Crosby Mateychuk taken in 1st round of WHL draft by Vancouver Giants

It was another strong year for Eastman players at the Western Hockey League’s annual draft. Four players from the region were selected, including in the first round for the second consecutive year.

The name should be no surprise to hockey fans, as Crosby Mateychuk was picked by the Vancouver Giants in the first round.

“Crosby is a heck of a hockey player,” Giants Director of Player Personnel Greg Batters said in a news release.

“He’s an elite skater, he’s big and strong, he controls the game when he’s out there. One of the things I liked about him is the bigger the game, the better he plays. He plays a measured type of game. He’s a leader. I can’t say enough good things about him. Great family. Great pedigree.”

Graeme Pickering and Asher Gingras were taken in the first round of the 2024 draft.

Mateychuk put up some jaw-dropping numbers for the Eastman Selects U15 AAA team. He scored 32 goals in 31 games as a defenseman, ending the year with 71 points. His brother, Denton Mateychuk, turned into an all-time great WHL player, capping off his career with the Moose Jaw Warriors by a championship alongside claiming top defenseman of the year award in 2024.

Crosby said he learned from his brother’s experience when it came time for his selection to the WHL.

“I was a little nervous as it started coming closer, and then (relieved) when I finally got the call,” Crosby said a couple days after the draft.

“There was a lot of talking in between.”

Crosby credited a solid off-ice workout regimen for his breakout season, sharing he focused on building up explosiveness through resistance training to become a better skater.

The first round of the WHL draft was held May 7, the same day as a new Penticton franchise announcing their expansion draft picks. That change meant the process felt a little longer for top prospects such as Crosby. The Penticton team was also the only one to make selections in the 13th, 14th or 15th rounds of the draft.

The Giants could get a double-dose of Mateychuk’s in a few years, turning back to the family in the ninth round to take William Mateychuk, who is cousins with Crosby.

Later round selections include Niverville’s Brett Buors, who plays for the Pilot Mound Hockey Academy and Mitchell’s Jevon Peters, who was the region’s only forward selected.

Prince George picked Buors in the seventh round, with Swift Current taking Peters in the ninth. Nearly 40 Manitobans were selected in this year’s WHL draft, with four in the first round. The 39 players selected marks a new high for the province.

The draft took place in the middle of the league’s championship series, with Owen Martin’s Spokane Chiefs down 2-1 at press time after a 6-0 game three loss May 13. Game four of the series took place after press time May 14.

Oakbank’s Martin was taken by Spokane in the second round of the league’s 2022 draft.

The region’s drafted players weren’t the only ones on the move during draft day, as Steinbach’s Luke Mistelbacher was traded from the Swift Current Broncos to the Brandon Wheat Kings.

Mistelbacher, alongside defenseman Grayson Burzynski were moved in exchange for five draft picks, including a 2025 first rounder and 2009-born forward prospect Alex Letourneau.

“Mistelbacher finished eighth in the league in scoring last year, he had 93 points and was one of a handful of guys over 40 goals. He has the ability to put the puck in the net,” Brandon head coach and general manager Marty Murray said in a news release.

“These players are available and we owe it to the kids and to our fanbase to really put our best foot forward and try to make a statement this year.”

Many of the names called at the WHL draft were on the ice in Steinbach last weekend for Hockey Manitoba’s Program of Excellence top 40 camp. For more on the camp, check out page 3B of The Carillon.