For the second straight year, and seventh time out of the last nine, a Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) student-athlete was selected first overall at the Western Hockey League (WHL) Prospects Draft.
Daxon Rudolph (Northern Alberta Xtreme) became the seventh CSSHL student-athlete in league history to be selected first overall joining 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).
2023 would also mark the first time in the U.S. Priority Draft’s four year history that a current CSSHL student-athlete was selected first overall as the Spokane Chiefs selected Brody Gillespie (RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna). Former Okanagan Hockey Academy (OHA) student-athlete Blake Fiddler was the first player selected at the 2022 U.S. Priority Draft.
Along with Gillespie, RHA Kelowna teammate Cruz Waltze (2nd overall/Victoria Royals) and Yale Hockey Academy netminder Aiden Eskit (4th overall/Swift Current Broncos) were also selected in the U.S. Priority Draft.
By the Numbers
Program Breakdown:
Northern Alberta Xtreme (NAX) – 11
RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna – 10 (+ 2 US Draft)
Edge School – 9
Okanagan Hockey Academy (OHA) – 9
Delta Hockey Academy – 8
RINK Hockey Academy Winnipeg – 8
Yale Hockey Academy – 8 (+ US Draft)
St. George’s School – 6
OHA Edmonton – 5
BWC Academy – 4
Pilot Mound Hockey Academy – 3
Notre Dame – 2
Pacific Coast Hockey Academy (PCHA) – 1
WHL Prospects Draft Round Breakdown:
First Round: 12/22
Second Round: 8/22
Third Round: 10/22
Fourth Round: 11/22
Fifth Round: 9/22
Sixth Round: 8/22
Seventh Round: 6/22
Eighth Round: 6/22
Ninth Round: 5/21
Tenth Round: 3/17
Eleventh Round: 4/10
Twelfth Round: 2/5
Thirteenth Round: 0/1
Total: 84/230
WHL U.S. Priority Draft
| Round | Overall | WHL Team | Player | Position | CSSHL Team |
| 1 | 1 | Spokane Chiefs | Brody Gillespie | F | RHA Kelowna |
| 1 | 2 | Victoria Royals | Cruz Waltze | F | RHA Kelowna |
| 1 | 4 | Swift Current Broncos | Aiden Eskit | G | Yale Hockey Academy |
WHL Prospects Draft
| Round | Overall | WHL Team | Player | Position | CSSHL Team |
| 1 | 1 | Prince Albert Raiders | Daxon Rudolph | D | NAX |
| 1 | 3 | Spokane Chiefs | Mathis Preston | F | OHA |
| 1 | 4 | Victoria Royals | Keaton Verhoeff | D | RHA Kelowna |
| 1 | 6 | Vancouver Giants | Ryan Lin | D | Delta Hockey Academy |
| 1 | 9 | Medicine Hat Tigers | Liam Ruck | F | OHA |
| 1 | 10 | Everett Silvertips | Brek Liske | D | NAX |
| 1 | 11 | Calgary Hitmen | Noah Kosick | F | PCHA |
| 1 | 12 | Edmonton Oil Kings | Joe Iginla | F | RHA Kelowna |
| 1 | 13 | Tri-City Americans | Cruz Pavao | F | Edge School |
| 1 | 15 | Prince George Cougars | Carson Carels | D | PMHA |
| 1 | 19 | Brandon Wheat Kings | Giorgos Pantelas | D | RHA Kelowna |
| 1 | 21 | Medicine Hat Tigers | Markus Ruck | F | OHA |
| 2 | 26 | Kelowna Rockets | Eli Barrett | F | St. George’s School |
| 2 | 29 | Saskatoon Blades | Zachery Olsen | F | Edge School |
| 2 | 30 | Swift Current Broncos | Sawyer Dingman | F | NAX |
| 2 | 31 | Calgary Hitmen | Eric Tu | G | St. George’s School |
| 2 | 35 | Edmonton Oil Kings | Parker Snell | G | NAX |
| 2 | 36 | Lethbridge Hurricanes | Gavin Lesiuk | F | OHA |
| 2 | 37 | Prince George Cougars | Kayden Lemire | F | OHA Edmonton |
| 2 | 39 | Portland Winterhawks | Jordan Duguay | F | NAX |
| 3 | 45 | Edmonton Oil Kings | Joshua Lee | D | Delta Hockey Academy |
| 3 | 48 | Kelowna Rockets | Kanjyu Gojsic | F | St. George’s School |
| 3 | 49 | Prince Albert Raiders | Steele Bass | G | RHA Kelowna |
| 3 | 50 | Kelowna Rockets | Jacob Henderson | D | Yale Hockey Academy |
| 3 | 52 | Swift Current Broncos | Daxon Yerex | D | RHA Winnipeg |
| 3 | 53 | Medicine Hat Tigers | Koray Bozkaya | D | Yale Hockey Academy |
| 3 | 57 | Edmonton Oil Kings | Cage Smith | F | RHA Kelowna |
