There are 224 players selected in the NHL Draft. This season, Utah selected 11 players. Will Skahan is unlike any of those 10 players. He is completely different than most of the players who were in the same draft class as him. The defenseman grew up in a unique place where not many players come from. But his talent could make him a special member of Utah's blue line in the future.
Skahan's Unique Trail
Skahan was born in Orange, California, the city where no NHL player has been born to date. The Anaheim Ducks had been around for 13 years when the defenseman was born, but finding an ice rink in California is still a challenge. Rink hours are limited and there aren't as many rinks as there are up north.
But Skahan was better than most players his age. His father, Shawn, was the strength and conditioning coach for the Ducks and later the Minnesota Wild. Skahan began training with his father when he was 12 and was surrounded by NHL players throughout his childhood. He loved going to the rink to practice and watch Ducks games.
Skahan spent his early years with the Junior Ducks, one of the best youth programs in Southern California. He eventually left California to play in Minnesota. Though he never played for the Golden Gate State again, he witnessed the emergence of hockey as a major sport in the region.
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“I think everybody just started playing,” Skahan said, “I think everybody wanted to expand the sport and the state. And having three NHL teams was really beneficial.”
Skahan played two seasons at St. Thomas Academy and Shattuck St. Mary's before beginning his playing career with the U.S. Development Program. Last season, he appeared in 60 games for the program, scoring 14 points and providing a needed physical presence in those games.
While Minnesota has produced a lot of NHL players, Southern California hasn't produced many. That's starting to change, however. When Skahan was drafted in the second round out of Utah, he became just the second Junior Duck to be drafted in the 2024 NHL Draft, joining Zeev Bouium. With Tanner Henricks being drafted in the fourth round, that brings the program to three players drafted this year. Skahan will be part of a system that shows Southern California is becoming a hotbed of hockey prospects.
Skahan, Utah
Skahan has never been to Salt Lake City but is excited to live there because he has heard only good things about the city's neighborhoods.
“I've heard it's beautiful there, especially the mountains and everything,” Skahan said. “Now they've got a hockey team, so that's going to be great.”
Speaking of mountains, Skahan himself is a mountain. He's 6'4″, a key height for a defenseman. He's known for his physical strength and big, smart hits. His early exposure to NHL players gives him one of the highest hockey IQs in the entire draft.
Skahan is also a great skater and a great shutdown defenseman thanks to his speed. His defensive play has helped him rank 29th in some mock drafts. He models himself after some of the best defensemen in the NHL and is inspired to be just like them.
“I like Alex Pietrangelo, Jakob Slavin and Jacob Trouba,” Skahan said. “Those three guys are really smooth and are guys I want to play like them one day.”
The only downside to Skahan is his offensive production. He's not a player you can rely on offensively. But like Pietrangelo, Slavin and Trouba, it's not all about offense. Many of the best defensive pairings in the league are a strong defensive defenseman paired with a strong offensive defenseman. Paired with an offensive defenseman like Brent Burns and Slavin, or to some extent, the combination of K'Andre Miller and Trouba, Skahan could be a strong defenseman for Utah.
While Skahan hasn't played with any of his new teammates in Utah, he has faced fellow 2024 draft pick Tizi Iginla and is looking forward to actually playing on the same team as Iginla in the future.
“Tizi's always been really good,” Skahan said. “When you play against him at the world championships, he's always been really good, so it'll be really cool to play against him. Same with Cole Beaudoin. Those are the stars they picked in the first round. I hope I get to play against them one day.”
Skahan's competitive spirit and defensive stamina have already put him on the path to being a part of the future of Utah's defensive line, and he looks forward to showing the Utah fans his determination to win when he arrives in Salt Lake City.
“I'm really competitive,” Skahan said, “I'll do anything to win. When you come to the NHL, you're here to win. I'm really looking forward to winning.”
The young defenseman will play at Boston College next season and is a promising prospect for Utah fans to keep an eye on. If he continues to play with the same competitive spirit and focus on winning, Skahan could be a bargain in the draft.
