Calgary, Alta.- The Western Hockey League announced today that Edmonton Oil Kings defenceman Carter Sotheran has been named Tempo WHL Player of the Week, Fuelled by Co-op for the week ending Sunday, February 8.

The 20-year-old from Sanford, Man., pulled out an impressive seven points (4G-3A) and a +5 rating in two games to help the Oil Kings extend their winning streak to three games.

Sotheran came through with a goal and an assist in a key 4-2 win over the Central Division rival Medicine Hat Tigers on Wednesday, February 4. The 6-foot-4, 199-pound blueliner lit the lamp with a long, screened wrister to give the Oil Kings a 2-0 edge before serving up a powerplay assist on Lukas Sawchyn’s game-winning goal.

On Friday, February, Sotheran erupted for a career-best night with a hat trick and two assists in an 11-4 rout of the Moose Jaw Warriors. With the Oil Kings up 2-1 in the first period, Sotheran pinched down to the right faceoff dot for a point-blank wrister. Just over three minutes later, he picked up a secondary assist on 2026 NHL Draft-eligible Andrew O’Neill’s powerplay goal to make it a 4-1 game. The Warriors would chip away at the deficit with a late first-period goal, but Josh Lee kept things rolling as he corralled a wide shot from Sotheran and scored his fifth goal of the season. As the clock ticked down on the second period, Sotheran pounced on a wild rebound in the slot and roofed a backhand shot to make it an 8-3 contest. He saved his best for last as he dodged two Warriors defenders and picked up his own rebound to complete the hat trick with five seconds left in regulation. Sotheran was named the first star with a five-point effort in his 250^th regular-season game. He joins top 2026 NHL Draft-eligible Ryan Lin (Vancouver Giants), and Medicine Hat Tigers veterans Jonas Woo and Montreal Canadiens prospect Bryce Pickford as the only rearguards to collect a five-point game in 2025-26- though Sotheran and Pickford are the only defenders to bag a hat trick.

Sotheran is in the midst of a career year with 55 points (13G-42A) in 50 games with the Oil Kings and Portland Winterhawks. He sits second in assists and third in points on Edmonton, while leading all WHL defencemen in helpers and ranking fourth in points.

Originally chosen by the Portland Winterhawks with the 97^th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft, Sotheran has racked up 151 points (36G-115A) in 250 regular-season contests. He’s also chipped in 27 points (10G-17A) in 41 playoff outings- highlighted by a trip to the 2024 WHL Championship Series and 2025 Western Conference Championship.

Edmonton acquired Sotheran in exchange for defenceman Niko Tsakumis, a first-round pick in the 2027 WHL Prospects Draft and a fourth-round pick in 2028 in a major 2026 WHL Trade Deadline deal.

Sotheran was also drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the fifth round (135^th overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft, though he didn’t sign with the club.

Edmonton (34-11-3-2) has won three straight games to sit second in the Central Division and third in the Eastern Conference.

The Oil Kings look to inch closer to qualifying for the 2026 WHL Playoffs and snap the Everett Silvertips’ (41-6-2-1) nine-game win streak as they host the league leaders on Wednesday, February 11.

 

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 23 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and six 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 375 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.