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Their hope is screen time will someday lead to playing time.
2025 WHL Prospects Draft: 10 SMHA players among the chosen
“I was just hoping to be picked by anybody.”
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Indeed, a number of Saskatoon hockey players were glued to their phone or computer screens even more than usual Thursday.
In the end, 10 of them were selected in the 2025 Western Hockey League Prospects Draft.
You can count Dilin Coulter-Suttie among those monitoring the draft proceedings.
As it turns out, he was the very first player to be plucked out of Saskatoon.
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“It’s exciting — it was stressful going through them all (draft picks) but, once I heard my name, it was exciting,” said Coulter-Suttie, a 5-foot-9, 130-pound centre from the Saskatoon Bandits under-15 AA squad.
Coulter-Suttie got picked by the Kamloops Blazers in the third round, 53rd overall in the Prospects Draft.
“I actually just saw that, that I was the first one picked out of Saskatoon,” said Coulter-Suttie, admitting that it’s a “pretty good feeling.”
He wasn’t sure which team would select him, but it was a relief once Kamloops did.
“We got a questionnaire (from the Blazers) but that was really it,” he said, adding that he stayed home from school Thursday. “My school had a half-day so there was really (not much school to miss).
“I was just hoping to be picked by anybody.”
Coulter-Suttie amassed 42 goals and 45 assists for 87 points in 29 games this past season with the Bandits.
He said the Blazers see him as a “two-way centre — they expect me to keep working, keep training and keep getting better like I did this year.”
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Next up was lanky 6-foot-1, 165-pound forward Linden Abercrombie from the Saskatoon Stallions U15 AA team.
Abercrombie was selected in the fourth round, 90th overall, by the Moose Jaw Warriors.
“It feels unreal — I feel like I’ll fit there pretty good,” said Abercrombie, who had 25 goals and 20 assists for 45 points in 28 games this past season.
He was the second Saskatchewan-born player to be selected by the Warriors this year.
“I had no idea. I just saw my name and got super-excited. I stayed home from school, just waited to see my name up there. It was (a big relief to see it).”
Abercrombie says he was surprised that other Saskatoon players hadn’t been picked yet when he was.
“I thought a lot more Saskatoon kids would be gone before me, but I don’t know,” said Abercrombie, adding that the Warriors have welcomed him to the organization and told him about the program.
“Just a brief talk.”
Other Saskatoon minor hockey players chosen included:
· D Denys Lupandin, Saskatoon Outlaws (fifth round, No. 99, Red Deer Rebels)
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· F Louis Judd, Saskatoon Stallions (fifth round, No. 108, Prince Albert Raiders)
· D Dax McDougall, Saskatoon Outlaws (sixth round, No. 118, Saskatoon Blades)
· F Nixxon Arcand-Vandale, Saskatoon Bandits (sixth round, No. 133, Lethbridge Hurricanes)
· F Bronx Becker, Saskatoon Outlaws (eighth round, No. 168, Red Deer Rebels)
· F Carter Wiggins, Saskatoon Stallions (ninth round, No. 189, Kamloops Blazers)
· F Jack Frisky, Saskatoon Outlaws (ninth round, No. 190, Medicine Hat Tigers)
· G Felix Derksen, Saskatoon Generals (tenth round, No. 212, Kamloops Blazers)
dzary@postmedia.com
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