It's an important time of the year for the Red Deer Rebels.
With the conclusion of their season, the focus shifts to how they can improve the team and what decisions, if any, need to be made.
A big part of that preparation for the future comes in the draft and this week Red Deer will look to continue to build their prospect pool in the WHL Prospects Draft and the U.S. Priority Draft.
Their busy week begins on Wednesday, May 8 with the 2024 U.S. Priority Draft followed by the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft on Thursday, May 9.
Regarding the Prospects Draft, the Rebels will pick in the first round at 15th overall followed by the 37th overall selection in the second round. The Rebels also have two fourth-round picks at 77 and 84 followed by 10 more picks that wrap up in the 15th round.
Rebels assistant general manager Shaun Sutter said that, at 15th overall, they will take the best player available.
"We don't know what's going to happen in front of us and I think everyone knows who's going first overall. After that, everyone's playing the waiting game to see what name goes in front of them," he said.
"We'll be doing the same thing and I'm sure we're going to get a really good player at 15."
The Rebels have had plenty of success in the draft in recent years. In 2022, the Rebels took defenceman Luke Vlooswyk at 17th overall, and in 2023, took forward Beckett Hamilton 18th in the first round.
Sutter explained this year the WHL Prospects Draft is on the weaker side but added there's a lot of depth, especially at the forward position.
"It doesn't really matter whether it's a good year or a bad year. At the end of the day, we have to find players and find them in the draft. Once they get good, it's pretty hard to trade for a guy," he said.
"You've got to trust your belief system and trust the process. With there being a week off between the Alberta Cup and the draft I think everyone's going through it and watching video."
It's important to hit on your first and second-round picks. Sutter said the players they draft after that are the ones who will put them over the top and separate them from the competition because everyone is expected to draft well in the first two rounds.
This season, the Rebels showed the importance of drafting well, with multiple young players taking on key roles throughout the lineup. Goaltender Chase Wutzke propelled himself up the charts as one of the league's top goaltenders while players such as Matthew Gard, Derek Thurston, Evan Smith, Zane Saab, and Luke Vlooswyk were regulars in the lineup.
"The players have to earn their opportunity but then they also require that opportunity to do something with it too. That's just junior hockey. It's not like other sports or other leagues where we can go out and grab players from different places," he said.
"We have to bring these kids in when they're 16 and 17 and help them develop so they're good players for us... We want to be good every year so the draft is so important."
In the U.S. Priority Draft, the Rebels, like every other team in the WHL, will have the opportunity to select two players. This year, Red Deer was slotted to pick 15th and 37th overall.
Sutter said the talent within the draft this year is down but explained there are still plenty of great players available. The trickiest part of selecting a player from the United States is making sure they want to play in the WHL.
"It's not so much about whether they're going to play in the WHL it's about whether they're going to come to training camp and see what it's all about. That's step one," he said.
The Rebels have had success in the U.S. Draft, taking players such as defenceman Quentin Bourne and forward Jeremiah Roberts, both of whom became regulars in the lineup.
Last year, the Rebels selected Cooper Soller from Los Angeles with the 18th pick and Kue-Gene Park from Meridian, Idaho with the 40th but have yet to sign them.
Sutter said they're optimistic that one day they will sign them but are allowing the players to weigh their options.
"I think we are the one team in the Western League that every player we've picked in the U.S. Draft leading up into last year has come to the league. Starting with Gracyn Sawchyn, Quentin Bourne, and Jeramiah Roberts. There are some teams that don't even have one."