Ice Bantam Draft '11

The Ice are taking part in the WHL Bantam Draft just 24 hours or so before their scheduled to hit the ice in Portland for Game 1 of the WHL Final.

Kootenay had the 17th overall pick this morning and used it to select F Colin Shirley from the Saskatoon Bandits Bantam AA. Shirley, listed on most first round mock drafts that I saw from anywhere from the 15-22 spots, checks in at 5'11" 165lbs.

One scouting report on Shirley: Talented scorer; not the best in any one area but solid in them all. Although not a punishing forechecker, plays a decent physical game.

Some stats are posted over at Alan Caldwell's blog who had done a very comprehensive job of scouring the hockey world for bantam stats.

Kootenay traded what amounted to the 13th overall pick (acquired from Vancouver for Musil) to Swift Current in the Eakin trade. They took D Zack Gonek. The Broncos also got Kootenay's 2nd round pick at number 39 and selected C Cavin Leth out of Taber (no, that's not a typo).

Swift also gets a 3rd round pick from Kootenay in 2012 in that deal.

G Peyton Lee of Cranbrook becomes the second Cranbrook product in as many years to go high in the second round of the draft (Ryan Chynoweth - Everett 24th overall in 2010). Lee went to the Vancouver Giants 28th overall. Lee played first-year Bantam with the AA Bantam Ice last season and this season played at the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy in Kelowna. Lee backstopped Team Stars to the BC Cup championship in Kamloops. The BC Cup is the top U-16 players from each region that are selected jamboree-style and then playoff in front of scouts.

3rd Round
The Ice took a big d-man out of the Red Deer Black Bantam team of the Alberta Major Bantam league Jordan Steenbergen. He's 6' 180lbs.

4th Round
At number 70 (Cason Machacek deal to Hurricanes two years ago) the Ice took another D-man from Kamloops Matt Murray 6'1" 180lbs.

F Kyle O'Connor from Calgary is 84th overall. 6'1" 160lbs.

5th Round
D Jake Dube is #98 from Cochrane. (Petr Senkerik deal to PG)

Double ZZ F Zack Zborosky out of Regina is 105th overall. He's 5'7" 135lbs.

Kootenay still has two 6th round picks (one with the Brandon import pick deal last year when Kootenay didn't take any imports). Two 7th round picks (one with Everett in a draft day swap last years that involved only picks) and an 8th, 9th and 10th.

Some familar names: D Connor Clouston to Kamloops at #50 is Shaun's son, Cory's nephew
LW Mitch Skapski went to Portland at #86. He's Mackenzie brother.
Mitch
D Royce Rossignol out of Cloverdale went to Moose Jaw at #146. Brother of Adam.

6th Round
#121 - Jackson Waniek RW a 5'11" 165lb forward out of Cloverdale, BC
#127 - Carter Forsyth D a 6'3" 175lb rearguard out of Swift Current

7th Round
#149 - LW Ryan Risling 5'10" 165lb from Medicine Hat

At #139 there's was supposed to be another Kootenay pick via the swap last year with Everett. That pick now shows Jacob Cardiff for Spokane. Must've been a trade...

UPDATE - It's cousin, not twin..... UPDATE II - He's also taller than the info I had as the Ice release has him at 5'9" 160lbs.

Another goal-scorer at #171 with a familar name. F Jared Virtanen - 5'6" 141lb - is the cousin of number one overall pick Jake Virtanen. He had 21 goal, 42 assists in 59 games with the Abbotsford Hawks this season.