Four Sask. players named to Canada world junior hockey championship team
Dec 14, 2024
Berkly Catton, Brayden Yager, Caden Price and Tanner Howe were all named.
The Regina Pats secured the No. 1 pick in the WHL’s bantam draft lottery Wednesday morning.
In the void of live sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fans eagerly watched one of the most anticipated draft lotteries in the league’s recent memory.
Connor Bedard leads a talent-laden draft pool after becoming the first person in WHL history to be granted exceptional status to play in the league full-time as a 15-year-old.
Once the ping pong balls settled, the Pats stood with the No. 1 selection after receiving the Swift Current Broncos’ pick via trade.
The Prince George Cougars were the big movers on the day, moving two spots up from fourth to second, the maximum amount of spots a team can move in the lottery.
The Moose Jaw Warriors, Tri-City Americans, Saskatoon Blades and Red Deer Rebels round out the top six selections in the draft.
Touted as one the greatest WHL prospects in recent memory before even playing a game in the league, Bedard is already receiving comparisons to Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid.
The 14-year-old North Vancouver product scorched one of the top developmental leagues in the nation, the Canadian Sport School Hockey League, with 43 goals and 81 points while playing for the West Van Academy Prep Warriors this season.
The league made history Tuesday when it granted exceptional player status to Bedard. Winnipeg Ice forward Matthew Savoie applied for the same status, but it was denied to him on March 8, 2019.
The 5-foot-8, 165-pound Bedard, who already was eligible for the 2020 draft, now is permitted to play full-time in the league next season as a 15-year-old.
The Canadian Hockey League has had six players granted exceptional status since the rule was adopted in 2005. The OHL had five of those players (McDavid, John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, Sean Day and Shane Wright) and the QMJHL had one (Joe Veleno).
Originally scheduled for May 6-7, the WHL bantam draft was rescheduled on Tuesday. Rather than taking place in Red Deer with team scouts and managers in attendance, the draft will be streamed live on April 22.
Pats add two U.S. prospects
The Pats selected centre Matteo Michels and defenceman Brogan Young in the inaugural WHL U.S. prospects draft Wednesday.
Michels, a 15-year-old from Colleyville, Texas, was selected in the first round (18th overall). He had two goals and five assists in five games during the 2019-20 season with the Dallas Stars Elite 14’s.
Young, 15, was chosen in the second round (27th overall). In 35 games last season with the Coeur D’Alene Hockey Academy, the product of Burbank, Wash., had 11 goals and 33 points.