For the third straight year, and eighth time out of the last ten, a Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) student-athlete was selected first overall at the Western Hockey League (WHL) Prospects Draft.
Having become just the second player, and first defenseman in WHL history to receive Exceptional Player Status to play in the WHL at 15 years old, Landon DuPont joins the CSSHL ranks of Daxon Rudolph (Northern Alberta Xtreme/2023) Gavin McKenna (RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna & South Alberta Hockey Academy/2022), Connor Bedard (West Van Academy/2020), Matthew Savoie (Northern Alberta Xtreme & RINK Hockey Academy Winnipeg/2019), Dylan Guenther (Northern Alberta Xtreme/2018), Kaiden Guhle (OHA Edmonton/2017), and Ty Smith (Delta Hockey Academy/2015) to be selected first overall.
Bedard was granted Exceptional Player Status ahead of the 2020/21 season and was recently selected first overall by the Chicago Blackhawks at the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
Overall, 10 CSSHL student-athletes were selected in the first round while 88 players were selected in total at the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft. Of those 88, 44 were taken in the first 4 rounds/89 picks. Overall, 37% of the WHL Prospects Draft came from the CSSHL, the third highest percentage total in league history, behind 2021 (45%) and 2022 (40%). The 88 players selected are also third most in CSSHL history, behind 2022 (96) and 2021 (95).
The Kamloops Blazers selected Eli Tverdovsky sixth overall at the 2024 U.S. Priority Draft. Tverdovsky became the eighth CSSHL player to be drafted in the U.S. Priority Draft in it’s five year history.
With 16 players selected, Edge School has set the new CSSHL program record previously held by Yale Hockey Academy, who had 15 in 2021.
To view the full list of CSSHL student-athletes selected, click here.
