Today marks the 15th birthday of Swift Current hockey prospect Anthony Wilson, though the special occasion may have felt like it arrived five days early this year.

Wilson saw his named called 59th overall in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft by the Victoria Royals on April 22, shifting the mood from a being bit anxious to one of absolute elation.

"We put [the draft] on the TV, and I was just waiting there and getting a little bit nervous," Wilson said, recalling the moments before the 59th pick. "My phone was a little bit ahead, so I couldn't resist - I had to go on my phone while my parents were watching on the TV. My name popped up there, and I said 'well I guess I'm going to Victoria'. They didn't believe me for a sec there, but then it popped up on the TV and it was unbelievable."

"I was in a state of shock there for a little bit and I'm still pumped, so it's pretty awesome."

Wilson was the second selection the Royals made in the 2020 draft, and the forward said it's the perfect club to be valued highly by.

"They're obviously a first-class organization. I've heard a lot of great things about them. Obviously a great place - it's beautiful out there, so it's going to be pretty exciting," Wilson said, noting he and the organization had made multiple points of contact the past season.

The 5-foot-8, 166-pound Wilson said he prides himself on being able to bring a power forward approach to the ice.

"I can put pucks in the net, and have the ability to play that physical game too - not afraid to go to the dirty areas."

Wilson's path was slightly different than that of the majority of southwest prospects draft in 2020, as he spent both years of Bantam in B.C. and Alberta in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League.

"You get to practice your skills a lot more and it's great. Every day you're power skating and working on skills you need to improve your game. It's really good - that's how you get better," he said of the academy experience.

The southwest Sask prospect suited up with the Abbotsford, B.C.-based Yale Hockey Academy's Bantam Prep team in the 2018-19 season. There, as one of just two first-years to play the majority of the season, Wilson had three goals and 11 points in 29 total regular-season and playoff games.

Wilson then moved to Devon, Alta. - a town just southwest of Edmonton - to play for the Northern Alberta Xtreme (NAX) Bantam Prep in the 2019-20 campaign. He produced the fifth-most points on the team in the regular season, recording nine goals and 18 assists. In the playoffs of his draft season though, Wilson tied for tops on the team with four (1 G, 3 A).

The key for the growth and cementing himself as a third-round selection came with the ability to earn key minutes and produce in those scenarios.

"Playing out at Yale the first year, you're not going to get a lot of powerplay time going in with two first-years on the team. Then going to NAX, you're going to get more opportunity and bring more of a role to the table," he said.

"I just had to work really hard to get to where I am now. Just do what I can do, and bring what I can bring."

Wilson then got to see a pair of his NAX teammates also drafted by the Royals - both coming in the seventh round. Victoria selected goalie Logan Cunningham 150th overall and defenseman Matthew Gillard 152nd overall.

The off season grind continues now for Wilson, as he and older brother Wyatt - a 2003 prospect of the hometown Broncos - prep for a strong showing in their respective 2020-21 seasons.

"I definitely let [the draft] soak in for a day or two, but now's the time to accelerate and get ahead of others."

"With COVID-19 it's a lot different, but trying to stay busy. We have a trainer that sends us a program and we work out from home," the younger of the two Wilsons said. "Hopefully when this all clears up, she can come out and correct some stuff that we need to do better."

As for the on-ice improvements Wilson said he wanted to make, off-puck awareness topped the list.