Cole Reschny was up at 6:30 Thursday morning helping his dad with the cattle on the family farm in Macklin, Sask. He went inside a couple of hours later to the computer to experience his name called third overall in the first round of the 2022 WHL prospects draft by the Victoria Royals.
“The fact he was doing family chores before the draft began shows how hard working Cole is and what a great family he comes from,” said Royals head coach and GM Dan Price.
The 40 goals and 52 assists for 92 points with the Northern Alberta Xtreme U-15 Prep team didn’t hurt to guide the decision, either.
“I like to score and set-up. I feel I read and think the game well and have great vision,” said Reschny, who recorded 16 more points playing a year up in the playoffs for the Xtreme U-16 Prep team that won their championship.
“I also play a physical game and engage in contact. I am a 200-foot forward.”
Reschny became the highest draft pick in Royals history, eclipsing Tyler Soy’s eighth overall selection in 2012, and is only the third Royals player selected in the top-10.
The five-foot-nine, 155-pound centre was named the Canadian Sport School Hockey League U-15 Prep most valuable player. He joins recent winners of that MVP award, Matthew Savoie and Connor Bedard, who are ranked fourth and first among North American skaters for the respective 2022 and 2023 NHL drafts.
“I want to make a difference in Victoria and then get drafted to the NHL,” said Reschny.
Forward Gavin McKenna of Whitehorse, out of the Rink Academy of Kelowna, went first overall to the Medicine Hat Tigers and defenceman Jackson Smith of Edge School U-15 Prep of Calgary second to the Tri-City Americans. They, along with Reschny, are projected to be highly touted for the 2025 NHL draft.
“The pressure is obviously there and I have to prove myself,” said Reschny.
Medicine Hat came up first, Tri-City second and Victoria third in the draft lottery held among the six WHL teams that missed the playoffs.
The Royals’ second-round pick, 25th overall, was previously traded to the Moose Jaw Warriors. In the third round, 47th overall, the Royals selected five-foot-nine winger Grant Reid. He had 20 goals and 41 assists for 61 points in 30 games for Yale Hockey Academy U-15 of Abbotsford.
Victoria selected five-foot-11 defenceman Jerrett Ross 79th overall in the fourth round out of Leduc Oil Kings U-15, centre Caleb Matthews 91st overall in the fifth round out of Calgary Bisons Triple A, six-foot-one centre Wyatt Danyleyko of Sooke 123rd overall in the sixth round out of Pacific Coast Hockey Academy U-15 Prep, five-foot-10 winger Dylan Ruff 143rd in the seventh round from of Sylvan Lake, Alta., winger Ethan Watkins 157th in the eighth round from Calgary Bisons U-15, centre Will Whitter of the Prince Albert Pirates 170th in the eighth round, goaltender Wyatt Bouvier 179th out of the Saskatoon Bandits in the ninth round and six-foot-two centre Morgan Hackman of Vernon 189th in the ninth round.
The Royals picked eight forwards, one defenceman and one goaltender: “We had a heavier focus on defence in our previous few drafts,” said Price.
The highest-selected Island player was six-foot-two goaltender Koen Cleaver of Port Alberni, out of the Pacific Coast Hockey Academy, who went 48th overall in the third round to the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Six-foot-three Pacific Coast Academy defencemen Colton Alain of Victoria was selected 54th overall in the third round by the Vancouver Giants. Centre Parker MacDougall of the South Island Royals went 99th overall in the fifth round to the Calgary Hitmen.
The other Islanders selected were defenceman Eliot Compton, out of Shawnigan Lake School, 109th overall in the fifth round by the Edmonton Oil Kings, Cowichan Valley forward Wyatt Blace of Pacific Coast Academy 139th in the seventh round to the Hitmen, forward Jordan Ramsay of Victoria, out of Pacific Coast Academy, 175th in the eighth round to the Edmonton Oil Kings, Peninsula Eagles goaltender Cooper Anderson of Sidney 208th in the 10th round to the Prince Albert Raiders and North Island Silvertips winger Jasper Fellbaum of Courtenay 213th to the Kelowna Rockets.
Meanwhile, blue-liner Chloe Primerano of North Vancouver made history by becoming the first female player ever selected in the WHL draft when she went 268th overall in the 13th round to the Giants.
