Notable NHL Draft Selections From the AJHL since 2018

The Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) has established itself as a premiere Junior ‘A’ hockey league in recent years and National Hockey League scouts have been paying attention. With the 2022 NHL Entry Draft coming up, here’s a look at some of the notable NHL draft selections that have come out of the AJHL in recent years (2018-2021).

Cale Makar– 4th Overall (2018) Colorado Avalanche

Cale Makar is the most notable name on this list and a standout name on pretty much any list he finds himself on. The former Brooks Bandits defenseman became the highest-picked AJHL player in league history when the Colorado Avalanche selected him fourth overall in the first round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

He has gone on to have major success in the NHL, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy for NHL Rookie of the Year in 2019-20 and added the James Norris Memorial Trophy for the Top Defenseman, the Conn Smythe Trophy for Playoff MVP and a Stanley Cup championship to his resume this past season (2021-22).

Jacob Bernard-Docker – 26th Overall (2018) Ottawa Senators

Jacob Bernard-Docker was selected in the same 2018 draft-class as Makar, hearing his named called 26th overall by the Ottawa Senators. Bernard-Docker (Canmore, Alta.) played his Junior ‘A’ career with the Okotoks Oilers (AJHL) appearing in 103 regular season games over two seasons (2016-2018). He spent three seasons at the University of North Dakota (NCHC) scoring 60 points (15G, 45A) in 95 games as a defenseman.

Bernard-Docker was named the NCHC Defensive Defenseman of the Year and helped the North Dakota Fighting Hawks win a second consecutive NCHC regular-season championship in 2020-21. He has appeared in 13 regular season games for the Senators registering an assist (1A) with a plus-4 (+4) rating.

Austin Wong – 215th Overall (2018) Winnipeg Jets

#NHLJets' final pick of this year’s #NHLDraft, 215th overall, is Austin Wong! pic.twitter.com/V4UhpvpNUQ

— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) June 23, 2018

The Winnipeg Jets selected Austin Wong (Cochrane, Alta.) in the seventh round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

Wong played three seasons with the Okotoks Oilers (AJHL) scoring 136 points (64G, 72A) in 155 regular season games. He garnered a reputation for his gritty style of play with a nose for the net and earned a Harvard (NCAA) commitment in addition to his NHL draft selection.

Harvard cancelled the remainder of their 2020-21 season due to COVID-19 protocols, forcing the 21-year-old back to juniors, where he joined the Fargo Force of the United States Hockey League (USHL). Wong played 49 games for Fargo registering 24 points (15G, 9A) in that span. Suiting up for Harvard again last season (2021-22) Wong appeared in 32 games, registering 8 points (2G,6A) and 46 penalty-minutes (PIMs.)

Carter Gylander – 191st Overall (2019) Detroit Red Wings

Welcome to #Hockeytown, Carter!#DRWDraft | #LGRW pic.twitter.com/Z9O7pGWzSt

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 22, 2019

Selected in seventh round, 191st overall, by the Detroit Red Wings, Carter Gylander is the only goalie on this list. (He is not the only native of Beumont, Alberta however.)

Gylander played his Junior ‘A’ hockey with the Sherwood Park Crusaders from 2017-2020, appearing in 64 regular season games, posting a 51-9-0 record with a 2.23 goals-against-average (GAA) and a .916 save percentage (Sv%). He was named 2019-20 AJHL Goaltender of the Year, as well as being named to the All-AJHL North Team and an AJHL Top Team Goaltender.

In his freshman season with the Colgate Raiders (ECAC) in 2020-21, Gylander appeared in 19 of 22 games, posting a (6-9-4) record and was named ECAC Hockey Goaltender of the Week (Jan. 11) adding two ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week nods, as well. Last season (2021-22), Gylander went (7-8-0) positng a .908 Sv% and a 2.77 GAA with the Raiders.

Dylan Holloway – 14th Overall (2020) Edmonton Oilers

Dylan Holloway was the highest selection out of the AJHL in 2020, hearing his name called 14th overall in the first round by the Edmonton Oilers. Holloway (Calgary, Alta.) spent parts of three seasons with the Okotoks Oilers (AJHL) registering 115 points (51G, 64A) in 83 career games. In two seasons playing for the University of Wisconsin Badgers (NCAA) Holloway registered 52 points (19G, 33A) in 58 games.

Holloway has a lengthy international resume as well, representing Canada at U-17 WJC, U-18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championships, winning a silver medal. He spent last season with the Oilers affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League, (AHL) notching 22 points (8G,14A) in 33 games.

Quinn Olson– 92nd Overall (2020) Boston Bruins

Quinn Olson is another former Okotoks Oilers (AJHL) forward to be selected in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, when he was selected 92nd overall by the Boston Bruins. The Calgary, Alta. product played on a line with the aforementioned Dylan Holloway, spending two seasons with Okotoks before moving onto the NCAA ranks with University of Minnesota-Duluth. Known for his play-making ability and pass-first mentality, he scored 119 points (34G, 85A) in 113 games during his junior career.

