WHL Trade Trees: Olen Zellweger To The Kamloops Blazers

Welcome back to WHL Trade Trees, a brand new recurring article series looking back at several trades in recent WHL history that have made a major impact on the league. The idea for this article series comes from Steve Dangle and the NHL trade tree videos he used to do during his time with Sportsnet. If you have an idea of a WHL trade to be revisited, please leave a comment below.

This week, we turn the clock back to the last time the WHL hosted the Memorial Cup in 2023. On Jan. 8 of that year, the Everett Silvertips and Kamloops Blazers swung a massive deal to help the Blazers load up as the Memorial Cup hosts that year.

Here’s the full details of the trade: Kamloops acquires 19-year-old defenceman Olen Zellweger and 20-year-old forward Ryan Hofer in exchange for 20-year-old forward Drew Englot, 17-year-old defenceman Kaden Hamell, 17-year-old defenceman Rylan Pearce, the rights to ‘07 forward Jack Bakker, ‘23 1st, ‘23 2nd, ‘23 4th, ‘24 1st, ‘24 5th, ‘25 1st, ‘25 3rd, ‘26 1st, conditional ‘26 2nd, ‘26 6th.

That is certainly a laundry list of assets that were moved in this deal. Buckle up, grab a snack and a cold drink because this one is going to take a while to break down.

Starting with the Kamloops side of the trade tree:

Olen Zellweger:

Zellweger was the main piece of the trade and was an absolute star for the Blazers following the trade. In 32 games following the trade, Zellweger posted 22 goals and 30 assists along with a plus-35 rating for Kamloops. He continued his strong play into the playoffs with 29 points (11g, 18a) in 14 playoff games, helping the Blazers reach the Western Conference final. In four Memorial Cup games, Zellweger tallied one goal and three helpers. The following season, Zellweger began the campaign with the San Diego Gulls in the AHL and made his NHL debut later that season for the Anaheim Ducks. The Blazers never traded Zellweger in the WHL, ending this branch of the trade tree.

Ryan Hofer:

Hofer was solid for the Blazers following the trade. In 30 regular-season games, the Winnipeg, MB product tallied 17 goals and 15 assists for the Blazers. During the playoffs that season, he had eight goals and seven helpers. He added two goals and three assists in four Memorial Cup games. Hofer aged out following the Memorial Cup that season, so the Blazers never traded him within the WHL. That concludes the Blazer portion of this trade tree.

Now onto the expansive Everett Silvertips side of the trade tree:

Drew Englot:

The ink barely dried on the press release for the trade before Englot found himself on the move again. After never appearing in a game for the Silvertips, Englot was dealt to the Swift Current Broncos the following day in exchange for Raphael Pelletier and a second-round pick in 2024. 

Englot would register four goals and six assists for the Broncos in 34 games down the stretch. Pelletier would tally four goals and 18 helpers for Everett in 31 regular-season games. He added four assists in five playoff games for Everett before aging out of the WHL.

With the second round pick, Everett selected defenceman Jaxon Pisani 39th overall. In 19 games this season for the Silvertips as a 16-year-old, Pisani has registered one assist. He is committed to Providence College. 

Kaden Hammell: 

Hammell would immediately become a mainstay in the Silvertip lineup following the deal. In 142 regular-season games with Everett over parts of three seasons, Hammell would register 18 goals and 61 assists. 

Hammell also served as a co-captain with Eric Jamieson during the 2024-25 campaign for Everett. Hammell signed his entry-level contract with the Seattle Kraken and is playing for the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the AHL as a 20-year-old. Everett never traded Hammell in the WHL, ending this branch of the trade tree.

Rylan Pearce: 

Pearce wouldn’t break into the Silvertip lineup until the following 2023-24 season. He would skate in 146 regular-season games in Everett, registering 12 goals and 27 assists during that time frame.

With the Silvertips acquiring Rylan Gould from Swift Current earlier this season, Pearce was the odd man out in terms of 20-year-old players for Everett. He was traded to the Regina Pats on Nov. 14, 2025, in exchange for a fifth-round selection in 2028.

Jack Bakker: 

Bakker was selected by Kamloops in the third round of the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft and had his rights dealt to the Silvertips in the trade. Following the trade, Bakker has yet to appear in a WHL game for Everett. He is currently in the BCHL, where he has split time this season between the Langley Rivermen and Coquitlam Express, registering five goals and one assist in 24 games played.

‘23 First: 

With the 20th overall selection, Everett selected Saskatoon product Caine Wilke. In 51 career regular-season games for the Silvertips, Wilke registered seven goals and 12 assists.

Wilke was dealt to the Calgary Hitmen on Sept. 20, 2025, in exchange for a fifth-round pick in 2026 and a second-round selection in 2028. 

‘23 Second: 

Everett would move this selection, along with a 2025 fourth-round pick, to Saskatoon on May 11, 2023, in exchange for goaltender Ethan Chadwick. 

Chadwick appeared in 28 games for Everett in 2023-24, posting a 15-9-0-0, a 3.46 Goals Against Average and a .883 save percentage along with one shutout. Chadwick made the decision to forgo his 20-year-old season to attend the University of Saskatchewan, and the Silvertips never traded him, ending this branch of the trade tree. 

Saskatoon used the second round selection on goaltender Ryley Budd. Chadwick last played for the Clavet Cougars in the Twin Rivers Hockey League, a senior men’s league in Saskatchewan, earlier this season.

‘23 Fourth:

With the 86th overall selection, Everett selected forward Lukas Lima.

Lima would play a total of three games for the Silvertips at the end of the 2023-24 season, going pointless. Everett would trade Lima to the Lethbridge Hurricanes on July 10, 2025, in exchange for a fifth-round selection in 2029.

Everett would package this selection with a third-rounder in 2027 in a trade with the Calgary Hitmen, who sent netminder Anders Miller back to the Silvertips in return. 

‘24 First:

With the first overall pick, Everett selected defenceman Landon DuPont.

DuPont is the second-ever player to be granted exceptional status in the WHL after Connor Bedard. In 82 career regular-season games for the Silvertips, DuPont has tallied 19 goals and 53 assists. 

‘24 Fifth: 

With the 90th overall selection, Everett selected forward William Picklyk. 

Picklyk has yet to appear in a WHL game for the Silvertips and is currently spending his 16-year-old season with the Steinbach Pistons in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. In 21 games, he has registered three goals to go along with five assists. 

‘25 First:

With the fifth overall selection, the Silvertips would select forward Reid Nicol.

Nicol is currently playing for the Brandon U18 AAA Wheat Kings, where he has posted 16 goals and seven assists in 10 games as a 15-year-old. He should be a full-time contributor for Everett as soon as next season.

‘25 Third:

With the 51st overall selection, Everett selected defenceman Elias Papadatos. 

Papadatos is currently playing for Burnaby Winter Club U18 Prep, where he has registered one goal and seven assists in 14 games as a 15-year-old.

‘26 First, ‘26 Conditional Second, ‘26 Sixth: 

At the time of publishing, the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft has yet to commence. THN has been unable to verify if the conditions on the second-round pick were met. Everett has not traded the first or sixth round selection from the Zellweger deal.

Verdict:

It was a steep price to pay for Kamloops, but the addition of Olen Zellweger and Ryan Hofer was much needed for the Blazers in advance of hosting the Memorial Cup that year. Would the Blazers make this trade if they weren’t the Memorial Cup hosts? Likely not.

For Everett, the deal has set up the franchise for years to come. Some players like Hammell and Pearce have already come and gone, but the likes of DuPont and Nicol are going to shape the future of Silvertip hockey for years to come. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's WHL site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.   

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