The Western Hockey League’s (WHL) inaugural Top Prospects Game couldn’t have gone much better. Team East got out to an early 3-0 lead, but Team West fired back with four of their own before the East tied it up and forced a very quick overtime, with Eastern captain Daxon Rudolph finishing the game just 14 seconds into extra time.
The goal of the game was to help these young players achieve their dreams of playing in the NHL. “We see it as our responsibility to ensure that we’re the unequivocal place to be in your draft year,” said WHL commissioner Dan Near to TSN when the event was announced, “and a big part of that is putting the players on the appropriate stages, platforms, and creating a competitive environment to give them the exposure to NHL scouts.”
That’s great news for the trio of Saskatoon Blades who attended the event. Zach Olsen, Cooper Williams, and Brayden Klimpke already proved they were on scouts’ radars with their inclusion in the Top Prospects Game, but when they stepped on the ice for Team East, they proved that they were just as good as some of the best up for the 2026 NHL Draft.
Olsen and Williams Show Off Chemistry and Skill
Olsen was easily one of the most impressive players to start the game. He showed off the hard-nosed style that has made him a fan favourite in Saskatoon, which led to the game’s second goal, giving Team East a 2-0 lead. His speed, intensity, and skill were right up there with the best players on the ice, leading several analysts to name him as one of their top standouts of the game. Had he not left in the second period with an apparent upper-body injury, he could have been Team East’s Player of the Game.
“Olsen was my favourite player in the first half,” wrote Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff. “He’s smart, nimble, and has a powerful wrister he loves to show often. Olsen is a hard-working forward who has really impressed scouts the past few months for his commitment to detail and his improving hockey sense. This should help his draft stock.”
Tyson Cole of Canucks Army concurred, naming him one of his top three players on Team East and writing, “Olsen’s playstyle looks like one that can translate to the NHL level. His 6’1″, 202-lb frame could carve out a scoring, power forward role. Speaking with a Saskatoon Blades representative, Olsen likes to be the agitator and isn’t afraid to get under opponents’ skin. And he did that early on, laying powerful hits and often causing scrums after the whistle.”
Related: 7 Standouts from the 2026 WHL Top Prospects Game
Following closely behind Olsen was Williams, who was instrumental in Olsen’s goal. Although Williams had a great scoring chance at his spot on the side of the net, he clocked that his Blades’ teammate was wide open on the other side, so with a quick one-touch pass, he sent it to Olsen for the prettiest goal of the game, at least according to Tyson Cole.
Williams finished the game with two assists, which should be unsurprising to Blades fans. The 18-year-old currently sits second on the team with 18 goals and 45 points in 54 games this season. But scouts loved what they saw from him away from the puck, with Ellis writing, “He can shoot, but is better chasing after guys and forcing turnovers. His shot can be deceptive, forcing defenders to make quicker decisions than they’d probably like.”
Both players were excellent on their own, but having that familiarity with another player on their line really helped them shine. “It’s pretty cool,” said Williams after the game, “Just being teammates back in Saskatoon and being able to connect on a goal here.”
Central Scouting listed Williams and Olsen 42nd and 43rd among North American skaters, respectively, but after the WHL Top Prospects Game, they may be on the rise.
Klimpke’s Calm Demeanour Stands Out
While Olsen and Williams have been in the spotlight a bit longer thanks to their B rating and now top-50 rankings, Klimpke still held his own on Team East’s third pairing alongside Ethan MacKenzie. He was a big reason Team West was unable to get any solid chances in the first period, playing smart, simple defence, and moving the puck well. This was arguably the biggest game he’d ever played in, and he looked comfortable with a former Canadian World Junior on his side.
“First couple of shifts, I was probably a little nervous, for sure,” said Klimpke after the game, “but after that, it’s just hockey, right, so it kinda went away.”
Although Klimpke didn’t get on the board, he made several smart plays, moving the puck cleanly to a forward for a couple of breakout chances, and was consistently in the right place to break up a play or throw a hit, despite his smaller stature. It was very reminiscent of his play in Saskatoon: calm, collected, and incredibly effective.
It helped that, despite the higher stakes, Klimpke was in familiar territory. “Being part of a team like this, you’ve got to gel as a team,” he said. “In Saskatoon, we’ve had a lot of injuries, a lot of guys coming up, so it’s kind of been the same in that sense, playing with new guys every night, so that part of it was big for me.” Scouts will definitely take notice of his ability to adapt to any situation and play at a high level. Don’t be surprised if the Blades’ highest-scoring defenceman is higher than 79 on Central Scouting’s next draft ranking.
Preparing for the NHL Draft
The NHL Draft cycle is in full swing now, and for a young player, it can be overwhelming. However, showcases such as the Top Prospects Game can actually help those top prospects be better prepared for the coming months by putting them in the right headspace. For Klimpke, that was the biggest takeaway. “Just having a positive attitude, staying positive through tough times,” he said. “They scored a couple of goals there, and I think we did a really good job of staying in it and not getting down.”
Williams, Olsen, and Klimpke have been special players for the Blades this season, and their strong performances at the WHL’s Top Prospects Game will certainly place them on a few more teams’ lists ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft.
