WHL Trade Trees: Re-visiting The Nolan Allan Trade
Welcome to this first-ever edition of 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.
The first trade we will be revisiting occurred on Nov. 16, 2022, between the Prince Albert Raiders and the Seattle Thunderbirds that helped Seattle bolster their club on route to the 2023 Ed Chynoweth Cup and an appearance at the 2023 Memorial Cup in Kamloops.
Here’s the full details of the trade:
Seattle acquires ‘03 defenceman Nolan Allan and the rights to ‘05 forward Reese Shaw from Prince Albert in exchange for ‘04 forward Gabe Ludwig, ‘04 defenceman Easton Kovacs, ‘05 forward Brayden Dube, 2023 first-round selection (via Kelowna), 2024 first-round selection, 2024 third-round selection, 2025 sixth-round selection.
Let’s start with looking at each asset Seattle acquired in the deal:
Nolan Allan
Allan proved to be a great addition for the Thunderbirds. In 41 regular-season games for Seattle, Allan had seven goals and nine assists along with a plus-27 rating. In 19 playoff games, the Chicago Blackhawks prospect would add two goals and nine helpers while being plus-22 during the postseason. The Thunderbirds never traded Allan in the WHL, ending this particular branch of the trade tree.
Reese Shaw
Shaw has never appeared in a WHL game for the Thunderbirds. The Coon Rapids, Minnesota, product has played for the Lincoln Stars and Des Moines Buccaneers in the USHL. As of publishing, Shaw is suiting up for the Chilliwack Chiefs in the BCHL, where he has five goals and 11 assists in 11 games played this season. Shaw is committed to Lake Superior State University in the NCAA.
That ends the Seattle Thunderbirds half of the trade tree.
Now onto the more lengthy Prince Albert Raiders side of the trade tree.
Gabe Ludwig
After the deal, Ludwig would only skate in 37 games for the Raiders, posting two goals and seven assists during his time in Hockeytown North. The following offseason, Ludwig found himself back on the move as he was traded to the Wenatchee Wild on July 28, 2023, in exchange for an eighth-round selection in 2027.
The Raiders would flip that eighth-round pick on Oct. 7, 2024, to the Prince George Cougars. In return, Prince Albert received import defenceman Vojtech Vochvest. In 55 games for the Raiders, Vochvest proved to be a steady defensive presence and scored one goal and added four helpers. He also appeared in all 11 playoff games for Prince Albert last season.
This past offseason, Vochvest signed a pro contract in his home country of Czechia with his hometown club of BK Mlada Boleslav. The Raiders never traded Vochvest in the WHL, ending this branch of the trade tree.
Easton Kovacs
Kovacs would be a steady presence in the Raider lineup for the next two seasons. He would appear in 111 regular-season games for Prince Albert, posting four goals and 13 assists during that time.
Ahead of his 20-year-old season, the Raiders would ship Kovacs to Wenatchee on Aug. 22, 2024, in exchange for a conditional fifth-round selection in 2028. Kovacs would never appear in a game for the Wild, so the conditions of the pick were never met. That concludes that branch of the trade tree.
Brayden Dube
Since arriving in Prince Albert, Brayden Dube has skated in 196 games for the Raiders. During that time, Dube has notched 60 goals along with 68 assists. The Roblin, Manitoba product enjoyed a breakout season for the Raiders in 2024-25 with 31 goals along with 36 helpers, appearing in all 68 regular-season games for Prince Albert.
Dube is currently one of three 20-year-olds on the Raider roster in 2025-26 and has not been traded in the WHL, ending this branch of the trade tree.
2023 first-round selection via Kelowna:
The Thunderbirds originally acquired this pick from the Kelowna Rockets on Dec. 5, 2019, as part of the Matthew Wedman trade. The Rockets were trying to load up to host the 2020 Memorial Cup at the time, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prince Albert would hold on to this selection, which turned into the seventh overall pick and used it on winger Ty Meunier. In 86 career games with the Raiders, Meunier has registered 19 goals along with 21 assists.
2024 first-round selection:
Seattle finished with the fourth-worst record in the WHL in the 2023-24 campaign. The Raiders would end up winning the draft lottery and jumping from fourth to second overall, selecting defenceman Brock Cripps.
The 16-year-old Cripps has skated in 18 games for the Raiders in his young career and has registered eight assists along with a plus-10 rating.
2024 third-round selection:
Prince Albert utilized this selection to take Nipawin, Saskatchewan, product Liam Myhre with the 49th overall pick. Myhre made his WHL debut last season for the Raiders, skating in three regular-season games.
As a 16-year-old, Myhre is currently playing for the Prince Albert Mintos in the SMAAAHL, where he has posted five goals along with eight helpers in 14 games played this season. While not a full-time WHL contributor yet, Myhre could crack the Raiders as a 17-year-old next season.
2025 sixth-round selection:
Through a separate trade, this pick would end up back in Seattle. Prince Albert packaged this pick along with defenceman Owen Boucher in exchange for a fourth round selection in 2027.
Seattle would use this selection on defenceman Jack Parsons, who currently plays for the Okotoks U18 AAA Oilers in the Alberta Elite Hockey League.
2026 second and sixth-round selections:
At the time of publishing, the 2026 WHL Prospects has yet to commence. The Raiders have not traded either pick, and it is unknown if the conditions on the sixth-round pick were met.
With the Raiders being near the top of the Eastern Conference standings, general manager Curtis Hunt could utilize either pick to add to the current Prince Albert roster or bolster the team for the future by holding course and using these selections.
Verdict:
This deal looks to be a win-win for both sides. Allan was a critical piece to Seattle’s team that helped them take down another juggernaut in the Winnipeg ICE in the league final. It’s unfortunate for Seattle that some of the futures given up in the deal turned into high-end first-round selections such as Ty Meunier and Brock Cripps, but championship banners hang forever, and it was worth the price they paid.
Prince Albert added several future pieces that have helped shape the Raiders into a contender in 2025-26, including Dube, Meunier and Cripps.
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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