Edina’s Mason West Shocks Draft by Going First Round to Chicago
It’s been a wild ride for Edina’s own Mason West—and if you’ve been following Minnesota high school sports, you know exactly why this is such a big moment. Just a year ago, Mason was juggling football practices and hockey games, not even fully aware that he was entering his NHL draft-eligible season. Now? He’s a first-round NHL Draft pick, selected 29th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks.
What makes this even more incredible is how Mason’s journey wasn’t your typical path to the NHL. This is a 6-foot-6, 218-pound dual-sport athlete who didn’t commit to playing hockey full-time until fairly recently. While many draft prospects spend years focused solely on ice development, Mason split his energy between leading Edina High School’s offense as a pocket-passing quarterback and dominating the rink as a top-line center. In fact, he’s still planning to return for one more high school football season this fall—yes, even after getting drafted into the NHL.
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It all began to shift when West received an invitation to the NHL Scouting Combine. At that point, the buzz around him started to build. Ranked 27th on NHL Central Scouting’s list of North American skaters, West made the leap from a promising dual-sport athlete to a legitimate NHL contender. He joined the USHL’s Fargo Force and didn’t miss a beat, logging a goal and nine points in just 10 games. That’s after putting up 27 goals and 49 points in only 31 games with Edina High earlier in the season.
Mason is committed to playing for Michigan State, set to join the Spartans for the 2026–27 season. But Chicago clearly saw enough to bet on his raw size, skill, and drive—even with the knowledge that his NFL-level football talent could have taken him in an entirely different direction. That’s the kind of multi-dimensional prospect NHL teams don’t see very often.
It’s hard not to draw comparisons to Mason’s idol, Anders Lee—also an Edina native, also a former high school quarterback, and now captain of the New York Islanders. West says he's “super blessed” to be in this position, and you can see it all over his story: the work ethic, the humility, and the hometown pride.
Chicago had to trade up with Carolina to grab the 29th pick, giving up multiple assets just to get a shot at West. That’s a big statement. It’s not just a gamble—they clearly believe this kid has what it takes to become a major force at the NHL level.
So here we are: Mason West, a name once echoing through the Friday night lights of Edina football fields, now etched into NHL history books. And he’s only just getting started.
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