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CSSHL Western Championships: U15 Prep, U17 & U18 Prep Teams & Players to Watch

by jmartin

By Jordan Martin

The 2026 Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) Western Championships start Saturday, March 7 in Penticton, BC.

106 teams will head to Penticton, bringing with them the top student-athletes in Western Canada in six different division. These 106 teams will compete in a total of five-to-six games in just as many days, all for the chance to be crowned CSSHL Western Champions.

If last year’s Western Championships taught us anything, it’s that on any given day any team can win. We saw top ranked teams get the job done as expected, and we saw lower ranked teams overcome the odds and even make a finals push.

At this year’s event we expect the same. With that in mind, here are some teams and ‘Players to Watch’ in the U15 Prep, U17, and U18 Prep Divisions.

U15 Prep Players to Watch

U15 Prep Teams to Watch

The last few seasons there has been clear cut top 1-3 teams in the U15 Prep Division. While those top 1-3 teams exist, the gap has closed and there are a handful of very good teams in this division, as evident by the fact seven of the eight teams in the quarterfinals of the John Reid Memorial Tournament (St. Albert, AB) were CSSHL teams. A lot of what happens in this division will come down to seeding at the end of the round robin, as certain matchups will favor certain teams.

Calgary International Hockey Academy- Five Seed

CIHA found their stride in a nine-game stretch from December – February as they went 8-1 against playoff teams including back-to-back wins over NAX and a win over OHA Edmonton. However, they would finish the season losing two of three including lopsided losses to Yale and Delta. Captain Kai Dingwall (21-25-46) leads a forward group that is highlighted by Cole Chudyk (14-18-32), George Matheos (13-19-32), Liam Nycholat (17-14-31) and Loic Lebel (15-14-29), while it is a 2012 born defenseman Cohen St. Louis (7-24-31) who leads the d-core in scoring. CIHA is a team that will benefit most from certain matchups, but the talent is there to beat the top teams. If the team can buy into the game plan for a full, consistent 60, they can make some noise when at their best.

Delta Hockey Academy – Four Seed

The defending Champions return with key pieces in Head Coach Austin Vetterl and defenseman Eli Vickers (22-40-62), the potential first defenseman taken in this spring’s WHL Draft. Delta was the four seed at last year’s event, upsetting the one seed from Edmonton (NAX), and it could be the same story again this year with another team from Edmonton in first this season. Ronan Gow (26-26-52) went from a depth role on last year’s team to the main contributor upfront with Carson Brown (18-30-48), Mazen Green (18-28-46) and Braelyn Nunley (19-26-45) joining him in leading the charge. Brady Cook (5-25-30) and Nathan Roberts (4-21-25) join Vickers on the back end, with Jace Zemanek (14-1-0) manning the pipes. The 2025/26 version of Delta reminds me a lot of last year’s winning squad: an elite netminder, a high-end d-core, and a forward unit that excels at both ends of the ice while getting contributions throughout the line-up. Delta was the four seed at last year’s event, upsetting the one seed from Edmonton (NAX), and it could be the same story again this year with another team from Edmonton in first this season.

Northern Alberta Xtreme – Two Seed

NAX came into last year’s Championships as the favorite as they looked to threepeat but were upset by Delta in the finals. Last year’s NAX squad rolled through the season, lighting up the stat, while relying heavily on their top end players. And while NAX might not have the high-end scoring of last year, or the one or two stars that can carry their team like other squads in the division, it’s hard to find any holes on what might be the most balanced, complete team in U15 Prep. Paced by a potential first round WHL pick in Danel Ramazanov (26-32-58), 10 NAX forwards have at least 20 points, with all 12 having at least 16. A pair of big, right-handed defensemen in Brady Lienenweber (2-33-35) and Lincoln Baschuk (3-20-23) lead the d-core and netminders Kash Anderson (11-1-2) and Zayden Maclean (9-3-0) have split the work between the pipes. NAX will come into the Championships having gone 2-3 in February, but a John Reid Memorial Tournament finals victory over OHA Edmonton will give this team confidence that they can win when it matters most.

OHA Edmonton – One Seed

The number one seed in these U15 Prep Western Championships, OHA Edmonton is an offence first, puck possession team having finished second in the division with 237 goals scored in just 30 games. Returning forwards Micah Montgomery (21-42-63) and Artello Forestal (22-24-46) run an offence that sees 11 forwards with 23 points or more, and the 12th averaging a point-per-game pace this season. Potential first round WHL pick in Hayden Harvey (16-24-40) leads a d-core that includes Braydon Lynam (6-35-41) and standout 2012 Deacon Gillespie (13-35-48) who recently broke Landon DuPont’s record for most points in a season by a first-year defenseman. The one problem OHA Edmonton has faced this season is they have been so dominant at times, playing most of the game with the puck on their stick, they can get caught cheating and run into problems without the puck, leaving themselves vulnerable on the counterattack. If they can clean up their transition defense, while still capitalizing on their own chances, they’ll be extremely tough to beat. Having lost in the finals of two tournaments this year, OHA Edmonton certainly won’t lack motivation and should be able to use that to fuel their fire.

