The Calgary Hitmen’s hottest group of prospects was pinned up against some of the most promising talent in Western Canada during the annual — and newly named — WHL Cup, this past weekend at WinSport Arena in Calgary.
Three Hitmen were featured in the tournament: Defenceman Luke Prokop was named to Team Alberta and forward Ryder Korczak was chosen for Team Saskatchewan when the rosters were announced Oct. 4. Winger Luc Benedictson was probably the most shocked out of anyone to find out he was a late addition to Team Manitoba, when he was notified five days before the puck dropped Oct. 18.
Previously known as the Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup, the tournament features the top prospects playing for their respective provinces following the previous WHL Bantam Draft.
Prokop was taken seventh overall last spring and was one of 11 first-round picks to suit up for Alberta. Korczak was the fourth Saskatchewan native taken, when the Hitmen selected him in the second round, 29th overall.
In a tourney that is overflowing with first-, second- and third-round picks, the Winnipeg native Benedictson was one of three eighth-round selections at the WHL Cup and was selected 161st by the Hitmen in the draft.
Benedictson grabbed early headlines in the tournament, as he led Manitoba with one goal and one assist when Manitoba snuck past Team B.C. 3-2 in a shootout Wednesday afternoon.
“I got an email Friday night before the tournament, confirmed the plans on Saturday and hopped on a plane Sunday to be here for the tournament,” said Benedictson. “It was a little overwhelming knowing that B.C. was favoured, but we just put it all on the ice and it was nice to come out with the win.”
With the 6-foot-2 forward sidelined with knee pain, Manitoba couldn’t keep their impressive run going, as they were shaded 4-3 by Korczak and Team Saskatchewan Thursday afternoon.
Rounding out the round robin slate, Manitoba was clipped 4-3 by the tournament powerhouse Albertans. The two would faceoff once again in the semis, where Alberta’s 7-1 win catapulted them into the finals, leaving Manitoba to battle Saskatchewan for bronze.
It was a different story for the Manitobans with Benedictson back in the lineup. His return influenced a 4-2 win to pick up their sixth medal at the tournament.
“Hopefully this was just another step up in my career. I had a lot of fun, it was great competition and hopefully I can carry this momentum with me into my regular season,” said Benedictson, who has three goals in five games for the first-place Winnipeg Wild of the Manitoba Midget AAA Hockey League.
On the other end of the medal ceremony was the 5-foot-8 centreman Korczak, who saw his home province drop to 2-5 all time in bronze medal games.
Korczak knew for a while he would be part of the roster. What he didn’t know was that he would be the captain for the green and gold.
“That’s a real honour,” said the 15-year-old Yorkton product. “The coaches named me captain with my assistant captains, Jackson Berezowski and Josh Pillar. It’s pretty special to be captain of this team and represent Saskatchewan.”
Korczak stuck around Hitmen training camp for a pair of pre-season games, where he has held pointless and exited with an even plus-minus rating.
He probably didn’t achieve the result he would have liked from the WHL Cup, as his team went winless and Korczak was held pointless in five games.
Still, the competition and playing under brighter lights was memorable enough.
“It’s an honour to be in this tournament. It’s pretty exciting, coming to Calgary, using this great facility and playing in the tournament that those (NHL) players came through,” said Korczak. “I’d like to be one of those other guys, too.”
These days, he finds himself back home in Yorkton, starring in his first season with the hometown Maulers of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League. In seven games, he has four goals and four assists.
“Ryder comes to the rink prepared to work every day. He’s a pleasure to coach and he’s a guy that pushes himself outside of his boundaries,” said Maulers Head Coach Kevin Rawlick. “He’s good on faceoffs, supports the defencemen well and sees the ice well enough that allows him to adapt to whatever is going on out there.”
Korczak has had quite the career in his hometown, winning the bantam AA title in 2015-16 and taking the assists title the following season.
It’s those accolades that helped pave the way for his spot in the elusive tournament that has cranked out current NHLers Morgan Reilly, Mathew Barzal, Nolan Patrick and Jake Virtanen.
Korczak’s first game of the tournament was less-than-memorable, as Prokop and Team Alberta dusted Saskatchewan 8-3 on Wednesday.
Like Korczak, Prokop was selected to be a leader on the team and was named one of Alberta’s alternate captains.
It’s Prokop’s steadiness on the blue line, which earned him a spot on the roster and in the starting lineup.
“It took me a couple shifts to get into it; the coaches and everyone made it easy to get into the game,” said the Edmonton native Prokop. “It’s great being around this atmosphere.”
Following their opening win, the five-time champions kept things rolling Thursday with a 6-2 decision against last year’s silver medalists, Team B.C. Prokop registered a pair of assists. He was a big part of the defensive unit that shut down the opposition, allowing the potent offence to go to work, as they outscored the opposition 25-9 entering Sunday’s final.
The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder was the last of the young players reassigned from Hitmen training camp. He appeared in three pre-season games, picking up one assist and leaving with a minus-3 rating.
“His composure in the defensive zone was the best I saw from anyone all tournament; he really went beyond my expectations for him,” said Team Alberta Head Coach Spiros Anastas. “He’s a true student of the game, he takes his job very seriously and conducts himself like a man already. He was one of our best defenders on the ice; he has a great stick and has a great first three steps leaving the zone. He’s going to be real steady for the Hitmen one day down the road.”
Prokop didn’t have to look far for advice in the showcase tournament. He joins the likes of current Hitmen Tristen Nielsen, Beck Malenstyn and Jackson van de Leest, as players who have competed in the tournament previously.
“I talked with Jackson and he gave me some tips. He told me to have fun, be confident and play to the best of my abilities,” said Prokop.
But of course, there is also a little extra motivation driving Prokop, as his older brother, Josh, won gold with Alberta in 2015 alongside current Hitmen forward Tristen Nielsen.
Josh was a Swift Current Broncos draft pick in 2015 and currently plays with the Vernon Vipers of the B.C. Hockey League. Josh came up in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League, playing for the same team that Luke does currently.
Through nine games, the Northern Alberta X-Treme squad sits fifth in the Midget Prep division, with a 6-2-2 record.
Appearing in eight of those games, Prokop has two assists.
“So far, I haven’t gotten off to a great start point-wise, but I’m bringing my A-game every time I step on the ice. If I focus on that, the points will come,” said Prokop.
Luke has made his way back to Edmonton to rejoin the X-Treme following a crushing 4-3 overtime loss Sunday evening to Team B.C.
“It was fantastic just being around this atmosphere. The coaches we amazing and all my teammates were great,” said Luke.
These three Hitmen prospects are all eligible to be called up to the WHL for five games this season, but the team has stated that there are no current plans to call anyone up at this moment. Trades happen, along with injuries and suspensions, which could change the fortune for any of the 15-year-old prospects in the Hitmen system.
Hitmen General Manager Jeff Chynoweth was around the arena on the weekend and left feeling pleased with what he saw from the Hitmen prospects and the players from the other 21 clubs around the league.
