By Trevor Kenney /
Lethbridge Hurricanes general manager Roy Stasiuk admits he loves the Western Hockey League’s annual bantam draft. He likes winning a lot more.
So when the Hurricanes were forced to pick 18th overall this spring by virtue of their fifth-best record in the WHL, it not only tested Stasiuk and his scouting staff to find a prospect deeper in the talent pool, it also said his program was heading in the right direction.
“It’s a reward to be picking that late,” Stasiuk said in advance of the May 1 draft in Calgary. “It’s an indication that you’re on the right track and that you’ve done some good things in the previous years to set yourself up for this.”
In five of the previous six seasons, Lethbridge qualified for a top-10 pick in the draft (the 2003 pick was traded away) and while that always put the Hurricanes in the running for some of the premier talent available, it hadn’t translated into team success until now.
This would be Stasiuk’s third draft with the club and with the fruits of his labours already taking hold (his 2006 draft has already yielded four roster players in Carter Ashton, Cam Braes, Austin Fyten and Brennan Yadlowski), he was now ready to test his ability to draft outside the top-10.
“It changes your approach because you know you’re not going to get that real high-end (player),” Stasiuk said. “You could put a group of six to 10 guys together (last year) and we can’t do that this year.”
The resulting first-round pick was forward Phil Tot of the Calgary UFA Bisons.
“A player who has the potential to be an excellent power forward in our league,” Stasiuk appraised. “He has good strength and he comes off the wall from either wing with a lot of authority.”
After selecting defenceman Alex Theriau with the sixth overall selection a year previous, Stasiuk had hinted he’d look to strengthen his forward depth in this spring’s draft. It started with Tot, a 60-point scorer with the Bisons over the course of the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League regular season, and continued with five more forwards over the next 10 picks. In all, Lethbridge would draft six forwards, four defencemen and a goaltender.
Weyburn, Saskatchewan defenceman Reid Jackson would be the club’s second round pick.
Touted as having the “best shot in bantam hockey today” by the Hurricane scouting staff, he started a run of three successive blueliners chosen by the Hurricanes.
From a local standpoint, Stasiuk and his staff also stuck close to home in taking defenceman Brandyn Hulit (84th overall) and goaltender Alex Wakaluk (192nd overall and the son of former National Hockey League netminder Darcy Wakaluk). Both played for the Lethbridge Golden Hawks AAA bantam team and impressed Stasiuk throughout ?the year.
So while the intrigue of being involved in the top-10 discussion was gone from the Hurricanes this spring, it’s safe to say, that’s a conversation they’d like to stay out of for ?some time. |
