Moose Jaw Minor Hockey product Jaxsen Wiebe is the newest member of the National Hockey League.
Wiebe, 20, signed an entry-level deal with the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday afternoon, becoming the latest player from Canada’s Most Notorious City to join the ranks of the top professional hockey league in the world.
“I am thrilled to be joining the Anaheim Ducks organization after signing my first NHL contract,” Wiebe said in a press release making the announcement.
“It is a great opportunity with all of the young talent they have there, and I am eager for the journey ahead. I want to say a big thank you to my family, billet families, friends, teammates, Thunder Creek agency, and all of the supporting staff I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know over the past five years of my junior career.”
It’s been an interesting hockey journey for the overage forward, beginning when he was selected in the seventh round, 141st overall by the Red Deer Rebels in the 2017 WHL Prospects Draft, and in the second round, 22nd overall, by the Nipawin Hawks in the 2017 SJHL Draft.
Wiebe ended up playing the season after the drafts in Nipawin, where he had 13 goals and 26 points in 48 games as a 16-year-old. That led to the Rebels taking a hard look at the now 6-foot-1, 209-pound right-handed shot in camp the following season, and he’d crack the Red Deer roster, putting up eight goals and 17 points in 52 games.
Wiebe would split time in his 18-year-old season between Red Deer and Nipawin, playing four games for the Hawks and putting up five points before the WHL launched its COVID season. Wiebe would join the Rebels in living in the Red Deer Centrium during the Central Division campaign, putting up a goal and three points in 21 games for the last-place club.
Red Deer opted to give Wiebe a change of scenery in the off-season, trading him to the Edmonton Oil Kings, and setting in motion the chain of events that would lead to his NHL signing.
Wiebe would emerge as a leader with Edmonton, serving as an assistant captain, and the Oil Kings would go on to post the second-best record in the WHL at 50-14-3-1 before rolling through the playoffs and claiming the WHL Championship. Wiebe played 13 games during the run, putting up two goals and eight points.
Edmonton’s appearance in the Memorial Cup didn’t hurt Wiebe’s pro hockey stock, either, as he’d put up a hat trick in the Oil Kings’ 4-3 overtime win over Saint John’s and would record three goals and four points throughout the run.
That all led to this season, with Edmonton trading Wiebe to the Prince George Cougars after six games. He’d fit right in with his new club, putting up 11 goals and 27 points heading into play this weekend.
Wiebe will close out his WHL campaign in Prince George before joining the Ducks for training camp this fall.
