Americans look for buried treasure in 2007 WHL Bantam draft
May 2, 2007 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Tri-City Americans News Release
ENNEWICK, WA - The Tri-City Americans will get an exercise in patience before their first pick of the upcoming 2007 WHL Bantam Draft. This year's draft, set to take place tomorrow, May 3 at the Round-up Center in Calgary, AB, gets underway without the Americans owning a first-round selection. Tri-City, who traded their 2007 first-round choice to Lethbridge as part of the deal that brought in Colton Yellow Horn, will get their first pick in the second round (40th overall) of this year's draft. It will mark the first time since the 1993 Draft that Tri-City will be without a first-round choice.
The draft will be held on Thursday, May 3 at the Round-Up Center in Calgary, Alberta starting at 8:30 AM.
AMERICANS 2007 DRAFT SELECTION ORDER
Round 1
None. Traded to Lethbridge for Colton Yellow Horn
Round 2
Two. 40th and 43rd overall selections
Round 3
Two. 47th and 62nd overall selections
Round 4
None. Traded to Seattle for Ladislav Scurko
Round 5
None. Traded to Vancouver for Keith Voytechek
Round 6
One. 126th overall selection
Round 7
One. 138th overall selection
Round 8
Two. 173rd and 174th overall selections
Round 9
One. 195th overall selection
Round 10
One. 217th overall selection
Round 11
One. 239th overall selection
Round 12
One. 261st overall selection
"It will be difficult to predict what will be available when we get to our first pick," noted Americans' Assistant General Manager Terry Bangen. "We're not sure what direction we're going to go (with our first pick), but we will take the best player available."
Eligible players for the Bantam Draft will be 1992-born players who reside in Alberta, British Columbia, 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 bantam draft allows for the orderly transfer of players to WHL Protected Player Lists from the bantam ranks (14-15 year-olds).
Former Americans' first-round bantam picks include Jason Gardiner (2006), Eric Mestery (2005), Joel Broda (2004), Jonathan Toews (2003) and Carey Price (2002).
• Discuss this story on the Western Hockey League message board...
Western Hockey League Stories from May 2, 2007
- Americans look for buried treasure in 2007 WHL Bantam draft - Tri-City Americans
- 2007 WHL Bantam Draft Set for Thursday, May 2 - Live on WHL.ca - WHL
- Price, Tory Take Home Trophies - Tri-City Americans
- WHL Announces 2006-07 Award Winners - WHL
- Chiefs Select 12th Overall In Bantam Draft - Spokane Chiefs
- Gagnon Wins Sportsmanlike Player Of Year Award - Seattle Thunderbirds
- Aulie Wins Scholastic Honour - Brandon Wheat Kings
- Kyle Beach Named WHL Rookie of the Year - Everett Silvertips
- Barry Douglas Selected as Western Conference Marketer of the Year - Chilliwack Bruins
- Wheat Kings To Pick 17th In Bantam Draft - Brandon Wheat Kings
- Edmonton Oil Kings Take First Steps At 2007 WHL Bantam Draft - Edmonton Oil Kings
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.
