Fame is a unique status that has the tremendous ability to appear or disappear in an instant. Cole Reschny is a name unfamiliar to most casual hockey fans, but to some analysts and evaluators, he’s a prospect on the fast track to having his name known in living rooms all across the country. The leading point scorer for the Victoria Royals is projected to be drafted in the first round in 2025, and could be a steal for whichever team is lucky enough to grab him.
Born in Macklin, Sask., a town of 1200 people located roughly halfway between Saskatoon and Edmonton, Reschny made several provincial prep teams before being drafted third overall by the Victoria Royals in the 2022 WHL Bantam Draft, the highest pick the organization has ever submitted. Only 16 at the time, he made an immediate impact in the WHL, scoring 59 points in his first full season with the team. On pace for 86 points this season, Reschny has stepped up from provincial squads to national teams, making both the Canada Red U17 squad and Team CHL in the newly formed CHL USA Prospects Challenge. Evidently there’s a lot of interest in the youngster, but what makes him such a desirable prospect?
Coming in at 5-foot-10 and 187 lbs, Reschny is on the smaller side for a modern winger. Neutral Zone scouts observed his game relies on his intelligence, referencing how his positioning was excellent: ‘He consistently got open as a passing option on the breakout and quickly moved the puck to teammates to advance the play. Defensively, he did an excellent job tracking opponents and forcing turnovers. With the puck, Cole handled through contact effectively and used his strong edges to find and exploit open space.’
Few 17 year olds have the pressure of carrying a WHL squad on their back, let alone the weight of an entire franchise. While Reschny has broken several team records such as most points scored by a 16 year old and the aforementioned earliest Royals draft pick, the most notable achievements are still locked away for the future, specifically looking to be the first ever Victoria Royal chosen in the first round of the NHL Draft. To an organization founded in 2011, this level of legitimacy would be a huge feather in the cap. Currently ranked anywhere from middle to the back of the first round, only time will tell if the decade long curse will be lifted.
Reschny is an extremely talented and hardworking prospect to keep an eye on, and one that could rise a lot further than anyone could predict.
by Johnny Cole
Johnny Cole is a 23 year old writer and university student working out of Victoria, British Columbia. A passionate sports fan and lifelong athlete, Johnny is focused on telling human stories that often go under appreciated and under-covered.