When Wudrick was honoured with Hockey Now’s Minor Hockey Player of the Year award in 2005, it appeared the Abbotsford, B.C. forward was on the fast-track toward a distinguished hockey career.
That year, his first as a Bantam-aged player in 2004/05, he scored he scored 115 goals with Abbotsford, won that season’s U16 B.C. Best Ever Tournament and, shortly thereafter, was selected second overall in the 2005 WHL Bantam Draft by the Swift Current Broncos. Only Colten Teubert was picked ahead of him by the Regina Pats.