Kelowna Rockets will be interested spectators during Thursday's WHL draft lottery

Rockets eye draft lottery

Photo: Contributed

The Kelowna Rockets hope fortune will smile on them Thursday when the Western Hockey League holds its annual draft lottery.

As was the case a year ago, the Rockets have the third best odds of moving up to get the first overall pick in the 2025 prospects draft.

However, with the prospect of choosing the talented Landon Dupont, the Rockets actually slipped one spot to fourth. They eventually traded back and picked 10th in the 2024 draft.

The lottery, for the six teams that failed to make the playoffs and the expansion Penticton Vees, will determine the order of the first seven picks of the first round only.

The Rockets will select third in subsequent rounds.

The Edmonton Oil Kings, who hold Moose Jaw’s first round pick, have the best odds of selecting first followed by Regina, the Rockets and Vees.

The draft lottery will use 21 balls. Edmonton will have six, Regina five, the Rockets four. The Rockets have a 19 per cent chance of getting the first pick and a 14.2 per cent chance of slipping back

Since teams can only move up two spots, the Rockets could pick first, third or fourth.

Rockets president and GM Bruce Hamilton has stated the Rockets would likely use the pick if it’s first overall, but would likely seek to trade the pick if it’s anything else.

Regina native Maddox Schultz is considered the top prospect after putting up 43 goals and 93 points in the Saskatchewan Male U18 AAA league.

The Rockets own their first round pick and that of the Spokane Chiefs from the Andrew Cristall trade. They also own two first round picks in both 2026 and 2027.

Hamilton is expected to use some of those picks in order to build a team to contend for next year’s Memorial Cup being held in Kelowna.

A draft lottery will also be held Thursday for the U.S. priority draft.

Each of the six non-playoff teams as well as the eight teams eliminated in the first round of the playoffs will be included.

Unlike the weighted priority draft lottery, each of the 14 teams will have just one ball in the hopper giving each team an equal shot at the number one pick. Penticton will draft fourth in each of the two rounds.

The drafts will be held over two days, May 7 and 8.