Barring a trade or some sort of wild circumstances, it doesn’t look like the Kelowna Rockets will have a chance to draft Landon Dupont in May.
The presumed first-overall pick in the 2024 WHL draft was in reach for the Rockets, sitting with the third-best odds to win today’s draft lottery.
Unfortunately, the Prince Albert Raiders were the lucky winning club, moving from fourth to second overall in the draft order, thus dropping Kelowna from third to fourth overall.
The Everett Silvertips, courtesy of the Kamloops Blazers' first-round pick acquired in last year's Olen Zellweger trade, will draft first overall in 2024 and have the chance to select Dupont.
The Kelowna Rockets will select fourth overall in the WHL Prospects Draft this May. pic.twitter.com/efU1YZSEA2
— Kelowna Rockets (@Kelowna_Rockets) March 27, 2024
The draft lottery only decides the order of the top six picks for the first round and the order returns to the inverse of league standings for rounds two and beyond.
As a result, the Rockets, after picking fourth overall courtesy of Regina’s first-round pick, will pick 11th every other round.
The Seattle Thunderbirds own Kelowna’s own first round pick, 11th overall, which was a part of the June 2023 trade that saw the Rockets acquire Tij Iginla.
Kelowna will also select 11th and 33rd overall in the two-round WHL US priority draft, which will take place on Wednesday, May 8.
Players eligible for the US draft are born in 2009 and reside in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
The main WHL prospect draft will take place the next day, on Thursday, May 9, and include 2009-born players from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Yukon, and all US-born players not drafted the day before.
Thumbnail photo courtesy of the Kelowna Rockets.
