Stuart Skinner has received a lot of attention with the Edmonton Oilers over the last couple of years. His play has been under a microscope, specifically in the playoffs, where Edmonton made back-to-back Stanley Cup final appearances.

The Oilers goaltender has been inconsistent in between the pipes, especially last season, when he recorded a .896 save percentage and a 2.81 goals-against average. It was statistically his worst campaign of the three full seasons he’s played in the NHL.

Three NHL Players Who Could Surprise You In 2025-26As much as the hockey world tries to predict how well a player performs in any given season, NHLers continue to cause double takes with incredible campaigns.

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The second weekend of the WHL season will feature plenty of familiar faces. With NHL teams reassigning players after training camp, some of the WHL's best will make their 2025-26 season debuts this week. Here is a look at which players have been reassigned to the WHL. 

Brandon Wheat Kings:

• Brady Turko-  Anaheim Ducks 
• Carter Klippenstein- Minnesota Wild

Calgary Hitmen

• Brandon Gorzynski- Dallas Stars 
• Axel Hurtig- Calgary Flames

Edmonton Oil Kings:

• Blake Fiddler- Seattle Kraken camp
• Max Curran- Colorado Avalanche
• Adam Jecho- St. Louis Blues

Everett Silvertips:

• Julius Miettinen- Seattle Kraken
• Tarin Smith- Anaheim Ducks
• Shea Busch- Florida Panthers 

Kamloops Blazers:

• Tommy Lafreniere- Edmonton Oilers
• Nathan Bhem- Chicago Blackhawks

Kelowna Rockets:

• Tomas Poletin- New York Islanders
• Nate Corbet- Los Angeles Kings
• Hiroki Gojsic- Nashville Predators
• Mazden Leslie- Vegas Golden Knights

Medicine Hat Tigers:

• Kadon McCann- Calgary Flames

• Nillio Muhonen- Dallas Stars
• Jordan Switzer- Calgary Flames
• Veeti Väisänen- Utah Mammoth

Portland Winterhawks:

• Max Pšenička- Utah Mammoth

Prince Albert Raiders:

• Max Heise- San Jose Sharks

Prince George Cougars:

• Corbin Vaughan- New York Rangers
• Josh Ravensbergen- San Jose Sharks

Red Deer Rebels:

• Jaxon Fuder- Dallas Stars
• Chase Wutzke- Minnesota Wild

Saskatoon Blades:

• Evan Gardner- Columbus Blue Jackets
• David Lewandowski- Edmonton Oilers

Seattle Thunderbirds:

• Coster Dunn- Utah Mammoth

Swift Current Broncos:

• Joshua McGregor- Carolina Hurricanes

Tri-City Americans: 

• Charlie Elick- Columbus Blue Jackets
• Jaxen Adam- Edmonton Oilers
• Cash Koch- Minnesota Wild

Vancouver Giants:

• Cameron Schmidt- Dallas Stars
• Burke Hood- New York Islanders

Wenatchee Wild:

• Blake Vanek- Ottawa Senators

Make sure you bookmark THN's WHL site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News. 

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Standouts From Week 1 Of The 2025-26 WHL Season

Mathis Preston, RW/LW, Spokane (WHL)

The craftiness that Preston plays with is matched by his deceptiveness and intensity. When he is at the top of his game, he always manages to be the most impressive player on the ice. Preston is always making excellent decisions with the puck, setting teammates up for grade A chances around the net. He loves to get to the slot himself and create chances for himself as well. The upside is certainly there, but Preston is a 5-foot-10 winger, and that might hold him outside of the first-overall pick conversation.

Challengers To The Throne: Stenberg Leads List Of Players Who Could Challenge McKenna For First Overall At 2026 NHL DraftWith a new NHL season less than a month away, a new draft season begins, and the 2026 draft class is an exciting one. Gavin McKenna has been on the radar of NHL teams and hockey fans for a few years now, torching the WHL and asserting himself as one of the top players for Canada at various events such as the World Junior Championship and the World Under-18s.