Yale Hockey Academy – Three Side  

Yale come into the Western Championships with the best player and potential first overall WHL Draft pick in Parker McMillan (41-50-91), and the leagues leading scorer in Teagan Dernisky (43-55-98). Yale did lead the division with 248 goals, but McMillan missed the team’s final five games due to injury and the duo of him and Dernisky find themselves more than 30 points ahead of anyone else on the team in scoring. Yale’s opponents will focus solely on shutting this duo down, which will leave the door open for the likes of Connor Baines (23-31-54), Ryker Stevens (15-28-43) and Marcus Phillips (19-19-38) to lift the Yale offence, something they’re certainly capable of. Standout defensemen Jacson Bradbeer (9-52-61) and Tyson Wolanski (11-36-47), along with returning netminder Gavin Craig (15-2-0) and goaltending partner Logan Hwang (13-0-0) headline a unit that gave up a division low 54 goals against. The highest scoring offence, combined with the lowest scoring defense, will be sure to cause problems for their opponents.

 

U17 Players to Watch

U17 Teams to Watch

Last year three of the top four regular-season teams made the semis with the one and four seed making the finals. Ultimately it was the four seed Okanagan Hockey Academy that came out on top, defeating RHA Kelowna. The MYHockey Rankings this year show a clear drop after the top two seeds, before seeds three to eight see minimal separation. This should lead to an exciting round robin as team’s battle for those coveted semi-final spots.

Edge School – One Seed

It was a dominant season for Edge as they lost just 3 of their 36 games this season, giving them a ratio of 11 wins per loss. Having only lost one game in the New Year, Edge led the division in both goals for (184) and goals against (65). ACHA commit Emerson Popil (11-2-0) and Chase Miles (22-1-0) combine for 9 shutouts, a 1.78 GAA and .940 SV%, with Miles leading the division in every major goalie category. Despite the high-flying offence, Edge doesn’t have any skaters inside the top 5, with leading scorer Kyden Bartole (20-34-54) 24 points off the scoring lead. Instead, 4 forwards have 40-plus points, five more have 30-plus points, and everyone upfront has at least 26 points this season, giving them a balanced attack and 3-plus lines of offence. Jacksen Cutforth (5-24-29) leads the d-core with 29 points, and while no one in the unit is at a point per game pace, the team’s defensive numbers speak volumes to their success on the season.

Okanagan Hockey Academy – Three Seed

The defending U17 Western Champions come into the playoffs on a two-game losing streak but have the second-best defense and third best offense in the division. Grayson Holmes (5-37-42) leads all U17 defensemen with 37 assists and 42 points, putting him third in scoring. Cole Schellenberg (22-33-55) finds himself 13 points ahead of Holmes as it is Nathan Marques (42-31-73) who has played a part in 45% of OHA’s goals this season. Marques sits first among all skaters with 42 goals and second with 73 points and will be relied on heavily as OHA will look to use the advantage of the home crowd to take them to a second straight Championship.

Prairie Hockey Academy – Two Seed

With the division scoring leader in Soren Hayden (32-46-78), and Kase Gellner (31-37-68) and Jake Myhre (21-39-60) both inside the top five, Prairie has the second highest scoring attack in the division, just behind Edge. There is a drop in production behind these three as only forward Noah Delaurier (16-25-41) and defenseman Kayin Belton (6-27-33) average more than a point per game, but with Hayden, Gellner and Myhre eating up top defensive matchups, forwards throughout the Prairie line-up will have the opportunity to step-up. Kayden Gregoire (13-4-0) and Conner Aldag (14-3-2) backstop a unit that is tied with OHA for second fewest goals against. Prairie have won 18 of their last 20 games and have only lost twice in the New Year, with one of those coming at the hands of first place Edge. As a program, Prairie has been itching closer and closer the past few years to their first ever Western Championships, and if the U17 team can ride this momentum, they can be the first to do it.

 

U18 Prep Players to Watch

U18 Prep Teams to Watch

The U18 Prep Western Championships are always the most difficult to predict. The format has expanded this season to include quarterfinals, meaning the winning team will play six games in six days. Last year the top eight seeds all failed to make it out of the round robin with the 9, 10, 11 and 16 seeds heading to the semifinals, before 11 seed RHA Kelowna beat 16 seed Delta Hockey Academy in the finals. While last year certainly seems like a one off with the number of upsets, your guess is as good as mine as to who will come out on top.

Edge School – Four Seed

Edge School went just 16-10-4 this season but had the hardest strength of schedule in the U18 Prep division. Despite that difficult schedule, Edge still finished plus 38, sixth best in the division, while allowing the second fewest goals among U18 Prep teams. Carsten Leyerzapf (9-4-3) backboned the strong defensive game, leading the division with 4 shutouts while placing second in both GAA (1.90) and SV% (.933). The d-core is led by Kelowna Rockets 2025 second round pick Remy Koch (3-16-19) and East West Challenge Second Team All-Star Julian Revel (4-17-21). Swift Current Broncos picks Ashton McCann (17-26-43) and Luke Huska (9-27-36) lead an offence that is most successful when it gets contributions throughout the line-up. While the forward unit doesn’t lack skill, it generates most of its offence off the forecheck and its ability to come at you in constant waves. Head Coach Adam Stuart has two CSSHL Western Championships at the U15 level, and he will look to use that to guide his team to the top of the mountain, after Edge won back-to-back U18 Championships in 2023 and 2024.

