The 2026 Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) Western Championships are well under way, having started Saturday, March 7 in Penticton, BC.
106 teams total will bring their talents to Penticton, bringing with them the top student-athletes in Western Canada in six different division. The U15 Prep, U17 and U18 Prep divisions have already crowned their champions, with U15, U17 Prep and Female U18 Prep yet to come.
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 U17 Prep Division.
U17 Prep Players to Watch
- Division I
- F
- Brady Filmon (RHA Winnipeg), Evan Lynch (Edge School), Adam Neilson (STAR Hockey Academy), Casey Pearson (Delta Hockey Academy), Kayden Pratt (BWC Academy), Colton Ross (RHA Winnipeg)
- D
- Luke Edgehouse (Okanagan Hockey Academy), Nolen Miller (Edge School), Jackson Beggs (Yale Hockey Academy), Nash Weyland (Northern Alberta Xtreme).
- G
- Griffin Fair (STAR Hockey Academy), Jack Utsunomiya (Delta Hockey Academy)
- F
- Division II
- F
- Owen Hyde (Pacific Coast Hockey Academy), Maddox Ramage (Pilot Mound Hockey Academy), Owen Sinclair (Indigenous Sports Academy)
- D
- Chayse Fedoriuk (OHA Edmonton), Dexter Spring (Pacific Coast Hockey Academy)
- G
- Joffrey Chan (St. George’s School)
- F
U17 Prep Teams to Watch
Calgary International Hockey Academy – Four Seed
CIHA went 19-10-1 and is just one year removed from their 2024 CSSHL U17 Prep Western Championships victory. CIHA find themselves top 5 in both goals scored (138) and goal differential (+48), while sitting top 10 in goals against (90). 2009 born Rylan Wood (17-29-46) sits tied for sixth in leagues scoring with 46 points. Vancouver Giants prospect Tomas Figura (13-17-30) joins Wood with 40-plus points, while six CIHA forwards have more than 20 this season. Defensemen Charlie Sarich (5-21-26) and Sam McLean (2-18-20) each found the score sheet 20-plus time this season while Nicholas Edgar (7-12-19) leads the d-core with 7 goals. CIHA netminders Colton Lutz (10-7-1) and Taylor Green (9-3-0) combined for a 2.96 GAA and .906SV% this season, and will be relied upon to elevate their game come playoffs.
Delta Hockey Academy – One Seed
Delta (26-1-3) lost just once in regulation during the 2025/26 season and come into these Championships as the one seed. A combination of the most goals scored (150) and fewest goals against (59) leaving them with a league best +91 goal differential. Casey Pearson (23-22-45) sits top 10 in scoring with Brady Oatman (14-28-42) and Nicolas Peach (9-33-42) right behind him and on the plus side of 40. Otto Puhakka (9-22-31) sits both fourth on his team and fourth among all defensemen with 31 points in 29 games. A roster that consists of 7 WHL prospect, 16 of the 18 skaters hit double digit points on the season, giving them consistent depth and scoring throughout the lineup. Penticton Vees prospect Jack Utsunomiya (11-1-1) and Quinn Coupland (15-0-2) form one of the best goaltending tandems in the league, with Utsunomiya leading the division with a .950SV%, while both netminders sit top five in SV% and GAA. The core of this Delta team was part of the 2025 U15 Prep Western Championships winning team, and they should be able to use that experience to their advantage again in 2026.
Okanagan Hockey Academy – Five Seed
OHA (21-6-3) went an impressive 30-3-3 last season to enter the Championships as the one seed, but after a disappointing round robin, failed to qualify for the semis. This year they come in without the pressure of being the top seed, but with the backing of 11 players off last year’s U17 West Championship winning squad, and another 4 who won U15 Prep Division II. Maddox Slater (12-3-0) leads the division with a 1.59 GAA and 4 shutouts, while sitting second with a .942SV%. Slater and last year’s U17 Western Championships MVP Tyson Kuiack (9-3-3-) combined to give up the third fewest goals in the division on the season. Offensively the team sits near the bottom of the Division I Championships in goals scored with 121, but their strong defensive game does see them sit fourth with a +54-goal differential. Luke Edgehouse (17-17-34) plays a large role in their offensive output as he led all defensemen with 17 goals and 34 points during the regular season. Beckham Taggart (11-24-35) and Penticton Vees prospect Gage Mark (21-13-34) pace a group that see’s all 10 forwards have 10-plus points this season. OHA haven’t won the U17 Prep division since they went back-to-back in 2013-14, but the host squad will be full of optimism this year.
RHA Kelowna – Three Seed
RHA Kelowna (26-4-0) will look to match the success of their U18 Prep team who were recently crowned Champions for the second straight year. RHA Kelowna scored the third most goals (140) this season but did so with a committee approach as just Kaius Milan (13-25-38) is inside the top 25, 20 points off the division leader. Seven RHA Kelowna forwards had 10 plus goals this season, with Aiden Andrews (16-10-26) leading the charge with 16. All 12 RHA Kelowna forwards hit 10-plus points, with 8 having 20 or more. The d-core is lead by a trio of Colton Deschamps (3-21-24), Baden Glithero (3-18-21) and Nixon Whieldon (7-11-18). A very solid netminding duo of Matthew Palmer (15-1-0) and Moose Jaw Warriors prospect Dylan Mingo (11-3-0) backstopped the team to the fourth fewest goals against this season. RHA Kelowna comes into the Championships on a 10-game winning streak, and if they can keep that momentum rolling, they will be a force to be reckoned with.
STAR Hockey Academy – Two Seed
At 24-5-1 STAR entering the 2026 Western Championships as the two seed. The Kent, WA side won 13 straight before dropping two of their last three in games against RHA Winnipeg and Delta at the Edmonton, AB showcase at the end of February. With 148 goals scored STAR has the second most potent offence in the division with Vancouver Giants prospect Adam Neilson (19-27-46) leading the charge. A 10th round pick by Tri-City Americans at the 2025 WHL Draft, forward Colton Brum joined the team midway through the season and has added 22 points in just 9 games. Five other STAR forwards have more than 30 points this season, with another two contributing 20 or more. Like most of the top teams in this division, it is a committee approach offensively, with the scoring coming in waves. An Americans and Giants prospect lead the defensive unit as Dylan Gale (3-19-22) and Tommy Ogee (4-15-19) have recorded 22 and 19 points this season. A 6’4 netminder in Kamloops Blazers prospect Griffin Fair (8-4-1) and goaltending partner Erik Sims (16-1-0) have combined to give up just 62 goals in 30 games this season, second fewest in the division. One major area of strength for STAR is their special teams as they lead the league with a 25.6% power play and 91.7% penalty kill. As STAR looks for their first ever CSSHL Western Championship, special teams could be the difference.
