What Is the WHL?

Families in Colorado often begin hearing about the WHL when a player starts attracting attention. Here is how the WHL works, how American players enter the league and what college bound families need to understand.

What Is the WHL?

WHL stands for the Western Hockey League. It is one of the three leagues that make up the Canadian Hockey League, alongside the OHL and QMJHL. Together those leagues form Major Junior, the highest level in the Canadian junior hockey system, and one of North America’s primary development routes to the NHL.

The league began in 1966 and adopted the Western Hockey League name in 1978 after expanding into the American Pacific Northwest. It currently has 23 teams located across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, along with Washington and Oregon in the United States.

For a broader explanation of how Major Junior sits above Canadian Junior A and Junior B, read our overview of Canadian junior hockey leagues.

How Many Teams Are in the WHL?

The WHL has 23 teams for the 2026–27 season, organized into two conferences and four divisions. Each team plays a 68 game regular season, running from September 18, 2026, through March 28, 2027.

WHL Teams for 2026–27

Conference	Division	Teams
Eastern	East	Brandon Wheat Kings, Moose Jaw Warriors, Prince Albert Raiders, Regina Pats, Saskatoon Blades, Swift Current Broncos
Eastern	Central	Calgary Hitmen, Edmonton Oil Kings, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Medicine Hat Tigers, Red Deer Rebels
Western	B.C.	Kamloops Blazers, Kelowna Rockets, Penticton Vees, Prince George Cougars, Vancouver Giants, Victoria Royals
Western	U.S.	Everett Silvertips, Portland Winterhawks, Seattle Thunderbirds, Spokane Chiefs, Tri-City Americans, Wenatchee Wild

The Eastern Conference has 11 teams, while the Western Conference has 12. Five of the six U.S. Division teams are in Washington, with Portland located in Oregon.

That makes the WHL the geographically closest CHL league to Colorado. It does not make it a local league: Colorado families should still expect substantial travel, relocation and time away from home if a player joins a WHL organization.

WHL Age Limit

The normal WHL age range is 16 to 20. A player generally becomes eligible in the year he turns 16 and can remain in the league through his 20 year old season. Teams are limited to three 20 year old players after the league’s overage roster deadline.

Most players first become eligible for the WHL Prospects Draft in the year they turn 15. Being drafted gives a team the player’s WHL rights; it does not guarantee that he will sign or make the roster. Undrafted players can still be added to a team’s protected list later.

Each club can protect up to 50 players. That list includes both the active roster and prospects the organization may bring in later. It is a list of player rights, not a 50 player team.

There are limited exceptions at the younger end. 15 year olds may appear in a restricted number of games as affiliated players, while players granted exceptional status can join the league full time before the normal entry age.

When Is the WHL Draft?

The WHL Prospects Draft is normally held in early May. In 2026, the first overall selection was announced on Wednesday, May 6 and the remainder of the draft took place on Thursday, May 7.

The draft selects players in the calendar year of their 15th birthday. The 2026 draft class consisted of players born in 2011. WHL teams selected 205 players, including four from Colorado.

The Colorado selections were:

• Spencer Wilmot, center from Littleton — selected 65th overall by the Vancouver Giants

• Cody Paul, left wing from Monument — selected 82nd overall by the Penticton Vees

• Baze Hielscher, forward from Windsor — selected 135th overall by the Regina Pats

• Jagger Burns, center from Englewood — selected 172nd overall by the Prince George Cougars

Being drafted gives the WHL team the player’s league rights. It does not guarantee that the player will sign or immediately join the roster. Players who are not drafted can also be added to a team’s protected list later.

The End of the WHL U.S. Priority Draft

From 2020 through 2025, American prospects were selected primarily through the separate WHL U.S. Priority Draft. That changed in 2026 when the league eliminated the separate event and placed eligible American and Canadian players into the same WHL Prospects Draft.

The WHL’s American draft territory includes 20 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Do WHL Players Get Paid?

WHL players do not receive a traditional salary. The league says players receive a “very modest monthly stipend” for personal spending. It does not publish a standard amount publicly.

Players also receive several benefits:

• Equipment. The team supplies equipment, including skates and sticks.

• Housing and meals. Players who are away from home normally live with billet families arranged through the team.

• Education while playing. WHL clubs cover tuition and textbook costs for approved post-secondary courses taken during a player’s WHL career.

• The WHL Scholarship. For each season played, a player earns one year of post-secondary funding for tuition, required textbooks, and compulsory fees, up to five years. The scholarship can be used at an eligible university, college, technical institute, trade school or other career program in Canada or the United States.

The scholarship comes with conditions. A player generally must activate it within 18 months after his junior eligibility ends, and signing an NHL contract can affect his eligibility. Playing in the AHL, ECHL, or another minor professional league does not immediately eliminate it.

So when people ask how much WHL players make, the practical answer is very little in cash. Most of the financial value comes through equipment, housing, education, and the scholarship program.

