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Winterhawks Bantam Draft Preview

May 2, 2018 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release

This Thursday, May 3rd, is the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft, which is being held in Red Deer, Alberta. The draft is where each team in the Western Hockey League selects the players that they hope will one day make up their rosters, and eventually, lead their franchise to a WHL Title.

Recent Winterhawks' teams have been overwhelmingly built through the draft, rather than by trades. Cody Glass, Skyler McKenzie, Kieffer Bellows, Alex Overhardt, Keoni Texeira, Brendan De Jong and several other players were all selected in the WHL Bantam Draft.

This year the Hawks will have the 19th overall selection in the first round. Some notables players that have been selected 19th overall in past Bantam drafts include Dylan Cozens (LET, 2016), Cody Glass (POR, 2014), Jayden Halbgewachs (KAM, 2012) and current NHL'ers Evander Kane (VAN, 2006) and Tyler Myers (KEL, 2005).

If you plan on following along this Thursday, we'll be updating the results of the Bantam Draft live here at Winterhawks.com, as well as live tweeting out the Bantam Draft picks on our twitter page.

The first round of the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft is scheduled for 7:30 am (PT) on Thursday and will be streamed live on the WHL website.

2018 First Round Draft Order:

Edmonton Oil Kings

Kootenay ICE

Prince Albert Raiders

Calgary Hitmen

Kamloops Blazers

Saskatoon Blades

Red Deer Rebels

Lethbridge Hurricanes

Prince George Cougars

Seattle Thunderbirds

Medicine Hat Tigers

Vancouver Giants

Victoria Royals

Tri-City Americans

Brandon Wheat Kings

Red Deer Rebels (via Regina)

Spokane Chiefs

Kelowna Rockets

Portland Winterhawks

Edmonton Oil Kings (via Everett)

Prince George Cougars (via Swift Current)

Moose Jaw Warriors

Players eligible for the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft will be 2003-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.

Season tickets for the 2018-19 Winterhawks season are officially on-sale now!

Check out the Portland Winterhawks Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from May 2, 2018

Silvertips GM Garry Davidson Named WHL Executive of the Year and Recipient of Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy - Everett Silvertips
Carter Hart Named WHL Player of the Year, Goaltender of the Year - Everett Silvertips
Blades Named 2017-18 WHL Scholastic Team of the Year - Saskatoon Blades
WHL Announces 2017-18 Award Winners - WHL
Raiders Sign Braydon Clark - Prince Albert Raiders
Hitmen Own Eight of the Top 71 Picks Heading into Thursday's 2018 WHL Bantam Draft - Calgary Hitmen
Cozens Named WHL Rookie of the Year; Flodell Finishes Runner Up - Lethbridge Hurricanes
Winterhawks Bantam Draft Preview - Portland Winterhawks
Heponiemi and Viveiros Honoured with Pair of WHL Awards - Swift Current Broncos
Oil Kings Awarded 2017-18 WHL Marketing/Business Award - Edmonton Oil Kings
Ty Smith Named WHL Scholastic Player of the Year - Spokane Chiefs
Ty Ronning Named WHL Humanitarian of the Year - Vancouver Giants
Blades Named to 2017-18 WHL Scholastic Team of the Year - Saskatoon Blades
Jackson Whistle and Great Britain Qualify for 2019 Hockey Worlds - Kelowna Rockets
Pats WHL Bantam Draft Preview - Regina Pats
WHL to Host 2018 WHL Awards Today in Red Deer - WHL
Silvertips Forward Garrett Pilon Named WHL Player of the Month for April - Everett Silvertips

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Winterhawks Bantam Draft Preview

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