Holloway has played three seasons with the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs (NCAA) scoring 26 points (16G, 45A) in 101 games in that span (2019-2022)

Michael Benning – 95th Overall (2020) Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers called Michael Benning’s name 95th overall in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. A product of St. Albert, Alta. Michael is the younger brother of Nashville Predators forward, Matt Benning. During his time with the Sherwood Park Crusaders (AJHL) he averaged better than a point-per-game as a defenseman through two seasons (2018-2020). He finished his Junior ‘A’ career with 136 points (22G, 114A) in 114 games.

Benning has played two seasons with the University of Denver (NCHC) appearing in 41 games for the Pioneers in 2021-22, scoring 15G, 23A, 38 points and was a plus-32 (+32) last season.

Carter Savoie – 100th Overall (2020) Edmonton Oilers

Selected 100th overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers, Carter Savoie garnered considerable attention from scouts during his final AJHL season with the Sherwood Park Crusaders in 2019-20. The Crusaders finished 2019-20 with a league best 98-point season, however, they never played a playoff game that year with the league shutting down due to COVID-19. It was an unceremonious end to a fantastic final season for Savoie (St. Albert, Alta.) who averaged nearly a goal per game, finishing with an astonishing 99 points in 54 games (53G, 46A).

Savoie was a unanimous selection to the NCHC All-Rookie Team in 2020-21 after scoring 20 points (13G, 7A) in 24 games with the University of Denver Pioneers. He improved on his point totals during his sophomore season in 2021-22, notching 23G, 22A, 45 points in 39 games. Savoie finished the season with the Bakersfield Condors (AHL) appearing in just 2 games.

Ethan Edwards– 120th Overall (2020) New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils selected Ethan Edwards 120th overall in 2020, adding to the already substantial AJHL presence in the draft class in 2020. Edwards (Grande Prairie, Alta.) played his junior hockey with the Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL) appearing in 60 games over two seasons, scoring 34 points (9 G, 25A).

He spent the 2020-21 season playing in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Sioux City Musketeers, appearing in 51 games scoring 27 points (6G, 21A) as a defenseman, adding 96 penalty minutes. Edwards played his freshman season with the University of Michigan (NCAA) in 2021-22, registering 11 points (3G,8A) in 36 games for the Wolverines.

Alex Young– 196th Overall (2020) San Jose Sharks

Alex Young rounds out the 2020 draft-class from the AJHL, after he was selected in the seventh round, 196th overall, by the San Jose Sharks.

Young played with the Canmore Eagles (AJHL) for three seasons from 2017-2020 and was one of the most prominent goal-scorers in the AJHL during his junior career. The Calgary, Alta. kid garnered attention throughout his career, primarily from his offensive awareness, play-making abilities and blistering shot. He reached the 30-goal mark twice in three seasons and finished his Junior ‘A’ career with 206 points (91G, 115A) in 172 games.

Young finished his second NCAA season with Colgate University in 2021-22, scoring 10 goals, 21 assists, 31 points in 39 games.

Corson Ceulemans – 25th Overall (2021) Columbus Blue Jackets

Brooks Bandits defenceman, Corson Ceulemans, was selected 25th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2021 National Hockey League Entry Draft, making him the highest player picked out of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) that year.

Ceulemans (Beaumont, Alta.) was ranked No. 14 in NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters for the 2021 NHL Draft. He played three shortened seasons with the Bandits from 2018-2020, appearing in 57 regular season games, registering 46 points (9G, 37A). He had 22 points (7G,15A) in 34 games in his first season with the University of Wisconsin Badgers (NCAA) in 2021-22.

Taige Harding – 91st Overall (2021) Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks selected Fort McMurray Oil Barons defenceman, Taige Harding, in the third round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, 91st overall.

The 6’7” blue-liner from St Albert, Alta. averaged a point per game last season with the Oil Barons, with 14G, 23A, 37 points in 37 games and finished the season with Providence College (NCAA) appearing in 15 games. The last Oil Barons defenceman to be selected in the NHL Draft was 2019 Stanley Cup Champion, Colton Parayko, who was a third-round draft pick of the St Louis Blues in 2012.

Taylor Makar – 220th Overall (2021) Colorado Avalanche

Brooks Bandits forward, Taylor Makar, was selected 220th overall by the Colorado Avalanche at the 2021 National Hockey League Entry Draft.

With the selection, Makar became the fourth Bandits (AJHL) player drafted directly out of the organization, joining his brother Cale (2017, 4th Overall – Colorado Avalanche), Parker Foo (2017, 144th Overall – Chicago Blackhawks), and Corson Ceulemans (2021, 25th Overall – Columbus Blue Jackets) with that distinguished honour.

Makar (Calgary, AB) played three seasons for the Bandits, serving as captain during the 2020-21 season where he averaged over a point-per-game, registering 19 points (5G, 14A) in 16 games. Like his brother did previously, Taylor Makar plays for UMass (Hockey East, NCAA Division) and he played his freshman season with the Minutemen in 2020-21.