The 17-year-old age group in the BC Hockey League this season is an extremely talented group with a bright future, led by the Brett Hull Trophy winner in Penticton’s Bradly Nadeau, who pieced together one of the best offensive seasons in league history. His 113 points are the highest by a player his age since Burnaby Express forward Kyle Turris racked up 121 points in 2006-07.
Four of the players honoured by BCHLNetwork as some of the best under-18 players in the BCHL this season are ranked by NHL Central Scouting for this year’s NHL Draft in June. Half of the league’s 18 clubs are represented on the respective conference all-17-year-old teams while the Chilliwack Chiefs, Victoria Grizzlies, and Wenatchee Wild each have two players earning a spot on this specific post-season U18 all-star team.
Coastal Conference
Goalie – Oliver Auyeung-Ashton (Victoria Grizzlies)
Auyeung-Ashton had a very consistent season as a rookie with the Grizzlies in 2022-23. His record this season was 21-14-5 in 44 games, including five shutouts, finishing with a 2.48 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage. The Coquitlam, BC product’s win total and goals-against average topped all first-year goaltenders in the league and his five shutouts put him second overall among all BCHL netminders this season.
Defender – Hoyt Stanley (Victoria Grizzlies)
This past season, Stanley had a breakout year with the Grizz, putting up four goals and 34 assists in 53 games. His play was a significant improvement from his 13-game stint last season in Victoria when he put up one assist. The native of West Vancouver, BC is committed to Cornell University for this fall. Stanley could also have his name called during this June’s NHL Draft as he is ranked #77 by NHL Central Scouting among North American skaters.
Defender – Jax Wismer (Alberni Valley Bulldogs)
Wismer was part of a deep crew of blueliners for the Bulldogs and was an ironman as a rookie with two goals and 12 assists in 54 games. Before joining the Bulldogs, he played prep hockey at St. Andrew’s College in 2021-22, where he scored eight goals and 21 assists in 41 games. The Utopia, ON product also got into six junior A games with Wellington of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, finishing with a goal and two assists.
Forward – A.J. Lacroix (Chilliwack Chiefs)
Lacroix’s return to Chilliwack as a 17-year-old was a huge boost for the Chiefs. This season, Lacroix scored 19 goals and added 25 assists in 44 games to lead all under-18 forwards in Coastal Conference scoring. The Livingston, NJ product is ranked 200th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting for this June’s draft and will head to Michigan State University this fall.
Forward – Ryden Evers (Surrey Eagles)
Evers played a big part in the Eagles’ success this season. He finished second among rookie scorers in Surrey with 18 goals and 17 assists in 53 games. Prior to joining the Eagles, Schandor played last season for the Burnaby Winter Club U18 Prep club, scoring 13 goals and chipping in with 23 assists in 24 games. Evers, who is from Burnaby, BC, made his junior A debut as an affiliate player in one game with Vernon in 2021-22.
Forward – Brady Milburn (Chilliwack Chiefs)
Millburn put together an effective campaign as a sophomore for the Chiefs. He finished the year fifth in Chilliwack’s scoring race with 16 goals and 12 assists in 49 games. The previous season as a 16-year-old, he put up four goals and six assists in 40 games with the Chiefs. The Kamloops, BC native is set to return to Chilliwack in 2023-24 before heading to Lake Superior State University in September 2024.
Interior Conference
Goalie – Johnny Hicks (Merritt Centennials)
While the Centennials had a tough time defensively this past season, Hicks ended up with respectable numbers as a second-year player. He finished with an 8-10-3 record, a 3.53 goals-against average, and a .917 save percentage. The Kamloopsian was also named to the Team East roster for the BCHL’s Top Prospects Game in January as an injury replacement. The expectation is that he will be back between the pipes for the Cents in 2023-24.
Defender – Dylan Compton (Vernon Vipers)
Compton was the top scoring under-18 defender in the Interior Conference this season with four goals and 14 assists in 40 games as a rookie. The Victoria, BC product spent two seasons with the Shawnigan Lake School U18 Prep squad in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League before coming to the BCHL, and tallied seven goals and 39 assists in 36 games. Compton is off to the Northeastern University Huskies this September.
Defender – Lukas McCloskey (Wenatchee Wild)
Another product of the growing Anaheim Jr. Ducks program, McCloskey played 46 games with Wenatchee this season, ending with a goal and nine assists. The native of Newport Beach, CA got into 30 games with the U16 Junior Ducks in 2021-22 and posted five goals and 11 assists. He also played nine games with Santa Margarita Catholic School, scoring three goals and adding one assist. McCloskey was also a list player of the Western Hockey League’s Tri-City Americans last season.
Forward – Bradly Nadeau (Penticton Vees)
What more can be said about the historic season Nadeau fashioned in 2022-23? He led the league in assists with 68 and points with 113. Nadeau tied teammate Aydar Suniev for most goals with 45 and his brother Josh for the league lead in power play goals with 18. No one had more assists on the man advantage than his 29 nor game winning goals than his 10. The St-François-de-Madawaska, NB product heads to the University of Maine this fall, likely after being selected somewhere in the first two rounds of this year’s NHL Draft.
Forward – Owen Beckner (Salmon Arm Silverbacks)
Despite his season being a bit overshadowed by Nadeau’s, Beckner was second among under-18 players in points in the Interior Conference. The 128th-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting for June’s NHL Draft finished his sophomore BCHL campaign with 17 goals and 33 assists in 53. Beckner, who’s from Victoria, BC, is eligible to return to the Shuswap with the Silverbacks in 2023-24 before going off to Colorado College the following season.
Forward – Christian Kim (Wenatchee Wild)
Kim came to the BCHL after skating with the Anaheim Jr. U16 Ducks for the past two seasons where he put up an eye-popping 93 goals and 146 assists in 150 games. He and McCloskey have been teammates in four of the last five seasons, including this year with the Wild. As a rookie in Wenatchee, Kim finished 2022-23 with 10 goals and 18 assists in 50 games. The native of Torrance, CA is committed to Michigan State University for this September.
