WHL Stock Watch: J.P. Hurlbert is the league's early breakout star

The first three weekends of the WHL have passed, and there has been no shortage of standout performances. 

Perhaps the biggest surprise isn’t a specific player, but a team. The Penticton Vees, the league’s newest team and a team built through the expansion draft, sit second in the Western Conference with nine points and fifth by points percentage. 

It’s been a complete team effort for the Vees, with 12 different goalscorers already, a strong defensive line, and the stellar goaltending of Andrew Reyelts. 

But the biggest story is unfolding just a couple of hours north in Kamloops. That’s where we start.

Stock Rising 📈 

J.P. Hurlbert, C/RW, Kamloops Blazers (2026 NHL Draft) 

A USNTDPer with a commitment to the University of Michigan, J.P. Hurlbert might not even have been in the WHL a couple of years ago. Now, he’s the league’s leading point-getter and goalscorer, having scored nine goals and 14 points in just five games. 

Here's an excerpt from our report on his hat-trick WHL debut: 

“A hat trick for Hurlbert in his WHL debut. Not bad. All three were skill plays: Slipping a check to cut inside for a low, far-side wrister, a skilled backhand finish on a breakaway, and a one-timer through the goalie on the power play after working a give-and-go. Unsurprisingly, the scoring touch was his best element in this game, showing diversity in shooting skill and ways to get open.”

While a lot of his offence is coming off the disorganization of early-season hockey – breakaways, 2-on-1s, etc. – Hurlbert has increasingly looked like a cycle and power play threat, too. This past weekend, he was winning races off the wall, extending the cycle, winning battles, running the game on the power play, and scored his best goal yet, started by his intense forecheck:

As the USNTDP flounders offensively to start the year, scoring just 2.25 goals per game, Hurlbert’s move up to the WHL looks like the right call. Named an honourable mention in our preseason top-32 ranking, he’s already making us rethink his placement. 

Liam Ruck, RW, Medicine Hat Tigers (2026 NHL Draft)

When the Ruck twins come over the boards, the game belongs to them. Liam and Marcus control the game with quick, creative passes between them. They know where each other are at all times, and both have the creativity and battle level to make highlight-reel and hard-nosed plays look easy. 

Liam, historically the finisher of the two, has looked like one of the CHL’s elite playmakers to start the season. He’s simultaneously patient and pacey, moving pucks quickly but only after deceiving or drawing pressure first. Increasingly, he's becoming a lane creator, not that he needs much of one, considering he routinely lands high-skilled passes through tight openings. Plus, he’s getting off the walls more often, while generating scoring chances for himself at the same impressive rate. 

If Liam keeps this up, he’ll play his way into the first round. 

The Everett Silvertips’ First Line

Through six games, the ‘Tips have a .917 points percentage. They’ve outscored the opposition 31-15, driven by a combined 14 (and 33 points) from their first line: Matias Vanhanen (2025 undrafted), Julius Miettinen (Seattle Kraken), and Shea Busch (Florida Panthers). 

Each player on the line brings a distinct role – Vanhanen the playmaker, Busch the finisher, and Miettinen the two-way forward – but each brings pace, details, and physical skills to support their games. Busch has become a legitimate scoring threat from the circles with his one-timer and wrister, while Miettinen’s playmaking has taken a step. Meanwhile, Vanhanen has eyes on the back of his head and has created a lot of offence directly after winning battles, often surprising opponents with his speed entering battles.

And they're not the only trio on Everett cooking, either. Plus, star forward Carter Bear (Detroit Red Wings) has yet to play a game, while Landon DuPont has just four points in six games. So even when that first line slows, there’s enough talent to make up the difference and then some.

Timofei Runtso, RD, Victoria Royals (2025 Re-entry)

One under-discussed part of the NCAA allowing CHLers is the impact on the USHL’s re-entry pool. With just 15 teams in the league (excluding the USNTDP) and an emphasis on older players, roster spots are limited. As many as 12 USHL re-entries hear their names called at the draft every year, and now it’s safe to assume that many of those players have ended up in the CHL instead. 

Early on, Timofei Runtso is the top one of those re-entries in the WHL. He’s stepped from the NAHL straight into a No. 1 role in the WHL and delivered. He has seven points in five games playing over 24 minutes per night, according to InStat Hockey. It’s no fluke either, as he looks the part of a play-creating defenceman already, as highlighted in our first report of the season:

“He was everywhere. Spin moves in his own zone, non-stop activation, tons of creativity offensively. He's chaotic, but extremely involved. Cut through the hands and made plays with fending off backpressure. Nearly scored on a 2-on-1, and then in overtime, put on a show by dangling everyone, including an impressive deep hip pocket hold to fake the defender high before cutting inside.”

A 6-foot-2 defenceman with defensive skills and creation ability, he should generate plenty of interest if he keeps this up, especially if he ramps up the pace.

Honourable Mentions: Nathan Behm (Chicago Blackhawks), Max Pšenička (Utah Mammoth), Marcus Ruck (2026 NHL Draft), Colt Carter (2027 NHL Draft), David Lewandowski (Edmonton Oilers), Chase Surkan (2027 NHL Draft). 

Stock Steady ↔️

Landon DuPont, RD, Everett Silvertips (2027 NHL Draft)

Through six games on a firing-on-all-cylinders Silvertips team, Landon DuPont has just four assists – and just one primary point.

This, of course, is nothing new. The first half of Connor Bedard’s 16-year-old season saw him score just a point per game, before scoring 76 in the second half to hit 100. Just last season, Gavin McKenna also had a slow start before setting the CHL’s point-streak record – he even ended up in this same article. 

And just like those two before him, DuPont looks as advertised. He’s still making high-end plays and at an elite rate, creating a massive territorial advantage for his team whenever he’s on the ice, and he’s even looking more physical than last year. The biggest thing remains slowing down and controlling the game a bit more. If he can do that and have the percentages swing in his favour, an 85-plus-point season is in the cards. 

Stock Falling 📉

The Brandon Wheat Kings

Even without star forward Roger McQueen, the Brandon Wheat Kings should be one of the WHL’s better teams in the Prairies. With a combination of proven scoring and one of the league’s best collections of 2008- and 2009-born talent, they appeared to be a real dark horse in an open-ice Eastern Conference. 

Yet they are winless in five games. 

The youth have held up their end of the bargain. Jaxon Jacobson and Chase Surkan, two 2027 NHL Draft eligibles, have been better than advertised. Potential first-rounder this summer Giorgos Pantelas has been playing over 25 per night (according to InStat Hockey) as the team’s No. 1, and he’s winning his minutes while doing so. 

But the veterans – Luke Mistelbacher, Jordan Gavin, and Caleb Hadland – haven’t been able to find their scoring touch, with just five goals combined between them. The long-term outlook of the Wheat Kings looks terrific, but the big guns will need to start firing to get back on track.