Yorkton Terriers select Duke Lesnar, the son of wrestling royalty, in SJHL Draft

The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League could soon feature a name familiar to wrestling and mixed martial arts fans.

With their fourth round selection in the league’s 2010-born draft on Tuesday, the Yorkton Terriers chose forward Duke Lesnar with the 47th overall pick.

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Lesnar is the son of former UFC and WWE champion Brock Lesnar and fellow wrestling icon Rena Lesnar, better known as Sable.

Playing with the Calgary International Hockey Academy’s U17 Prep team last season, the 15-year-old Duke finished tied for 12th in team scoring, with 11 goals and 15 points in 19 games.

Prior to his time in Calgary, Duke was the top scorer on the Notre Dame U15 Prep Hounds in Wilcox, Sask. where he posted 13 goals and 28 points in 30 games.

“We were excited to add a number of our highest-priority selections,” Terriers head coach and general manager Emery Olauson said in a statement.

“Obviously, the only downside of having such a successful season last year is having to wait until 11th overall in each round, but with that being said, we’re very excited about the depth we were able to add to our list.”

The Terriers likely won’t have the first crack at keeping the young Lesnar next season, however, as he is a prospect for the Western Hockey League’s Medicine Hat Tigers, after the team picked him with the 115th selection in last year’s WHL Prospects Draft.

While he was born in Minnesota, Duke and the rest of the Lesnar family moved north to a rural property near Maryfield, Sask. in the 2010s.

Nicknamed “The Beast Incarnate,” Brock Lesnar is a seven-time WWE champion and three-time WWE Universal champion, and he also held the UFC heavyweight champion after his win at UFC 91 over Randy Couture.

Sable held the WWE’s Women’s Championship belt between Nov. 15, 1998 and May 10, 1999.

The La Ronge Ice Wolves held the first overall pick in both the SJHL 2010-born and 2011 born drafts on Tuesday, selecting Notre Dame U18 AAA Hounds defenceman Arlo Barclay and North West U15 AA Stars forward Kacy Turberfield.

At the league’s annual general meeting last week, the SJHL also announced its intention to improve camera set ups at its 12 rinks across the province, as well a return to a balanced schedule in 2026-27, with clubs playing divisional rivals eight times and every other team four times.