WHL Bantam Draft - Kootenay Picks

I'm in and out today checking in on the draft much like fans of the WHL. For a more indepth look at each pick of the draft, stats and all, swing over to Small thoughts at large with Alan Caldwell who has the draft covered from every angle. Also, the stats from the first two picks and the 9th and 10th round picks are courtesy Mr. Caldwell. Also, with some picks from Saskatchewan I've identified them as AA picks, as opposed to the AAA associations in Alberta and BC. Turns out AA is the top level in Saskatchewan, so naturally any picks out of Sask would be AA.

So far the Kootenay Picks, which I'll update round-to-round and then file a story on later this evening:

1st Round - 13th overall: Forward Colby Cave
Vitals: 5'10" 155lbs - North Battleford, Saskatchewan
08-09: Battlefords Barons (CFHL AA bantam) -- 20gp-24g-21a-45pts-18pim
08-09: Battlefords Stars (SMHL AAA midget) -- 3gp-0g-1a-1pts-2pim
07-08: Battlefords Barons (CFHL AA bantam) -- 16gp-10g-9a-19pts-16pim
06-07: Battlefords Barons (CFHL AA pee wee) -- 20gp-14g-21a-35pts-24pim

A player not on any of my radar or any scout that I talked to. A late born (Dec 26) forward five days short of being a pick next year that played AA.

2nd Round - 35th overall: D Matt Benning
Vitals: 5'10" 175lbs; St. Albert, AB
08-09: St. Albert Sabres (AMBHL AAA bantam) -- no stats
08-09: St. Albert Sabres (AMBHL AAA bantam - PLF) -- 5gp-0g-3a-3pts-12pim
08-09: St. Albert Sabres (St. Albert AAA bantam tournament) -- 5gp-0g-4a-4pts-8pim
08-09: Northwest Sharks (Alberta Cup) -- 5gp-1g-1a-2pts-6pim
07-08: St. Albert Sabres (AMBHL AAA bantam) -- 2gp-0g-1a-1pts-0pim
07-08: St. Albert Blues (EMHA AA bantam) -- 28gp-8g-7a-15pts-26pim
07-08: St. Albert Blues (Edmonton AA bantam tournament) -- 4gp-1g-1a-2pts-4pim

3rd Round - 57th overall: Goaltender MacKenzie Skapski
Vitals: June 15, 1994 Abbotsford, B.C.

No stats except the Western Canadian Bantam Championships. Skapski was a member of the BC champion Abbotsford Hawks who finished second to the Airdrie Extreme at the Western Canada Championships. Same program that Nathan Lieuwen came out of.

4th Round - 79th overall: D Jeff Hubic
Vitals: No size yet but I have him as a forward (from a Regina Leader-Post story in March but that could be wrong) with 13 goals, 8 assists and 55 PIM's in 25 games. Numbers reflect a D-man. Another AA player.

Either Kootenay or Kelowna - I suspect the former - had the option on Kelowna's 4th round pick, 83rd overall in the Kris Lazaruk trade but didn't excersise it. Kootenay will have Kelowna's 4th round pick next year. FYI - with the pick Kelowna took D Bradon Seyl from single A Revelstoke. A big d-men that caught scouts attention late in the year. Could be a sleeper pick and I'm told was mulling over either Kelowna's Pursuit of Excellence hockey academy or Notre Dame. Wonder if he'll lean to the former being a pick of the Rockets?

5th Round - 101st overall: RW Kurt Johnas
Vitals: May 21, 1994 Winnipeg, MB
Directors Cup (Like BC's U-16) Stats - GP 3 One goals, one asist.

6th Round - 123rd overall: D Mike Simpson
Vitals: March 30, 1994 - Semiahoo, BC (White Rock)

7th Round - 145th overall - traded to Edmonton who took goaltender Wade Moyls out of Kamloops. The pick went to Edmonton when Lethbridge acquired Brent Henke, a former Ice draft pick, who went Edmonton in the expansion draft. The Hurricanes and Ice swapped that picks for Todd Mathews.

8th Round - 167th overall - C Jared Iron from Canoe Narrows, Saskatchewan, which is way north. Canoe Narrows is a northern reserve near Canoe Lake.
08-09: Meadow Lake Stampeders (CFHL AA bantam) -- 19gp-28g-19a-47pts-16pim
08-09: Meadow Lake Stampeders (Saskatoon bantam tournament) -- 3gp-4g-10a-14pts-2pim
07-08: Meadow Lake Stampeders (CFHL AA bantam) -- 17gp-27g-18a-45pts-2pim
06-07: Meadow Lake North Stars (CFHL AA pee wee) -- 19gp-19g-12a-31pts-6pim

9th Round - 189th overall - RW Mitchell Fyffe
Vitals: 5'7" 130lbs Born: February 17, 1994
08-09: Kelowna Pursuit of Excellence (KIBIHT) -- 7gp-2g-6a-8pts-4pim
08-09: Kelowna POE (Nike/Bauer AAA bantam tournament) -- 4gp-2g-2a-4pts-0pim
08-09: Kelowna POE (St. Albert AAA bantam tournament) -- 5gp-2g-0a-2pts-10pim
08-09: Kelowna POE (Victoria AAA bantam tournament) -- 5gp-3g-0a-3pts-2pim

One of those players from a very good POE squad. A hockey factor out of Kelowna

10th Round - 211th overall - G Steven Myland Born: February 10, 1994
08-09: Cloverdale Colts (BCAHA AAA bantam) -- 5gp-2w-0l-0t-1.47gaa-.893sv%
08-09: Cloverdale Colts (KIBIHT) -- 6gp-2w-4l-0t-2.83gaa
08-09: Cloverdale Colts (PoCo bantam AAA tournament) -- 2gp-2.00gaa

Another goaltender that unofficially ends the draft for the Ice and includes yet another fruitless draft for the Kootenay-based kids. Not one from the East Kootenays and, unbelievably, not one from the West Kootenays either. For a region that used to be a steady pipeline to the WHL and on a smaller scale, the NHL, we've sure fallen on hard times when it comes to drafting. Though, to be fair, players like Dustin Donaghy (Spokane Chiefs) and Jace Coyle (Medicine Hat) were never drafted.