Trio of highly-touted 2023 draft picks arrive for Prince Albert Raiders

In conscionable a fistful of games astatine the inferior level, Prince Albert Raiders rookie defenceman Daxon Rudolph is proving wherefore helium was taken with the archetypal wide prime successful the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft.

“I came successful this twelvemonth and truly expected much retired of myself,” said Rudolph. “I thought I played a overmuch amended crippled this twelvemonth and evidently a year’s clip of maturation and getting beardown truly helps.”

The Raiders are yet reaping the benefits of that 2023 draught people with Rudolph, Riley Boychuk and Ty Meunier each making their debuts successful Prince Albert this fall.

For Boychuk, who was taken with the 2nd wide pick, it’s been a learning process getting acclimatized to beingness successful the WHL.

“Everybody is improved and I deliberation arsenic clip goes connected we’ll get much and much comfy with it,” said Boychuk. “But it’s going to beryllium truly fun.”

The trio person been immoderate of Western Canada’s astir hyped prospects, each landing successful the top-10 selections and are present full-fledged members of the Raiders.

Head manager Jeff Truitt has watched the improvement advancement for his prima rookies, adding the buzz astir the rink has been gathering for months.

“The fans person voiced their excitement an atrocious batch astir these guys,” said Truitt. “The accomplishment level is arsenic precocious arsenic I’ve seen it since the [2019] year. They’re not conscionable going to beryllium guys that are conscionable part-timers, they’re going to beryllium guys who are going to lend successful this league.”

The transportation betwixt the 3 rookies isn’t conscionable opening successful Prince Albert, however, arsenic they either grew up successful oregon played their insignificant hockey successful the Edmonton country implicit the past respective years.

Rudolph and Boychuk were U18 AAA teammates this past twelvemonth with Edmonton’s NAX program, portion Rudolph and Meunier person known each different for the amended portion of a decade.

“I’ve played with Daxon beauteous overmuch each twelvemonth for outpouring [hockey] since we were 8 truthful that’s been ace fun.” said Meunier. “I’ve truly got to cognize Riley and each of the different young guys person been great.”

The Raiders volition beryllium receiving much young endowment successful the pipeline adjacent season, with 2024 top-five selections Brock Cripps and Ben Harvey expected to articulation the WHL ranks.

While the squad has struggled retired of the gross with a 2-5-2 record, Rudolph added it’s a caller epoch of Raiders hockey which helium hopes volition physique to a contender down the road.

“We’re each successful it together,” said Rudolph. “We’re each going done the aforesaid stuff, truthful it’s been truly bully for the young halfway that we got here.”

Coming disconnected a 5-2 triumph implicit the Kamloops Blazers connected Tuesday night, the Raiders proceed their occidental roadworthy travel against the Victoria Royals connected Friday.