You will likely hear the Prince Albert Raiders name mentioned a lot during the early portion of the 2023 Western Hockey League Prospects Draft.
The Raiders were the winners the of the 2023 Prospects Draft Lottery as they now own three of the top seven selections in the Prospects Draft.
As a result of entering the lottery with the fourth pick in the upcoming Prospects Draft, the Raiders have now moved up to the second overall pick.
The Raiders also own the first overall pick after they acquired Edmonton’s first round pick in a trade on Dec. 1, 2021 involving Kaiden Guhle. With the Oil Kings finishing last overall during the 2022-23 regular season, the Raiders now own the first overall pick.
Prince Albert also owns Kelowna’s 2023 first round choice which is the seventh overall selection.
All six WHL Clubs that did not qualify for the 2023 WHL Playoffs participated in the lottery.
Regina doesn’t own a 2023 first round pick following a trade with Kamloops at the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft that saw the Pats acquire an extra 2021 first round selection. Regina selected forward Jaxsin Vaughan with the pick acquired from Kamloops.
