Daxon Rudolph of the Prince Albert Raiders prepares to fire a puck into the Edmonton zone during WHL action at the Art Hauser Centre during the regular season.--Daily Herald File Photo
It was a special day when the Prince Albert Raiders made three selections in the first round of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft.
The Raiders selected defenceman Daxon Rudolph first overall, forward Riley Boychuk second and winger Ty Meunier with the seventh pick. All three players are making a major impact for Prince Albert in the postseason.
Raider interim head coach Ryan McDonald says all three have shown maturity beyond their years which has played a key role in their success.
“We’re playing in a season now where there’s no snow on the ground and the grass is starting to turn colours, which is where you always want to play in. Our young guys have done a tremendous job continuing to grow throughout the season. This is a lot of hockey and they’ve done a great job of making sure that they’ve taken care of themselves off the ice in the gym with their nutrition, with their hydration and just always making sure that they’re prepared for whatever happens.”
All three played major minutes in the first round as Prince Albert erased a three games to one series deficit against the Edmonton Oil Kings.
“Whenever you can gain this type of experience young in your career, it’s absolutely tremendous.” McDonald explained. “You quickly turn from a young guy to an old guy in this league. As we continue to move forward, it’s continuing to learn and take as much in and continue to execute as we get into these crucial moments.”
During the regular season, all three finished within the top 25 in the WHL in rookie scoring. Rudolph led the way with 41 points (7G, 34A) while Boychuk and Meunier each pitched in 29 points (14G, 15A).
McDonald says all three have elite traits that make them effective players.
“They all bring little different elements to their game. Dax has got a tremendous stick and he’s got great poise with the puck. You see him make plays under pressure and bring pressure to him before he makes plays. He’s got tremendous vision and makes plays out there. Same thing with Riley. Riley’s got a great stick and makes tremendous plays under pressure and has a high hockey IQ and knows how to get to the right areas at the right time. With Ty, he’s a highly offensive player. He’s continuing to grow and learn through the season. You’re starting to see that Ty doesn’t need too many chances inside the dots to capitalize and make sure that we’re continuing to land inside there and get shots from there.”
The start of the regular season didn’t quite go to plan for the Raiders as they finished their B.C. Division road trip with a record of 2-7-2-0. After returning home, the Raiders have turned the corner, winning the East Division title and winning a playoff series against the Edmonton Oil Kings.
“It’s been awesome.” Riley Boychuk said in an interview. “We’re pretty lucky to come in at this time and obviously (it’s been) such a good year. The start was whatever but we definitely have gotten past that and the rest of the year was amazing. In the playoffs, I don’t think you could have gotten a crazier first series for all of us. It’s pretty cool to be a part of and we’re looking to keep going.”
Prince Albert has been dubbed ‘Hockeytown North’ for very good reason. Regardless of where the Raiders finish in the standings, the team is always the talk of the town. During Game 7 of the first round against Edmonton, a capacity standing room only crowd of 3,293 fans helped the Raiders to a 5-0 win at the Art Hauser Centre.
Boychuk says he heard plenty of good things about playing in Prince Albert, but the experience has surpassed his expectations.
“I’ve had it advertised to me since day one when I got drafted and it’s probably gone over the hype. It’s been unreal, the fans here the whole regular season from opening day, the great crowd there to all the home games, the weekdays, the weekends, the rivalries against Saskatoon. The crowd is awesome, the fans are awesome. They show so much support, whether it’s at the rink or even if you’re out wherever you are in the town, they notice you and they’re cheering you on.”
Of the three Raider 16-year-olds, defenceman Daxon Rudolph has had the most individual success. In nine games, the former first overall pick leads all WHL rookies in playoff scoring with 11 points (1G, 9A).
Rudolph says there is a major difference in the intensity between regular season and playoff games in the WHL.
“Just how tight-checking it becomes. It’s so hard to create chances, five-on-five. The special teams are just that much more important. Every time you get a power play you want to capitalize, but it really is like that now in these playoffs. You got to continue to find a way to score goals on the power play and keep killing penalties. We try to stay out of the box as much as we can. I think the biggest difference is how important special teams is and how hard it is to score a five-on-five.”
During the regular season, Prince Albert made several trades to acquire players who had experience deep into the playoffs. Rilen Kovacevic and Dimitri Fortin both went to the Memorial Cup last year with the Moose Jaw Warriors while Matteo Fabrizi has played in the second round the past two seasons with the Red Deer Rebels.
Rudolph says he’s been taking in everything he can from his older teammates.
“They really lead the way here. They obviously have the experience. They speak up in the room and be that vocal point for our group here. Obviously, us 16-year-olds don’t really have that experience. We’re getting a little taste of it right now. I think just going through it with those older guys who just lead by example more so and play the right way each and every shift is something big for us 16-year-olds to see. Eventually, we’re going to be the older guys and we’re the ones with the playoff experience. Now, we just got to learn from them and keep doing what they’re doing so we can implement that in the future.”