| 3 | 59 | Portland Winterhawks | Owen Chapman | F | NAX |
| 3 | 62 | Victoria Royals | Cole Prelusky | G | Edge School |
| 3 | 63 | Prince George Cougars | Patrick Sopiarz | F | OHA Edmonton |
| 4 | 69 | Victoria Royals | Owen McCarthy | D | RHA Kelowna |
| 4 | 70 | Saskatoon Blades | Nathan Guenther | D | NAX |
| 4 | 73 | Lethbridge Hurricanes | William Scott | D | OHA |
| 4 | 74 | Swift Current Broncos | Nathan Gray | D | Delta Hockey Academy |
| 4 | 75 | Red Deer Rebels | Nickolas Kovich | F | Delta Hockey Academy |
| 4 | 77 | Calgary Hitmen | Koy Funk | F | RHA Winnipeg |
| 4 | 78 | Regina Pats | Zachary Lansard | F | RHA Winnipeg |
| 4 | 81 | Victoria Royals | Harshaan Kaila | F | St. George’s School |
| 4 | 82 | Moose Jaw Warriors | Tyson Schamehorn | F | OHA |
| 4 | 84 | Saskatoon Blades | Matthew Dowdall | F | Yale Hockey Academy |
| 4 | 86 | Everett Silvertips | Lukas Lima | F | Delta Hockey Academy |
| 5 | 89 | Seattle Thunderbirds | Tracen Ashley | D | Edge School |
| 5 | 94 | Brandon Wheat Kings | Ryan Boyce | F | Edge School |
| 5 | 95 | Brandon Wheat Kings | Knox Bendera | F | NAX |
| 5 | 96 | Regina Pats | Jett Deschamps | D | RHA Winnipeg |
| 5 | 99 | Calgary Hitmen | Logan Lepinski | D | BWC Academy |
| 5 | 100 | Red Deer Rebels | Peyton Shore | G | RHA Winnipeg |
| 5 | 101 | Tri-City Americans | Brock Heidecker | D | RHA Kelowna |
| 5 | 104 | Victoria Royals | Nolan Stewart | F | NAX |
| 5 | 110 | Winnipeg Ice | Radislav Dimitrov | D | OHA Edmonton |
| 6 | 113 | Victoria Royals | Kadyn O’Brien | F | OHA |
| 6 | 114 | Everett Silvertips | Owen Cooper | F | Edge School |
| 6 | 117 | Vancouver Giants | Kai Anderson | F | BWC Academy |
| 6 | 119 | Medicine Hat Tigers | Brayden Ryan-Mackay | F | Yale Hockey Academy |
| 6 | 127 | Medicine Hat Tigers | Riley Steen | D | OHA |
| 6 | 130 | Kamloops Blazers | Ty Bonkowski | F | BWC Academy |
| 6 | 131 | Saskatoon Blades | Benjamin Bowtell | F | RHA Kelowna |
| 6 | 132 | Winnipeg Ice | Nathaniel Danielson | F | Delta Hockey Academy |
| 7 | 135 | Winnipeg Ice | Nathan Barclay | D | Delta Hockey Academy |
| 7 | 136 | Kelowna Rockets | Ben MacBeath | D | Yale Hockey Academy |
| 7 | 137 | Kamloops Blazers | Noah Chadi | D | OHA Edmonton |
| 7 | 142 | Brandon Wheat Kings | Maddox Gandha | F | RHA Kelowna |
| 7 | 152 | Kamloops Blazers | Lucas Benn | F | St. George’s School |
| 7 | 153 | Seattle Thunderbirds | Brendan Rudolph | F | Edge School |
| 8 | 157 | Victoria Royals | William Ren | D | BWC Academy |
| 8 | 166 | Prince Albert Raiders | Darius Hordal | D | NAX |
| 8 | 167 | Edmonton Oil Kings | Seth Castronuovo | F | Yale Hockey Academy |
| 8 | 169 | Prince George Cougars | Ryan Pedersen | D | Notre Dame |
| 8 | 173 | Regina Pats | Maddox Malmquist | F | RHA Winnipeg |
| 8 | 174 | Kamloops Blazers | Ryker Swanson | F | Yale Hockey Academy |
| 9 | 181 | Moose Jaw Warriors | Benson Hirst | D | PMHA |
| 9 | 183 | Vancouver Giants | Max Malinousky | F | Delta Hockey Academy |
| 9 | 185 | Medicine Hat Tigers | Liam Chartrand | F | PMHA |
| 9 | 194 | Red Deer Rebels | Nate Yellowaga | D | Edge School |
| 9 | 197 | Seattle Thunderbirds | Keegan Bailey | F | OHA |
| 10 | 214 | Moose Jaw Warriors | William Chabot | D | Notre Dame |
| 10 | 216 | Red Deer Rebels | Nolan Schmidt | F | OHA Edmonton |
| 10 | 218 | Kamloops Blazers | Theo Salikhov | F | RHA Kelowna |
| 11 | 223 | Victoria Royals | Henry Liu | D | St. George’s School |
| 11 | 228 | Swift Current Broncos | Jayden Oleskiw | F | Yale Hockey Academy |
| 11 | 233 | Tri-City Americans | Wyatt Kelman | D | RHA Winnipeg |
| 11 | 238 | Red Deer Rebels | Saul Astill | D | NAX |
| 12 | 250 | Swift Current Broncos | Joshua Shaganya | D | RHA Winnipeg |
| 12 | 258 | Moose Jaw Warriors | Dylan Deets | D | Edge School |
