We’ve finally reached the end of draft season, which means the Dobber Prospects Draft Team’s Final Ranking has arrived. The team presents an article featuring 105 draft eligible players for the 2026 NHL Draft. Compared to our mid-year ranking, there have been modest changes within the top-10 of the draft, and more stark changes through [...]
Everett’s Dominance Defines the 2025-26 WHL Playoffs. The 2025-26 Western Hockey League playoffs didn’t unfold so much as they were taken over. From the first puck drop of Round one to the final horn of the WHL Championship, the Everett Silvertips didn’t just win games they controlled them. They bent series to their will, dictated [...]
A Prospect-Loaded Race Headlined by Elite Production and NHL Upside The Western Hockey League has unveiled its finalists for the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the WHL’s top defenceman, and the 2025-26 class might be one of the most talented groups in recent memory. Split across the Eastern and Western Conferences, this year’s [...]
Development Watch The first post-draft season is one of the most revealing checkpoints in a prospect’s development. A strong D+1 year can signal that a player is beginning to translate his draft-year traits into consistent impact while handling larger roles against tougher match-ups. Across the WHL, recently drafted forwards have taken clear steps offensively. Whether [...]
Okanagan Hockey Academy (OHA) has established itself as one of the premier development programs within the Canadian Sport School Hockey League, consistently producing players who not only reach major junior hockey but thrive once they arrive. Few recent examples illustrate that impact more clearly than the success of the Ruck twins and fellow OHA product [...]
A Season Forged in Fire The 2026 Kelowna Rockets’ story goes well beyond the glitz and pageantry of an upcoming Memorial Cup on home ice. Hosting brings attention, expectation, and pressure—but it does not guarantee readiness. That readiness has been earned the hard way. Through the grind of the WHL regular season, Kelowna has been [...]
The hockey season is in full swing as we approach one of the marquee events on the scouting calendar—the World Junior Championship—making this a perfect time to release our second ranking of the draft cycle. There has been a fair amount of movement since our preliminary board in September. What initially looked like a promising [...]
The WHL continues to emerge as one of the deepest pipelines for NHL talent in the 2027 draft. Several under-18 skaters are already carving out distinct identities with their skating, vision, and decision-making. This group features a mix of pace-driven forwards and modern puck-moving defensemen who excel in transition and maintain strong structural habits. Their [...]
History The Penticton Vees' entry into the WHL marks the culmination of one of the most decorated junior A hockey legacies in Canadian history. Founded in 1961, the Vees established themselves as a cornerstone franchise in what would become the British Columbia Hockey League, creating a tradition of excellence that spanned over six decades. Their [...]
The WHL continues to serve as one of the premier development pipelines for NHL talent, and the 2025-26 season is no exception. A new wave of prospects—combining high-end pace, offensive creativity, and dependable two-way play—is capturing the attention of scouts. Leading the pack are dynamic forward Mathis Preston, and high-impact defensemen Ryan Lin and Daxon [...]
