Spokane Chiefs select Brody Antignani, Jack Arnold in WHL prospects draft | WHL hockey

The Western Hockey League prospects draft of players born in 2011 was held Wednesday, and the Spokane Chiefs had two early selections to restock a lineup that finished second in the U.S. Division but sixth in the Western Conference and was eliminated from the first round of the playoffs by Prince George in five games.

With the 12th overall pick, the Chiefs selected left-shooting forward Brody Antignani, a 5-foot-8, 149 pounder from Calgary, Alberta.

He played with the Edge School U15 Prep team in 2025-26 and scored 29 goals with 37 assists in 30 regular season games. Antignani added three goals and two assists in five playoff games.

EliteProspects.com ranked Antignani as the eighth-rated prospect in this draft and described him as “one of the most complete offensive centers in this class,” and praised his playmaking vision as the “trait that sets him apart.”

“Brody is a high-octane player who has produced offense at every level he has played. He is highly dangerous and creative with the puck on his stick,” said George Ross, the Chiefs’ director of player personnel, via release.

The Chiefs had a second first-round pick, the No. 16 overall obtained from Calgary in the trade that sent Mathis Preston to Vancouver in January. With that pick, the Chiefs selected right-shooting winger Jack Arnold of North Richland Hills, Texas – the first American-born player off the board.

Arnold (6-3, 170) played the 2025-26 season with the Dallas Stars Elite 14U team and scored 25 goals with 25 assists and 50 penalty minutes in 44 regular season games. He added two goals and two assists in three playoff games.

“Jack is a big, athletic and skilled power forward with elite-level work ethic on and off the ice,” Ross said. “He is skilled in his playmaking with a powerful and accurate shot.”

Spokane owns the first pick in the second round on Thursday.