Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League is proud to announce 105 WHL players will attend NHL rookie and training camps in September. All players are eligible to return to the WHL for the 2019-20 season.

Of the 105 players attending, 58 were selected in the NHL Draft, including Saskatoon Blades forward Kirby Dach, who was selected third overall by the Chicago Blackhawks, and Vancouver Giants defenceman Bowen Byram, who was selected fourth overall by the Colorado Avalanche, at the 2019 NHL Draft. Twenty-one players are currently free agents heading into their 20-year-old season with their respective WHL Club. Twenty-two players were provided NHL camp invites.

Nineteen WHL member Clubs are represented, with three teams leading the charge. The 2019 WHL Champion Prince Albert Raiders, as well as the Edmonton Oil Kings and Spokane Chiefs each have nine players at NHL camps.

Six teams follow closely with seven players attending NHL camps. The Kelowna Rockets, host of the 2020 Memorial Cup Presented by Kia, have seven players attending NHL camps. The Calgary Hitmen, Everett Silvertips, Portland Winterhawks, Saskatoon Blades, and Vancouver Giants also have seven players in attendance with NHL teams.

Overall, the U.S. Division is sending the most players out of any WHL division, with 32 players off to NHL camps. The Central Division will see 28 players attend NHL camps with the East Division sending 25 and the B.C. Division sending 20. Overall, 56 forwards, 38 defencemen and 11 goaltenders from across the WHL will attend NHL camps in 2019.

The following is a list of Manitoba born WHL players, sorted alphabetical by team, who will attend NHL rookie and training camps:

WHL Team	Pos	First Name	Last Name	Hometown	NHL Team
Brandon	F	Ben	McCartney	Macdonald	Philadelphia Flyers
Calgary	F	Jett	Woo	Winnipeg	Vancouver Canucks
Calgary	F	Riley	Stotts	Winnipeg	Toronto Maple Leafs
Everett	F	Connor	Dewar	The Pas	Minnesota Wild
Kamloops	D	Montana	Onyebuchi	Dugald	Tampa Bay Lightning
Kelowna	D	Leif	Mattson	Stonewall	Carolina Hurricanes
Lethbridge	F	Nick	Henry	Portage la Prairie	Colorado Avalanche
Lethbridge	D	Calen	Addison	Brandon	Pittsburgh Penguins
Moose Jaw	D	Josh	Brook	Roblin	Montreal Canadiens
Portland	F	Cody	Glass	Winnipeg	Vegas Golden Knights
Portland	G	Joel	Hofer	Winnipeg	St.Louis Blues
Prince Albert	D	Max	Martin	Winnipeg	Boston Bruins
Red Deer	D	Dawson	Barteaux	Foxwarren	Dallas Stars
Saskatoon	F	Riley	McKay	Swan River	Chicago Blackhawks
Spokane	D	Noah	King	Winnipeg	New Jersey Devils
Vancouver	G	Trent	Miner	Souris	Colorado Avalanche

 

About the Western Hockey League
Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and five in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 350 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.