Prospect Update: Brady Turko

By Thomas Harrington

The Anaheim Ducks drafted forward Brady Turko in the seventh round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, 200th overall. He played for the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL this past season, his second full season with them.

Turko’s second WHL season saw him improve his goal and point totals, while playing in fewer games. After scoring seven goals and 26 points in his rookie year, Turko scored 18 goals and 36 points in 66 games. He played in four games for Brandon in the playoffs, but was scoreless, and they were swept by the Calgary Hitmen. Turko finished 10th on the Wheat Kings in scoring and sixth in goals. He tied his career high for points in a game with three in late January. Turko also lit the lamp six times over a four-game stretch in November.

Turko is a skilled forward who needs to improve both his physical play and his skating. He’s also grown substantially over the past few years. Hopefully he can fully adjust to his growth spurt this coming season and learn to use his body to create space more effectively on the ice.

Turko should be back with Brandon in the WHL this coming season. He’s had two solid seasons for them; now I’d like to see him take his next step in his third year of junior hockey. I have a few expectations for him. First, I’d like to see him crack the 20 goal and 50 point marks. 20 goals certainly feels doable, while 50 is definitely more of a jump, but it would be a great sign of his development if he does get to 50 points. Second, for him to once again play in a majority of Brandon’s games. Finally, he’s played in nine playoff games over the past two seasons, and Brandon has only won one of them. I’d like to see Turko help the Wheat Kings push their first round series to six or seven games.

Seventh round picks rarely make the NHL, so the odds are stacked against Turko. Also, he was one of the youngest players chosen at the 2025 draft, which means he could take a little longer to develop than other players taken last summer. However, his young age also means he could have a little more to develop than other players taken late in a draft. He’ll have at least another year or two of juniors ahead of him, possibly time in the NCAA, and then probably a couple of years in the AHL after that. If he can take a big step over each of the next several seasons, he’ll have a chance at making his NHL debut in the 2031-2032 season, but it’s going to take a lot of work from Turko to get to that point.

Turko is currently unsigned, and the Ducks control his rights until June 2027. He doesn’t need to be one of the best players in the WHL to earn a contract over the next year, but Turko does need to have a better season if he wants to sign his entry-level deal with Anaheim. Alternatively, he could transfer to the NCAA after this season and extend his signing rights by a couple of years.

The next prospect update will be on defenseman Tyson Hinds.

Related Articles:

Prospect Update: Lucas Pettersson

Prospect Update: Darels Ujlanskis

Prospect Update: Eric Nilson

Prospect Profile: Cruz Lucius

Prospect Update: Alexis Mathieu

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September 6th, 2026