Five RHA Kelowna alumni were selected at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft in Buffalo this weekend, and it started with the very first pick of the night.
Gavin McKenna
Gavin McKenna went first overall to the Toronto Maple Leafs, capping a freshman season at Penn State that put him among the top scorers in the NCAA and made him a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. He is the second player with CSSHL roots to go number one, after Connor Bedard.
Keaton Verhoeff
Keaton Verhoeff went ninth overall to the San Jose Sharks. He spent this past season on the blueline at the University of North Dakota and won bronze with Canada at the World Juniors, adding four assists in five games.
Joe Iginla
The Calgary Flames took Joe Iginla, the son of Jarome Iginla (also a former Flames player), at 65th overall in the third round after a season split between the Edmonton Oil Kings and the Vancouver Giants.
“I’ve been around the Flames my whole life,” said Iginla. “It's like a dream come true.”
Ethan MacKenzie
Joining McKenna in being drafted by the Leafs is defenseman Ethan MacKenzie at 69th. MacKenzie had a career year with the Oil Kings, finished among the top-scoring defensemen in the WHL, and earned a spot on Canada's World Junior team as an undrafted 19-year-old before winning bronze with fellow alumnus Verhoeff.
Giorgos Pantelas
The Los Angeles Kings closed it out with Giorgos Pantelas in the fifth round at 153rd overall. The Brandon Wheat Kings defenseman put up 37 points this season and represented Canada at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, earning a bronze medal.
Five Alumni. One Shared Foundation.
No two draft journeys looked the same, with Verhoeff and MacKenzie set to become teammates at the University of North Dakota next season. Each player followed a unique path to the draft, but all six shared one stop along the way: RINK Hockey Academy.