When the name Peyton Kettles was announced at the 2025 NHL Draft in Los Angeles, it opened the floodgates.

Soon after Kettles (second round) put on his Pittsburgh Penguins jersey, the Philadelphia Flyers selected Matthew Gard (second round), the Montreal Canadiens called out Hayden Paupanekis's name (third round), the Winnipeg Jets selected Owen Martin (third round) and then the New York Islanders announced that Burke Hood (sixth round) would be in their development system as a brand-new goaltender.

On June 27-28, 2025, at the Peacock Theatre in L.A., of the seven Manitobans chosen in the 2025 Draft, five former members of Winnipeg's RINK Hockey Academy were selected almost one after the other.

What It Meant to the Players

"It's a big deal for the RINK, it really is," said Kettles. "All of us kind of back-to-back in that group is really cool. I played with Gard, Paupanekis and Martin for a year at the RINK and it was fun to be with them at the Draft."

"And I loved playing at the RINK. We got to go into the gym every day and play hockey every day. And the level of hockey was a big step up from AAA. It was a lot faster and more physical, and we played against much better players. Playing in the CSSHL is just better than other leagues at that age level."

Kettles' remarks echo the sentiments of almost every player who has had the privilege to play at RHA. Because of the experience of the coaching staffs, the ability to workout at Testify Performance and the fact you can be on the ice every day, it's no wonder that so many RHA players get drafted, first by the Western Hockey League and then by the NHL.

Matthew Gard: From U18 Prep to Team Canada Gold

Matthew Gard is an excellent example of that. From the spring of 2023 to the fall of the same year, he went from the U18 Prep team at the RINK Hockey Academy right to the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL. Then, after two seasons in Red Deer, the 6-foot-5, 200-pound centre made U18 Team Canada and won a gold medal at the 2025 World Championship.

Gard, who grew up in the Seven Oaks area of Winnipeg, credits the RINK with helping to make him an IIHF gold medalist and an NHL Draft pick.

"I really liked playing at the RINK because it set me up for the Western League," said Gard, who also won a silver medal playing for Canada at the 2023 U16 World Ball Hockey Championships in Liberec, Czechia. "To be able to get onto the ice every day and have the gym available to me at any time made a huge difference in my game."

Brad Purdie, the RINK's U15 Prep head coach, remembers well how Gard improved in his first of two seasons at RHA.

"Matt really found his game in the second half of his U15 season," recalled Purdie. "He was another player who made an immediate impact in the Western League after two years of development here at the RINK."

Hayden Paupanekis: A High-Level Game Made Even Better

Hayden Paupanekis is another RINK graduate who honed an already high-level game in his one superb season at the RINK. During the 2022-23 CSSHL season he led the U18 RINK team in goals (23) while becoming one of the top prospects in the CSSHL.

"My goal was to make it in the Dub and have a good year there," he said. "I never gave any thought to the college route. When I got to the RINK, my goal was the Western League because I've always wanted to play pro hockey. The RINK definitely prepared me to play at the WHL level."

Owen Martin: Built for the Next Level

Owen Martin, meanwhile, was a player who was destined to play at a high level when he arrived at the RINK as a U15 player — playing at the U18 level — in 2022. After all, he was a player who would go hard to the net without any fear at all and his style was compared to that of Matthew Tkachuk. He's exactly the type of player the Winnipeg Jets were looking for on Draft Day.

Martin played all of his minor hockey in the Eastman region and started as a youngster with the Springfield Ice Hawks.

"I don't even remember how old I was when I started," he said. "I was probably around four or five. I played minor hockey with the Springfield Ice Hawks in my hometown in Oakbank. I eventually decided to go play at RHA because it's such a great facility and it was obviously the best place for me to develop and get ready to play at the next level."

Burke Hood: The Goaltender Built to Stand Out

As for goaltender Burke Hood, U15 head coach Brad Purdie always believed he'd be a prospect.

"Hood was a big goalie, taller than 6-feet when he arrived in 2021 as a 2007," said Purdie. "If you're a shooter, you'll look up and you won't see much net; it plays with your mind right away. Hopefully, he can use that size to his advantage."

It appears that he has, all thanks to the goalie coaches at the RINK.

Five Graduates. One Clear Message.

All five of these RHA graduates now appear to be ready to take on the next level. And all five agree that the RINK was the place that improved their game and got them ready for whatever the next level has to offer.