Ben Harvey and Brock Cripps were selected 4th and 2nd overall respectively in last year's draft. (Mark Peterson/Prince Albert Raiders)

By Nick Nielsen

Raiders select Athens Shingoose

WHL Draft week begins

May 7, 2025 | 11:06 AM

The 2025 WHL Draft is officially here with a total of three separate drafts going on in the next two days. Two of those drafts will go on Wednesday, including the expansion draft for the incoming Penticton Vees and the first round of the WHL Prospects Draft. Thursday will see the rest of the regular draft along with the US Priority Draft. The CHL Import draft will go Wednesday, July 2 at 11 a.m.

This article been updated with both the Penticton Vees expansion draft pick, and the Raiders pick in the first round. The rest of the draft will have it’s own article during Thursday’s action.

With their 16th overall pick and only pick of the first round, the Raiders selected forward Athens Shingoose from Waywayseecapo, Manitoba. Standing at 5’7, 128 lbs, Shingoose played last season with the RINK Hockey Academy Winnipeg in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League.

In 32 games last year, Shingoose put up 31G-29A-60P, lead the league in powerplay goals, and was named a First Team All Star in the CSSHL.

First will be the expansion draft, where they will select one player from each of the 22 teams in the WHL.

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From the Raiders, the Penticton Vees selected a prospect rather than a member of the Raiders roster. Going to the Vees is 2007 born Warman product Liam Bursaw.

Originally drafted 98th overall in the 2022 WHL Draft, Bursaw has never played a game in the WHL yet, but he instead played his first year of junior hockey with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the BCHL. In his rookie year, the now 18-year-old forward put up 11G-2A-13P in 50 games last year.

Also of note, former Prince Albert Raider Doogan Pederson was taken by the Vees from the Red Deer Rebels.

Each team in the WHL was given two options: protect a total of 16 players, or protect three 20-year-olds and an additional 14 players for a total of 17 protected players. Players born in 2009 or earlier, such as Raider prospects Brock Cripps and Ben Harvey, do not need to be protected in the expansion draft.

The results of the expansion draft will be announced at 2:00 p.m.

Also happening Wednesday is the WHL Prospects Draft with round one beginning at 4:30 p.m. The Raiders have their first pick of the draft at 16th overall. The last time the Raiders picked 16th overall was in 1999, where they selected Landon Lillejord from Ceylon, Saskatchewan, who played two seasons with the Raiders and a total of 66 games.

Players from 20 U.S. states can also be selected in the regular draft, with players from Texas, Minnesota, and everywhere west of those states allowed to be selected.

The Raiders have the following picks through the rest of the draft:

• Round 1: 16th overall, Athens Shingoose
• Round 2: 39th overall
• Round 3: 52nd, 59th, and 62nd overall
• Round 4: 84th overall
• Round 5: 108th and 112th overall
• Round 9: 200th overall
• Round 11: 246th overall.

When tomorrow rolls around, the regular draft will continue on from rounds two through eight. After that will be the final portion of the draft for the U.S. Priority Draft. Again, players eligible for the U.S. Priority draft must be from one of the 20 states, born in 2010.

The Raiders have two selections right next to each other in the U.S. Priority Draft, 22nd and 25th overall. Last year, the Raiders selected 2009 prospect Californian Gavin Burcar, who has since been traded to the Spokane Chiefs, and Texas-born prospect Diego Gutierrez.

Meanwhile, later this summer is the CHL Import Draft, where teams from the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL will make their selections of players from outside of Canada and the U.S. with each team getting three picks. The Raiders will pick 46th, 107th, and 168th overall.

It was announced earlier today that teams will be allowed to carry three import players through the 2025-26 season, and so all teams in the CHL will have a third pick this year as well.

Last year, the Raiders selected Buffalo Sabres prospect and German-born Norwin Panocha 26th overall, although he was released after three games and went on to play in both the USHL and German pro leagues the year before.

The Raiders declined to use their 86th overall selection.

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nick.nielsen@pattisonmedia.com