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WHL Tri-City Americans

Americans Take 10 Skaters in 2019 WHL Bantam Draft

May 2, 2019 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Tri-City Americans News Release


KENNEWICK, WA - The Tri-City Americans made forward Rhett Melnyk their first selection (second round, 33rd overall) today in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft held at the Cambridge Hotel & Conference Centre in Red Deer, AB. The Americans made ten total selections in the draft including seven forwards and three defensemen.

"This is a very good draft class," said Americans General Manager Bob Tory. "We feel we have depth in defensemen, so our main focus was acquiring skilled forwards."

Tri-City's first pick in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft, Rhett Melnyk, was second among AMBHL scorers this season with 74 points in 33 games. The high-scoring forward was selected by Tri-City in the second round (81st overall). Melnyk, an Edmonton, AB-native, recorded 74 points (35 goals, 39 assists) in 33 games with the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers this past season. The 5'9, 154-pound forward added 20 points (5 goals, 15 assists) in 13 post-season games leading his team to a provincial championship.

"Rhett is a highly skilled winger. He has tremendous skating ability, high hockey IQ, and has been a leader on his team," said Tory. "He was injured earlier in the season and unable to participate in the Alberta Cup. We were fortunate to see him earlier in the season."

With their third-round pick (55th overall) the Americans selected 6'3, 190-pound forward Jake Sloan. Sloan posted 74 points (40 goals, 34 assists) through 33 games this season for his hometown Leduc Oil Kings.

"Jake is a big power forward and a goal scorer," said Tory. "Him and Rhett both add offensive skill. We think they will complement each other well."

The Americans added another forward, Maxim Borovinsky, in the fourth round (81st overall) with a pick acquired from the Winnipeg ICE in exchange for 1999-born forward Isaac Johnson.

Tri-City used their remaining picks to select Matteo Sjoberg (5th round, 97th overall), Ben Feenan (6th round, 121st overall), Tyson Dyck (7th round, 143rd overall), Markus Johansen (8th round, 165th overall), Easton Sandberg (9th round, 187th overall), Shawn Paul St. Arnaud (10th round, 205th overall), Elouann Lemonnier (11th round, 131st overall).

Players eligible for the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft were 2004-born players residing 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.

Tri-City Americans 2019 WHL Bantam Draft Selections:

Rhett Melnyk - F

2nd Round, 33rd Overall

2018-19 TEAM GP G A PTS PIM

Fort Sask. Rangers BAAA 33 35 39 74 24

Jake Sloan - F

3rd Round, 55th Overall

2018-19 TEAM GP G A PTS PIM

Leduc Oil Kings BAAA 33 40 34 74 70

Maxim Borovinskiy - F

4th Round, 81st Overall

2018-19 TEAM GP G A PTS PIM

BWC H.A. Bntm Prep 29 7 19 26 37

Matteo Sjoberg- F

5th Round, 97th Overall

2018-19 TEAM GP G A PTS PIM

Delta H.A. Bntm Prep Green 30 7 12 19 4

Ben Feenan - D

6th Round, 121st Overall

2018-19 TEAM GP G A PTS PIM

Yale H.A. Bntm Prep 29 7 21 28 30

Tyson Dyck - F

7th Round, 143rd Overall

2018-19 TEAM GP G A PTS PIM

BWC H.A. Bntm Prep 30 25 29 54 20

Markus Johansen - D

8th Round, 165th Overall

2018-19 TEAM GP G A PTS PIM

Delta H.A. Bntm Prep Green 26 3 8 11 28

Easton Sandberg - D

9th Round, 187th Overall

2018-19 TEAM GP G A PTS PIM

Nanaimo Clippers Bant T1 30 6 9 15 30

Shawn Paul St. Arnaud - F

10th Round, 205th Overall

2018-19 TEAM GP G A PTS PIM

Okanagan H.A. Bntm Prep 28 7 9 16 36

Elouann Lemonnier - F

11th Round, 231st Overall

2018-19 TEAM GP G A PTS PIM

Dallas Stars Elite 14U 12 2 1 3 4

- Season tickets for the Americans' 2019-20 season are now on sale. Call the Americans office at 509-736-0606 for further details.

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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.

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