the Saskatoon Blades in 2016 during the seventh round. While this year’s draft class awaits their results, Denney looks back on the elation he experienced on his draft day.
“Well, me and my friends, we all actually got drafted. The big group of guys I was with, we were all in the cafeteria. The draft takes basically the whole school day, we were just hovering over our phones, waiting. All my friends were getting picked one by one. And then finally I got drafted, I immediately phoned my mom to let her know, she knew before I did. And yeah, it was pretty exciting. It was kind of like a dream come true.”
Ryan Denney, former WHL draft pick
Denney recalls that the magnitude of the situation, being flown out to Saskatoon for camp and being surrounded by bigger hockey players was overwhelming. Though the experience was a lot of fun, he said he struggled to perform at the level he knew he could due to nervousness. His advice for incoming draft picks is to just enjoy the experience and try not to let the nerves get in the way of having fun.
(@whlgiants / X)
The WHL draft that is making waves is Landon DuPont. The 14-year-old from Alberta, who was granted exceptional status earlier this year, was drafted first overall in the WHL draft. DuPont is the first defenceman in the WHL to earn the merit and only the second in WHL history, the other being Connor Bedard in 2020. To be granted exceptional status means a player possesses both hockey skills and mental maturity that far exceeds other players in their age groups. This status grants DuPont the unique ability to play in the WHL, even though he’ll only be 15-years-old next season.
Meanwhile, local WHL team – the Vancouver Giants – has picked up 14-year-old, Blake Chorney, number 10 overall. Chorney also hails from Alberta. In a written press release, Vancouver Giant’s head scout Terry Bonner describes Chorney’s playstyle, giving him a glowing review.
“He competes so hard without the puck. He’s a great skater. Good size. A real complete forward. He’ll get involved in every play. Makes good passes; scored some big goals, but he never quits working. He’s an honest to goodness, hard-working two-way forward.” (Terry Bonner, Giant’s Head Scout)
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Chorney will be playing in the under 18 AAA Hockey League for the Saskatoon Blazers in the 2024-2025 season. Out of 293 potential picks, 54 of them have been from B.C..