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ICE drop to second in Bantam Draft lottery
The WHL Bantam Draft Lottery was held March 22 at the Western Hockey League office in Calgary to determine the order of the first six selections in the first round of the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft.
The WHL Bantam Draft Lottery involved the six non-playoff teams (Kootenay, Vancouver, Prince Albert, Edmonton, Saskatoon and Spokane) from the 2016-17 season. The winning team could only move up a maximum of two positions in the first round of the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft.
A Prince Albert Raiders ball was drawn, meaning the Raiders will pick first overall. The Kootenay ICE will have the second selection, the Vancouver Giants will have the third selection, the Edmonton Oil Kings will have the fourth selection, the Saskatoon Blades will have the fifth selection and the Spokane Chiefs will select sixth.
The order of the second round and all other rounds will be the inverse order of final 2016-17 WHL regular season standings.
The lottery selection process was performed by Ian Cashin from KPMG. The 2017 WHL Bantam Draft will be held in Calgary, AB, on Thursday, May 4.
Players eligible for the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft will be 2002-born players who reside in Alberta, B.C., Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Yukon, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
The ICE will also pick first in the second round.
According to the Dub Network, the top three ranked bantam players are: Kaiden Guhle, a left-shooting, 6’1” defenceman from OHA Edmonton; Connor McClennon, a 5’8” centre from POE Academy and Aiden De La Gorgendiere, a left-shooting, 6 defender from Yale Prep.
The ICE selected first last year, choosing the nifty Peyton Krebs, who has spent the bulk of this season in the AMHL with the UFA Bisons Midget AAA club, notching 15 goals and 40 points in 29 contests. He’s also scored at a point-a-game pace in six games for the ICE, with a goal and five helpers.
It is expected the dynamic left winger will be with the ICE full time next year.
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