The NCAA Change for CHL Players

For decades, playing Major Junior hockey generally made a player ineligible for NCAA hockey because the CHL was treated as a professional environment. That is no longer the case.

On November 7, 2024, the NCAA Division I Council voted to allow players with Major Junior experience to retain Division I eligibility.

The rule took effect August 1, 2025. Players can now compete in the WHL, OHL or QMJHL before college, provided they do not receive payment beyond actual and necessary expenses.

The change is not limited to Division I. Division II eliminated its Major Junior participation penalty effective August 1, 2025, and Division III subsequently approved legislation aligning Major Junior hockey with its other pre-enrollment participation rules.

This does not mean every former CHL player is automatically eligible. Academic requirements, enrollment timing, compensation, professional contracts and other NCAA rules still matter. Players should have their individual history reviewed by the NCAA Eligibility Center and the compliance office of the college recruiting them.

The Age-Based Eligibility Model

A second major change arrived in 2026: On June 23, 2026, the NCAA Division I Cabinet approved an age based eligibility model that gives qualifying athletes a five year eligibility window.

The clock begins at the earlier of two points:

• The player’s initial full-time enrollment at any college or university

• The beginning of the academic year immediately following his 19th birthday

A player who wants access to the full five year window should therefore enroll no later than the academic year after turning 19.

The transition works this way:

• First full-time enrollment during 2026–27: The previous rules or the new age-based model can be applied, whichever is more favorable to the player.

• First full-time enrollment in fall 2027 or later: Only the age-based model applies.

The NCAA cautions that this should not simply be described as “five years to play five.” A player must continue meeting academic, amateurism, enrollment and other eligibility requirements. The new model also has limited exceptions for circumstances such as active-duty military service, pregnancy and official religious missions.

For a player considering staying in the WHL past the age of 19, this change is as important as the CHL eligibility decision. Playing an additional junior season may now use part of the five year eligibility window before the player ever reaches college.

Because the rule is new and depends on birth date and enrollment history, families should have the NCAA Eligibility Center or the compliance office at the recruiting college review the player’s individual timeline before making a decision.

WHL vs. OHL

The WHL and OHL are the same competitive classification. Both are Major Junior leagues within the Canadian Hockey League and both send their champion to the Memorial Cup.

The clearest difference is geography. The WHL operates across Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest, with Colorado included in its U.S. draft territory. The OHL is centered primarily in Ontario, with three American teams in Pennsylvania and Michigan.

For a Colorado family, the WHL is generally the more regional Major Junior pathway. Its teams scout Colorado, Colorado players are automatically eligible for the WHL Prospects Draft and several WHL markets are closer than most OHL cities.

That does not prevent an OHL team from scouting or selecting an American player, but the travel, draft process, team locations and organizational fit are different.

Neither league is automatically better for a player. The more useful comparison is the specific organization, coaching staff, roster opportunity, travel demands, and development plan being offered.

For a full breakdown of the other league, read What Is the OHL? Ontario Hockey League Explained.

WHL vs. NHL

The WHL is junior hockey. The NHL is professional hockey. They are not competing leagues. The WHL is one of the major development leagues from which NHL teams scout and draft players.

In the 2026 NHL Draft, 37 current WHL players and two WHL alumni were selected. Those 39 WHL developed players accounted for approximately 37 percent of the 106 CHL developed players chosen in the draft. The WHL total was its highest since 2010.

Being selected does not guarantee that a player will sign an NHL contract or play an NHL game. A draft pick gives an NHL organization the player’s rights for a specified period. Most drafted WHL players return to junior hockey or continue developing elsewhere before they are ready to compete for a professional roster spot.

Famous NHL Players Who Played in the WHL

The WHL has produced many of the NHL’s most recognizable players, including:

• Joe Sakic — Swift Current Broncos

• Jarome Iginla — Kamloops Blazers

• Scott Niedermayer — Kamloops Blazers

• Carey Price — Tri-City Americans

• Mike Modano — Prince Albert Raiders

• Duncan Keith — Kelowna Rockets

• Zdeno Chara — Prince George Cougars

• Grant Fuhr — Victoria Cougars

• Mike Vernon — Calgary Wranglers

• Cam Neely — Portland Winterhawks

• Mark Messier — Portland Winterhawks

• Patrick Marleau — Seattle Thunderbirds

• Ryan Getzlaf — Calgary Hitmen

• Shea Weber — Kelowna Rockets

• Marian Hossa — Portland Winterhawks

• Leon Draisaitl — Prince Albert Raiders and Kelowna Rockets

• Jamie Benn — Kelowna Rockets

• Brayden Point — Moose Jaw Warriors

• Mark Stone — Brandon Wheat Kings

• Jordan Eberle — Regina Pats

• Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — Red Deer Rebels

• Sam Reinhart — Kootenay Ice

• Mathew Barzal — Seattle Thunderbirds

• Connor Bedard — Regina Pats

The list shows the WHL’s role as a major NHL development league, but these players represent its exceptional outcomes.