The Brandon Wheat Kings have signed their top pick from the 2026 Western Hockey League draft, as 15-year-old centre Rylan Edwards officially became the first member of this year’s class to commit to the club.
Edwards, from Regina, Saskatchewan, was selected 18th overall by the Wheat Kings after the team traded back in the first round with the Saskatoon Blades. The deal saw Brandon send the 15th overall pick and a fifth-round selection to Saskatoon in exchange for the 18th pick and an additional pick at 67th overall. The Wheat Kings landed the player they had targeted all along.
Last season, Edwards played for the Northern Alberta Xtreme U15 Prep team in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League, where the five-foot-six, 145-pound forward posted 17 goals and 26 assists for 43 points in 28 games. He will spend the 2026-27 season closer to home with the Regina Pat Canadians, a team that has earned bronze and gold medals at the Telus Cup in the past two years, before joining the Wheat Kings full time.
Hockey runs in Edwards’ family. His father Troy played briefly for the Regina Pats in the 1980s and spent three seasons with the Moose Jaw Warriors, while his cousin Matthew suited up for the Vancouver Giants and Spokane Chiefs. Edwards knows the path ahead and the patience it takes to reach the WHL.
The signing comes during an off-season of change in Brandon. The Wheat Kings recently did not renew contracts for assistant coaches Mark Derlago and Del Pedrick, and also lost director of player development Riley Dudar to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Winnipeg Monarchs, along with athletic therapist Zach Hartwick who left for Sudbury to be closer to family. Head coach and general manager Marty Murray, who took over both roles in 2022, is still evaluating his coaching arrangement for the coming season. Despite the turnover, securing Edwards early signals the club’s commitment to its newest wave of talent.
