A top-ranked forward in his age group with championship pedigree has inked a deal with the WHL's Penticton Vees.
Brooks 鈥淏oomer鈥� DeMars, captain of the New York State-winning Long Island Gulls U15 AAA team, has been awarded a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement from the B.C. club.
Penticton acquired the rights to DeMars, who turns 16 next month, from the Swift Current Broncos in exchange for two first-round picks (2027 and 2028), a 2025 fourth-round pick (Tanner Massey), and two additional picks in 2027 (second and fifth). The Vees also got defenceman Nolan Stevenson and forward Brady Birnie in the expansion-day blockbuster.
鈥淗e鈥檚 among the top players in his age group in the U.S. and will be a key part of what we鈥檙e building over the next three to four years," Fred Harbinson, the Vees' head coach, general manager, and president, said about DeMars.
The native of Hugo, Minn., is a "skilled two-way forward we projected as a first-round talent in his WHL Draft year," Harbinson added.
DeMars spent this past season in New York, where he amassed 69 points in 50 games and scored the overtime game-winner in the state championship final.
At U15 nationals, representing his Long Island-based club, DeMars scored six goals and 13 points in just five games. He also contributed at the U16 level in 2024-25, averaging a point per game (five goals and 10 assists) in 15 contests.
"DeMars brings leadership, skill, and a winning pedigree to the Vees organization as they continue to build for the future," the WHL's newest club, which begins its inaugural season this September, said in a statement.
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