Wild Draft 2 New Players – Moose Jaw Selects Wild Academy Player

The Western Hockey League's 2024 U.S. Priority Draft happened earlier this morning. 44 American hockey players were taken in the annual two-round draft.

The Regina Pats kicked things off by nabbing forward Braden Hordichuk from the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes.

Wenatchee Wild Had the 12th Pick of the US Priority Draft

The Wild’s first-round pick was Marcus Matyas, a 14-year forward from Edina, Minnesota.

He recently lit up the highly competitive Minnesota high school scene, for the Cretin/Derham Hall Raiders. Matayas scored 26 points (9 goals and dishing out 17 assists) in 31 games for the Raiders. 

In addition to high school hockey, Matyas split time last season with three other teams - The Minnesota Loons 14u (AAA), White Bear Lake Bantam AA 15u, and the Minnesota Sharks 15u (AAA.)

According to Elite Prospects, Marcus has citizenship in the USA, Sweden & Hungary

14-year-old Wild Academy Player from Quincy Selected in the 1st Round

Quincy, Washington’s Mathieu Bowerman, A 14-year-old Defenceman with the Wenatchee Wild Academy program, was selected by the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Mathieu was the 18th player selected in the 1st round. 

Last year, Mathieu played for the Wenatchee Wolverines 15u team, scoring 9 points (5 goals/4 assists) in just 8 games. Bowerman will leave to play his 15-year-old season in Connecticut for the BK Selects.

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He will eventually battle for a spot on the Moose Jaw roster in the 2025-26 campaign of Mathieu’s 16-year-old season. 

This is the 2nd time a WHL team has selected a Wild Academy player. 

In the 2019 WHL bantam draft, the Edmonton Oil Kings used their 10th-round pick to select East Wenatchee’s Cade Littler. Cade’s long-term hockey goal was to play NCAA hockey - meaning he turned down the Oil Kings offer.

NOTE: If a player plays one game in the WHL - they lose eligibility to play NCAA college hockey. (They are still eligible to play U-Sports hockey for a Canadian college/university.)

Cade played a couple of seasons for Wenatchee in the BCHL After Wenatchee moved to the WHL - Littler played part of last season in the USHL for Cedar Rapids. He is now back in the BCHL, wrapping up his junior hockey with the Penticton Vees - who are in playoffs, gunning for another BCHL championship. Littler was drafted in the 7th round of the 2022 NHL draft by the Calgary Flames.

LIttler plans to play collegiate hockey for the University of North Dakota, this fall. 

Wenatchee Wild added a 2nd player in the U.S. Priority Draft.

The Wenatchee Wild took another Minnesota native in the 2nd round.

15-year-old Gunnar Conboy - from Lakeville, Minnesota.

Gunnar is a forward, who split time with three teams: the Lakeville North Panthers high school team, the Minnesota Moose 14u, and the Minnesota Rangers 15u squad. 

Conboy scored 22 points (13 goals/9 assists) in 26 games for Lakeville North. 

Wenatchee is Gearing up for yet another busy draft day

The WHL Prospects draft will be held tomorrow (Thursday, May 9th)

You can catch the live stream on  WHL Live on CHL TV and the WHL’s YouTube channel.

Draft pre-show 8:30 a.m.Pacific

1st-round begins at  9 a.m. Pacific

Wenatchee's 2024 WHL Prospects Draft picks

The Wild have 14 picks,

ROUND 1 - 12th pick 

ROUND 3 - 63rd pick (from Moose Jaw)

ROUND 5 - 104th pick (from Red Deer)

ROUND 6 -  122nd pick (from Kelowna)

ROUND 6 - 129th pick (from Moose Jaw)

ROUND 7 - 140th pick (from Spokane)

ROUND 7 - 145th pick

 ROUND 8 - 166th pick (from Kelowna)

 ROUND 10 - 211th pick

ROUND 11 - 233rd pick

ROUND 12 - 255th pick

ROUND 13 - 277th pick

 ROUND 14 - 299th pick

ROUND 15 - 321st pick