Seattle Thunderbirds forward Brock England is ready and excited to go through the biggest year of his hockey career so far.
England is starring in his second full season in the Western Hockey League, entering the season listed at No. 6 on TSN’s Director of Scouting Craig Button’s NHL Draft list and No. 10 on TSN’s pre-season draft ranking.
The 5-foot-10 centre is not shying away from the extra pressure that comes with his draft season.
“It’s a special year, it only happens once,” England told TSN earlier this season. “It can get a little nerve-racking for sure, seeing the scouts in the stands, but I think playing my game is all I can do every single night and show what I can bring. I’m trying not to overthink too much and just be out there and have fun.”
England began major junior with high expectations after being selected 11th overall by the Thunderbirds in the 2024 WHL Draft.
The Red Deer, Alta., native opened the 2024-25 campaign playing high school hockey with the Calgary Edge School under-18 prep team but joined the Thunderbirds when his season was finished.
Seattle was wrapping up their regular season, so on top of moving to a new country, city, and team, England got his feet wet with a group preparing for the playoffs.
“Being a 15-year-old in the playoffs is obviously scary coming from U18,” said England. “It’s a big jump, but I think I handled myself really well. We had a lot of guys helping me and adjusting to the speed. I think getting my feet wet in those few regular-season games really helped me going into the playoffs.
England registered two goals and three points in his three regular-season games that season and added an assist in five games in the playoffs before his team was eliminated by the Everett Silvertips in the first round of the playoffs.
He then went through his first full season in the league last year, showing why he was a first-round pick by scoring 21 goals and 51 points in 64 games. The team finished seventh in the Western Conference for the second season in a row and England recorded two goals and three points in the playoffs before his team was eliminated by the expansion Penticton Vees in the first round.
“I think I proved myself pretty well in my first full year,” said England. “I didn’t really have any expectations, but I think I did the best I could. I had a pretty successful year individually and I’m just trying to bring that into this season to help our team win.”
England has big expectations for the Thunderbirds this season as they look to take a step forward and advance in the playoffs. However, the team has struggled out of the gate, going 5-9-3 and sitting last in the Western Conference.
Despite the slow start, England is still shining with six goals and 14 points in 17 games, and he was named as one of the first four players to represent the Canadian Hockey League’s team in the CHL USA Prospects Challenge in Chicoutimi and Quebec City on Dec. 1 and 2.
He still believes his team can do something special this season and compete in the U.S. Division and the rest of the WHL.
“We have a super special team this year,” said England. “I think we’re super hardworking, super physical, and we also have that hard grit. We’re obviously tough to play against, but I think we have a lot of skill. We’re exciting to watch and we’ll stand up for each other no matter what.”
The CHL USA Prospects Challenge features the top 2027 NHL Draft eligible CHL players going up against the United States National Development Team Program’s under-18 team. It gives scouts the opportunity to see many of the top draft-eligible players in one spot.
England is known for his skating prowess but views himself as a dynamic two-way forward who can use his speed to create offence and back-check defensively.
Though he grew up a Toronto Maple Leafs fan that idolized Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, he has since gravitated towards Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon and sees similarities in his game to his own.
He recognizes that being one of the first players selected in a talent pool that includes three different major junior leagues is a big honour and is looking forward to taking everything he can in to improve his game.
“It’s super special being one of the first four to be named to that team,” said England. “I mean, it’s the best of the best so you have to be super excited for that.
“I’m looking forward to learning from the coaches. It’s not going to be my coaching staff (Team CHL will be headed by North Bay Battalion coach Ryan Oulahen) so it will be interesting to take away from what they’re doing. Then being able to talk to and learn from the other guys in the room will be special. They are the best of the best that I’ll be competing against.”
The CHL USA Prospects Challenge is often billed as the Canadian hockey system going up against the American development system. England already has a lot of experience representing Canada after winning gold last season at the Under-17 World Hockey Challenge and gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in August.
Canada had a three-year gold medal streak snapped in 2025 at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup by having to watch the United State win the title.
England said he felt the pressure for Canada to win entering this year’s edition of the championship and recognizes the importance of the rivalry with the United States, no matter what stage they’re on.
“I think it’s super special, I mean, Canada and the U.S. have been rivals for so long and I think you have to take pride in that,” said England. “I think just being able to play for your country is super special. You take pride in that. You try to get that extra inch. I think our entire team did that [at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup] and we all played for each other. That’s what helped us come out with the gold.”