(Photos courtesy of WHL)

By WHL

WHL to NHL

WHL products powered Golden Knights to championship

Jun 14, 2023 | 9:45 AM

Western Hockey League products were a big part of the roster of the 2023 Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights.

The WHL said in a news release 24 WHL Alumni were members of the team.

The Golden Knights claimed their first Stanley Cup in franchise history by defeating the Florida Panthers in five games Tuesday, June 13.

Seven former WHL players were on the ice for Vegas in its Stanley Cup-clinching victory Tuesday, led by captain Mark Stone (Winnipeg, Man. / Brandon Wheat Kings), who recorded a hat-trick in the decisive contest. In addition to Stone, WHL Alumni featured in the series-clinching Game 5 were: goaltender Adin Hill (Comox, B.C. / Portland Winterhawks), defencemen Brayden McNabb (Davidson, Sask. / Kootenay ICE) and Shea Theodore (Aldergrove, B.C. / Seattle Thunderbirds) as well as forwards Brett Howden (Calgary, Alta. / Moose Jaw Warriors), Keegan Kolesar (Brandon, Man. / Seattle Thunderbirds) and Chandler Stephenson (Saskatoon, Sask. / Regina Pats).

Kolesar (Seattle Thunderbirds, 2017) and McNabb (Kootenay ICE, 2011) are also former WHL Champions.

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Goaltenders Laurent Brossoit (North Delta, B.C. / Edmonton Oil Kings), Jiri Patera (Prague, Czechia / Brandon Wheat Kings) and Logan Thompson (Calgary, Alta. / Brandon Wheat Kings), defencemen Kaedan Korczak (Yorkton, Sask. / Kelowna Rockets), Dysin Mayo (Victoria, B.C. / Edmonton Oil Kings) and Brayden Pachal (Estevan, Sask. / Prince Albert Raiders) as well as forward Byron Froese (Winkler, Man. / Red Deer Rebels) were also on the 36-player active roster of the Golden Knights.

General Manager Kelly McCrimmon (Plenty, Sask. / Brandon Wheat Kings) headlines a hockey operations staff with Vegas that features several WHL Alumni, including assistant coach Ryan Craig (Abbotsford, B.C. / Brandon Wheat Kings), director of player personnel Vaughn Karpan (Flin Flon, Man. / Brandon Wheat Kings), (assistant director of player personnel Bob Lowes (Prince Albert, Sask. / Regina Pats), pro scouts Craig Cunningham (Trail, B.C. / Portland Winterhawks), Kelly Kisio (Wetaskiwin, Alta. / Calgary Wranglers) and Jim McKenzie (Gull Lake, Sask. / Victoria Cougars) as well as amateur scouts Bruno Campese (Nelson, B.C. / Kelowna Wings) and Erin Ginnell (Flin Flon, Man. / Swift Current Broncos).

In addition, amateur scout Brad McEwen (Whitewood, Sask.) worked in various hockey operations roles with the Medicine Hat Tigers, Swift Current Broncos and Lethbridge Hurricanes between 1995 and 2014, winning the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy as WHL Executive of the Year with the Broncos in 2001.

McCrimmon captured the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy as WHL Executive of the Year on three occasions, winning with the Brandon Wheat Kings in 1995, 2010 and 2015, while Lowes was a two-time recipient of the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy as WHL Coach of the Year, winning with the Brandon Wheat Kings in 1996 and Regina Pats in 2002.

The Stanley Cup finalist Florida Panthers roster featured five WHL Alumni, including: defencemen Radko Gudas (Prague, Czechia / Everett Silvertips), John Ludvig (Kamloops, B.C. / Portland Winterhawks) and Josh Mahura (St. Albert, Alta. / Regina Pats), forwards Aleksi Heponiemi (Tampere, Finland / Swift Current Broncos) and Sam Reinhart (West Vancouver, B.C. / Kootenay ICE), as well as Hockey Operations staff including Bryan McCabe (St. Catharines, Ont. / Brandon Wheat Kings), Robb Tallas (Edmonton, Alta. / Seattle Thunderbirds), Shane Churla (Fernie, B.C. / Medicine Hat Tigers), Les Jackson (Manning, Alta. / New Westminster Bruins) and Reid Jackson (Weyburn, Sask. / Moose Jaw Warriors).

In addition, assistant coach Jamie Kompon (Thunder Bay, Ont.) served two seasons as head coach and general manager of the Portland Winterhawks from 2014 to 2016.