Delta Hockey Academy – Five Seed

Delta comes in as the hottest team at the Western Championships, having won their last 10 regular season games, including victories over the number one and three seeds. The least penalized team in the U18 Western Championships, Delta was second in the division at plus 55 this season. Third in the division with 83 goals against, Delta is led by a pair of standout netminders in Matthew Wong (15-1-1-) and Vancouver Giants prospect Oliver Bryks (9-4-0). Delta was the second highest scoring team in the regular season, with Wenatchee Wild prospect Kishan Saggu (18-31-49) sitting sixth in individual scoring. All 11 forwards hit double digit points this season with 7 of them recording 24 or more. Defensively, a duo of WHL prospects in Dylan Hurren (10-20-30) and captain Bryson Roberts (8-18-26) lead the backend. Coaches Steven Hodges and Spencer Bennett will look to bring Delta back to glory for the first time since 2016.

Northern Alberta Xtreme – Three Seed

NAX is the youngest team in this division by a large margin, consisting of 13 2010 born players and 5 2009. What the team may lack in years, they certainly make up for in talent as a CSSHL record 17 of their players are currently on WHL Protected Lists including first round picks Teagen Bouchard (17-18-35), Levi Ellingsen (8-21-29), Matheas Hedja (3-12-15), Cruz Jim (4-17-21), Will Kelts (6-9-15), Kalen Miles (21-15-36) and Nolan Wolitski (2-13-15). NAX comes into the Championships as the fifth highest scoring team and with the fifth best goal differential. Two areas of concern for NAX will be their discipline, as they had the second most penalty minutes of teams in the Championships, and potential durability concerns. Only Miles and Brady Ondrus (9-27-36) played in all 30 games, and this year’s Championships will need teams to play six games in six days to be crowned Champions. The core of this team comes from last season’s U15 Prep squad that was upset by Delta in the finals of the U15 Prep Western Championships but also won a U15 Western Championship the season before. Despite their age, this team has plenty of experience in big games and can use that to bring NAX their first U18 Prep Western Championship since 2019.

RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna – One Seed

The defending Champions went an impressive 24-2-3 allowing just 62 goals in 29 games this regular season. Netminders Asher Netherton (13-1-0) and Micah Davidson (11-1-3) both played key roles in the net with Netherton leading the division with a 1.86 GAA and .937SV%, while Davidson was top five in both categories. Moose Jaw Warriors prospect Carson Smith (16-22-38) spearheaded the offence, finishing seventh with a 1.58 points-per-game average on the season. Nate Macphee (17-20-37) and Tri-City Americans prospect Ryan Sadovia (14-19-33) each eclipsed 30 points, with Sadovia being arguably the strongest two-way forward in the division. Defenseman Max Reed (5-14-19), who was part of last year’s Championship winning side, and Warrior’s prospect Miller Watkins (2-12-14) lead a strong defensive core. There aren’t a lot of holes on this team and Head Coach Josh Bonar will have his team more than ready as they look to repeat. In a division that last year saw the number 1 seed bow out in the round robin and the 16 seed made the finals, the pressure will be on RHA Kelowna this season.

South Alberta Hockey Academy – Two Seed

Fresh of winning the inaugural CSSHL East West Challenge that saw them play five games in four days, SAHA has proven they have what it takes to win in short term competitions like this one. SAHA had the third best offence and fourth best defense in the regular season, vaulting them to second place in the standings. Calgary Hitmen prospect Kutcher Aquila (21-26-47) leads the team in scoring while East West Challenge First Team All-Star and Swift Current prospect Damen Vanderberg (15-24-39) is seen as the driver of this team. Ty Hynes (3-6-9) will be a key player to watch for SAHA, regardless of if he plays his natural position of forward, or is used as a defenseman again like at the East West Challenge, a role Head Coach Brayden Desjardins feels comfortable using him in. Medicine Hat Tigers prospect Kayne Wright (6-17-23) leads a d-core that consists of three other WHL prospects in Linden Andersen (0-9-9), Paxton Cabana (2-9-11) and Hunter Saddleback (1-9-10), as well as veterans Grady McLeod (4-9-13) and Sully Kufflick (6-12-18). Both netminders Cash Christie (10-1-0) and Hunter Zawislak (11-6-1) are more than capable of getting the job done, with Christie already having showcased his talent level at the WHL this season with the Tigers.

More Information

All the action can be caught live at the Okanagan Hockey Training Center, South Okanagan Events Center and Memorial Arena, or on FloHockey. You can find more information on how to purchase tickets, schedules, rosters, standings, stats and more on our CSSHL Western Championships webpage.

Players and Teams to Watch in the U15, U17 Prep and Female Prep Divisions will come out later this week, at the conclusion of their regular seasons.

For any questions or concerns please contact:

Jordan Martin
CSSHL Manager, Media & Communications
j.martin@csshl.ca 

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