PHOTO: Tami Quan
WEST KELOWNA, B.C. – The BC Hockey League announced the rosters for the Top Prospects Game in Penticton at the South Okanagan Events Centre on January 19th, 2024, which will feature three West Kelowna Warriors in the way of defender Landen Hilditch along with forwards Cal Hughes and Jack Pridham.
All players listed on the National Hockey League’s Central Scouting Players to Watch List, released in October, received automatic entries while the remainder of the roster was decided with the help of head coaches and general managers in the league as well as input from Central Scouting. The two rosters were split between Interior and Coastal Conference.
Hilditch, 18, is in his second season with the Warriors after coming over in a trade last January from the Surrey Eagles. In his time with West Kelowna, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) commit has played 45 games and registered 2 goals and 14 assists for 16 points while playing a total of 65 games split between the Eagles and Warriors over his BCHL career.
Hughes, 17, has compiled strong numbers in his rookie season with the team and was ranked by Central Scouting as a ‘C’ skater back in October, designating him as a 4th to 5th round NHL Entry Draft selection. The Boston University commit has scored 10 goals while adding 3 assists for 13 points in 25 games this season.
Pridham, 18, is another BU commit who is in his first season with the Warriors and was the highest ranked skater from Central Scouting’s rankings and the only BCHL player to receive a ‘B’ ranking, which indicates a 2nd to 3rd round Draft selection. A native of Stouffville, Ontario, Pridham has amassed 9 goals and 10 assists for 19 points in his 25 games played this season.
Full rosters:
Coastal Conference roster
| Pos. | Name | Team | NCAA School |
| G | Owen Bresson | Victoria Grizzlies | – |
| G | Tyler Hodges* | Nanaimo Clippers | – |
| D | Luke Ashton | Langley Rivermen | – |
| D | Richard Baran | Victoria Grizzlies | Arizona State |
| D | Rylan Bonkowski | Surrey Eagles | Minnesota State |
| D | Andrew Brown | Nanaimo Clippers | – |
| D | Gabriel Guilbault* | Langley Rivermen | – |
| D | Matt Lahey* | Nanaimo Clippers | Clarkson |
| D | Jax Wismer | Alberni Valley Bulldogs | UConn |
| F | Wyatt Blace | Alberni Valley Bulldogs | – |
| F | Caden Cranston | Surrey Eagles | Merrimack |
| F | Ryden Evers | Surrey Eagles | Omaha |
| F | Noah Eyre | Powell River Kings | Quinnipiac |
| F | Samuel Leonard | Alberni Valley Bulldogs | St. Lawrence |
| F | Brady Milburn | Chilliwack Chiefs | Lake Superior |
| F | Patrick Murphy* | Victoria Grizzlies | Brown |
| F | Mike Murtagh | Nanaimo Clippers | UConn |
| F | Chase Pirtle | Victoria Grizzlies | Cornell |
| F | Tobias Pitka* | Victoria Grizzlies | Boston College |
| F | Joel Plante | Nanaimo Clippers | Omaha |
| F | Aaron Schwartz | Surrey Eagles | Quinnipiac |
Interior Conference roster
| Pos. | Name | Team | NCAA School |
| G | Ryan Grout | Salmon Arm Silverbacks | – |
| G | Will Ingemann | Penticton Vees | St. Thomas |
| D | Adam Barone | Trail Smoke Eaters | Lake Superior |
| D | Adam Boatter | Salmon Arm Silverbacks | Colorado |
| D | Francesco Dell’Elce* | Penticton Vees | UMass |
| D | Landen Hilditch | West Kelowna Warriors | RPI |
| D | Cole Longacre* | Salmon Arm Silverbacks | Merrimack |
| D | Kiernan Poulin | Merritt Centennials | UMass |
| F | Callum Arnott | Penticton Vees | Minnesota-Duluth |
| F | Riley Ashe* | Salmon Arm Silverbacks | Omaha |
| F | Shea Busch | Vernon Vipers | – |
| F | Adam Csabi | Vernon Vipers | – |
| F | Max Heise* | Penticton Vees | Michigan State |
| F | Callum Hughes* | West Kelowna Warriors | Boston University |
| F | Connor MacPherson* | Penticton Vees | New Hampshire |
| F | Simon Meier | Penticton Vees | Northern Michigan |
| F | JJ Monteiro* | Salmon Arm Silverbacks | Providence |
| F | Erik Pastro | Vernon Vipers | – |
| F | Jack Pridham* | West Kelowna Warriors | Boston University |
| F | Chase Stefanek* | Trail Smoke Eaters | Harvard |
| F | Reid Varkonyi* | Salmon Arm Silverbacks | Denver |
*Players received automatic entries due to being listed on NHL Central Scouting’s Players to Watch list
The Warriors will be back at it with a busy week ahead of the holiday break beginning on Wednesday night when they travel to the Shuswap to take on the Salmon Arm Silverbacks at the Shaw Centre. Puck drop is slated for 6:00 PM with the game broadcasted live on AM 1150 as well as streamed online on FloHockey.
