Josh Wesley

History

2010-11: Josh Wesley skated for the East Coast Eagles program in North Carolina.

2011-12: Wesley played for the Carolina Junior Hurricanes U16 AAA team. He scored 7 goals with 6 assists and 10 penalty minutes in 18 regular season games and scored 1 goal with 6 assists and 14 penalty minutes in five playoff games. Wesley was invited to USA Hockey’s 2011 National Team Development Program Evaluation Camp in March and was offered a spot in the program for the 2012-13 season. He was selected by Plymouth in the fifth round (101st overall) in the 2012 OHL Priority Draft.

2012-13: Wesley moved to Ann Arbor to skate for the NTDP’s U17 team and played for the USA’s bronze medal team at the 2013 World Hockey Challenge in Canada. He had 7 assists and 20 penalty minutes in 56 regular season games and had 2 assists with 4 penalty minutes in six games at the WHC.

2013-14: Wesley joined the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers — skating in 66 of 68 regular season games as a 17-year-old rookie. He scored 2 goals with 6 assists and was minus-2 with 62 penalty minutes. Plymouth finished fourth in the West Division and lost to eventual OHL champion Guelph in the first round of the playoffs. Wesley had 1 assist and was minus-1 with 2 penalty minutes in five playoff games. He was ranked 111th amongst North American skaters in the Central Scouting final rankings and was selected by Carolina in the fourth round (96th overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft.

2014-15: Wesley played in his first pro hockey game — skating for the Carolina AHL affiliate Charlotte on an amateur tryout contract following his second season with the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers. He was -2 with no points nor penalties in his only game with the Checkers. Wesley played 63 games for the Whalers, scoring 5 goals with 5 assists and finishing -18 with 67 penalty minutes. Plymouth missed the playoffs, finishing fourth in the West Division in what would be the club’s final season before moving to Flint.
 

Talent Analysis

Wesley’s game mimics that of his dad, Glen, who spent the last two-thirds of his NHL career as a rock-solid defensive defenseman. Wesley has work to do make the NHL — especially considering the organization’s depth on defense — but his pedigree and progression have him pointed in the right direction.

Future

Wesley will return to the OHL, moving with his team from Plymouth to Flint, for the 2015-16 season. He played in one AHL game last season on a pro tryout with the Checkers, and should be poised to join Carolina’s AHL affiliate in 2016-17.