Red Deer Rebels Ollie Josephson and Chase Wutzke heard their names called at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
Josephson became the first Rebels player in franchise history to be selected by the Seattle Kraken meanwhile Wutzke was picked up by the Minnesota Wild.
Wutzke, who was taken 142nd overall in the fifth round by the Wild, is fresh off an outstanding rookie season in Red Deer.
The Debden, Sask. product spoke to the media in Las Vegas following the draft and expressed his excitement for joining the Wild.
"It's awesome. I can't wait to get started and start playing some more hockey," Wutzke said.
Heading into the 2023-24 WHL campaign, he was unranked by NHL Central Scouting but after a tremendous performance through the regular season and playoffs, he was considered one of the top goalie prospects in North America.
At the beginning of last season, the Rebels were unsure of how much playing time he'd get if any at all.
But after the Rebels traded Kyle Kelsey to the Tri-City Americans, Wutzke became one of the most relied-upon players on the roster along with Rhett Stoesser before he got injured late in the year.
"[Stoesser and I] always battled and pushed each other in practices and games. I just felt like for me to get drafted I needed to show everybody I can be that number one guy," Wutzke said.
He posted a 2.82 goals against average and a .904 save percentage in 36 games with a 19-10-2 record. He also recorded a 2.48 GAA and a .924 save percentage in seven playoff games.
In addition, he won multiple WHL Goaltender of the Week honours as well as Goaltender of the Month.
"Yeah, I feel like my success this season definitely helped me get where I am today and get me up here on this podium," he added. "It was awesome getting those awards but I knew my main goal was to get drafted and I knew that would help."
When asked what part of his game he developed the most this season he said his speed, more specifically his lateral movement. His confidence also developed the more games he suited up between the pipes.
"Red Deer's been awesome. It's a top-notch place to play in the Western Hockey League. I feel like they've done everything with my physical play and everything," he said.
"The teams we came up against in the playoffs were great. I feel like the way I played in the playoffs helped me with this draft. It was a big confidence booster playing against those top guys knowing that I can stand in there too against them."
Josephson, 17, from Victoria, B.C. was selected 105th overall in the fourth round of the draft.
This past season with the Rebels he had career highs in goals (12), assists (35), and points (47), which helped him reach second in team scoring behind captain Kai Uchacz. He also added five points in nine playoff games.
As a rookie in the 2022-23 season, he contributed five goals and 14 assists for 19 points in 63 games which earned him team rookie of the year honours.
In addition, Josephson has represented Canada in two international tournaments winning gold at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the 2024 U18 World Championship.