Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League announced today a number of updates to events previously scheduled on the WHL calendar, including the 2020 WHL Awards, 2020 WHL Bantam Draft, 2020 WHL Bantam Draft Lottery, and 2020 WHL U.S. Prospects Draft.

The 2020 WHL Bantam Draft Lottery and 2020 WHL U.S. Prospects Draft will proceed as originally scheduled on Wednesday, March 25. The 2020 WHL Bantam Draft Lottery is scheduled for 11 a.m. MT at the WHL Office in Calgary, while the 2020 WHL U.S. Prospects Draft is scheduled to be conducted online at 2 p.m. MT.

The 2020 WHL Awards and 2020 WHL Bantam Draft – live events previously scheduled to be hosted in Red Deer, Alta. on May 6 and May 7, respectively – have been cancelled as a result of concerns relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 WHL Bantam Draft will now be conducted online on Wednesday, April 22. Further details on both events will be provided at a later date.

2020 WHL Bantam Draft Lottery

The WHL Bantam Draft Lottery will determine the order of selection by the first six teams in the first round of the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft.

The WHL Bantam Draft Lottery will involve the six lowest-place Clubs from the 2019-20 season – the Swift Current Broncos, Moose Jaw Warriors, Tri-City Americans, Prince George Cougars, Regina Pats, and Red Deer Rebels. A team may only move up a maximum of two positions in the WHL Bantam Draft.

The WHL Bantam Draft Lottery will utilize 21 selection balls, the allotment of which is as follows:

Swift Current Broncos – Six (pick previously traded via Lethbridge to the Regina Pats)

Moose Jaw Warriors – Five

Tri-City Americans – Four

Prince George Cougars – Three

Regina Pats – Two (pick previously traded to Saskatoon Blades)

Red Deer Rebels – One

In an effort to minimize gatherings of staff, the WHL Bantam Draft Lottery will be a closed event and will not be streamed live. Video of the proceedings will be available at WHL.ca following the conclusion of the event.

The WHL Bantam Draft Lottery selection process will be performed by Bennett Huber from KPMG.

The order of selection for the second round and all other rounds in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft will be determined by the inverse order of the final standings for the 2019-20 WHL Regular Season.

Players eligible for the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft will be 2005-born players who reside in Alberta, B.C., Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Yukon, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

2020 WHL U.S. Prospects Draft

The 2020 WHL U.S. Prospects Draft will consist of two rounds, and 44 selections, with each WHL Club afforded the opportunity to make two draft choices. The order of selection for the 2020 WHL U.S. Prospects Draft is as follows:

First Round Second Round 1. Red Deer Rebels 23. Saskatoon Blades 2. Tri-City Americans 24. Victoria Royals 3. Edmonton Oil Kings 25. Moose Jaw Warriors 4. Everett Silvertips 26. Prince George Cougars 5. Prince Albert Raiders 27. Regina Pats 6. Winnipeg ICE 28. Brandon Wheat Kings 7. Vancouver Giants 29. Portland Winterhawks 8. Seattle Thunderbirds 30. Kelowna Rockets 9. Swift Current Broncos 31. Kamloops Blazers 10. Lethbridge Hurricanes 32. Spokane Chiefs 11. Calgary Hitmen 33. Medicine Hat Tigers 12. Medicine Hat Tigers 34. Calgary Hitmen 13. Spokane Chiefs 35. Lethbridge Hurricanes 14. Kamloops Blazers 36. Swift Current Broncos 15. Kelowna Rockets 37. Seattle Thunderbirds 16. Portland Winterhawks 38. Vancouver Giants 17. Brandon Wheat Kings 39. Winnipeg ICE 18. Regina Pats 40. Prince Albert Raiders 19. Prince George Cougars 41. Everett Silvertips 20. Moose Jaw Warriors 42. Edmonton Oil Kings 21. Victoria Royals 43. Tri-City Americans 22. Saskatoon Blades 44. Red Deer Rebels

Players eligible for the 2020 WHL U.S. Prospects Draft will be 2005-born players who reside in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Players not selected in the 2020 WHL U.S. Prospects Draft will remain eligible to be selected in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft, or listed by a WHL Club at any time thereafter.

About the Western Hockey League

Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and five in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 350 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.