WHL Cup Features 3 Hurricanes Draft Picks

Junior hockey insiders have turned their attention to Calgary for the WHL Cup which starts today at the Markin MacPhail Centre.

Formerly known as the Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup, it is a showcase of the best young talent coming up to the Western Hockey League. 80 players will suit up for four provincial teams: BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

It's also a chance for Hockey Canada scouts to take a look at what's coming up for future international events. And a few current NHLers have graced the ice in this tournament, including Matt Dumba, Jake Virtanen, Mathew Barzal, Brayden Point and Nolan Patrick.

A few current Lethbridge Hurricanes have starred in the tournament, including Logan Barlage in 2016 and Bryan Thomson and Noah Boyko in 2017.

This year, a trio of Hurricanes prospects will be suiting up.

Game Day ready!#AlbertaBuilt | #WHLCup pic.twitter.com/4EfXOcUqyL

— Team Alberta Hockey (@TeamABHockey) October 23, 2019

We start with forward Reid Mackay, who will play for Team Alberta. The 6'0", 155-pound product of Irma has been a point-generating machine for the Northern Alberta Extreme Elite-15 club, potting three goals and eight assists in six games. Mackay was a third round pick of the Hurricanes, 65th overall in this summer's WHL Bantam Draft.

@sbaahlmaniacs @SaskatoonMHA congratulations to 2018-19 Maniacs captain Logan McCutcheon on his WHL debut! #hardworkpaysoff https://t.co/UNiJEnfpvu

— Saskatoon Maniacs Bantam AA (@sbaahlmaniacs) September 24, 2019

Fellow third rounder Logan McCutcheon will man the blueline for Team Saskatchewan. Hurricanes fans got a sneak peek of the 5'7", 125-pound defenseman in the season opener against Medicine Hat as they awaited the return of Calen Addison. McCutcheon was compared to Addison when he was drafted, and has four assists in nine games with the Saskatoon Blazers.

Legionnaires' Lawrence, Broncos' Draft Picks Open Play at WHL Cup - https://t.co/tqkXBhhuIW https://t.co/GCpXagY8Dz

— Swift Current Online (@SCOLnews) October 23, 2019

Also dressing for Team Saskatchewan will be Hurricanes sixth round pick Jakin Lawrence. The 5'11", 150-pound forward is another big body with a knack for scoring. He has three goals in eleven games for the Swift Current Legionnaires this season. He was over a point-per-game with the West Central Bantam AA Wheat Kings during the previous two seasons.

Will any of those three make an impact for their teams? Will the Hurricanes start eyeing up potential deals to get a hold of players who turn heads over the next few days? We shall see.