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Welcome to this edition of "From The Archive". In this recurring series, we open The Hockey News' vault and display some of the top WHL-related articles from the past. Today's article comes from May 1, 2007, where Rob Vanstone wrote about Calgary Hitmen defenceman Karl Alzner.

Subscribe now to view the full THN Archives here and read the full issue here.

Crowning King Karl, Draft Preview 2012, May 1, 2012

KARL ALZNER’S OWN NHL DRAFT PREVIEW preceded this publication by a year. The Calgary Hitmen defenseman attended last year’s proceedings in Vancouver, even though he was not draft-eligible until 2007.

“It was at GM Place and that’s 15 or 20 minutes away from my house, so I zipped over there and watched all my buddies walk up there and saw how they went through it,” recalled Alzner, who hails from Burnaby, B.C.

In the process, Alzner got a taste of the butterflies.

“I even felt nervous sitting there.” said Alzner, who was born nine days after the 2006 draft eligibility cutoff of Sept. 15, 1988. “You still get a bit giddy and jumpy and anxious.”

Alzner isn’t likely to experience an extended period of anxiety before being chosen. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder was eighth overall in mid-season rankings of North American-based skaters appraised by NHL Central Scouting. He typically plays 35 to 40 minutes per game

“It’s automatic to put him out there in any situation,” said Hitmen coach-GM Kelly Kisio. “He never says no. He never says he’s too tired. He just keeps going back out.”

Kisio expects Alzner to become a bulwark in the big leagues – but when? Asked if Alzner could crack an NHL lineup at 19, Kisio chuckled and said: “Only if you want to give me a heart attack.” A more likely scenario, as outlined by Kisio, calls for Alzner to spend another year in the WHL before proceeding to the pro minors.

“He’s going to be a great pro, just the way he carries himself,” Kisio said. “I don’t see why he won’t be a 15-year pro and put those kind of numbers up as far as ice time in the NHL. He’s a great skater and his capacity for work is huge.”

Now he needs to expand his repertoire.

“A lot of times, he just wants to make the safe play and sit back instead of joining the rush and creating some offense that way,” Kisio said. “If he can put himself out of that comfort zone and get a little crazy once in a while, I think it’ll help him down the road.”

Alzner became more of a factor in his third WHL season, registering eight goals and 47 points in 63 games, but he still espouses a defense-first philosophy.

“It’s the way I’ve grown up,” he said. “I’ve always played hockey really safe.”

It is not safe to assume Alzner is a passive player despite this season’s modest penalty-minute total (32).

“He’s an aggressive player, but he plays within the rules,” one NHL scout said. “He has good positioning so he’s not going to take penalties like hooking and holding. He’s one of those players you don’t want fighting and taking penalties because you want him on the ice. He doesn’t do anything exceptionally well, but he’s good at everything. (Although) he moves the puck out of his end, he’s not flashy and he’s not going to go end-to-end, but at the end of the night he’ll have a couple of assists because he makes good decisions.”

He also makes for a good teammate. He is as quick to interact with both rookies and veterans.

“I think I’m super-easy to approach and talk to,” Alzner said. “I never shun anybody.”

Nor does he get shunned. He even chatted with Joe Sakic, who is also from Burnaby, when the Colorado Avalanche visited Calgary. Such are the perks of playing junior in a big-league facility like the Saddledome.

“You see Iginla, Sakic, Gretzky all these guys, “Alzner marvelled. “You’re really star-struck at first, but it’s kind of cool that they’re one level above where we are right now.”

He’s a great skater and his capacity for work is HUGE

Alzner is about to move one important step closer.

“I’ve been waiting for this for years and years,” Alzner said of the draft. “I’m happy now that I finally get my chance. It couldn’t come quickly enough.” 

Make sure you bookmark THN's WHL site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.    

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