WHL Tri-City Americans

Americans Take Balanced Approach to 2013 Draft Selections

Published on May 2, 2013 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Tri-City Americans News Release


KENNEWICK, WA - The Tri-City Americans today made forward Parker Aucoin their first pick (15th overall) in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft, held at the Deerfoot Inn in Calgary, Alberta. Overall, the Americans selected 10 players in this year's draft.

Aucoin, listed at 6'0 and 176 pounds, became the first forward taken by Tri-City in the first round since Connor Rankin (2009) after posting impressive numbers in his bantam year. Serving as the team captain of the Calgary Northstar Sabres, Aucoin appeared in 33 regular season games and totaled 63 goals and 87 points. The Calgary, Alberta-native's 63 goals this season is second most in Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League history, second only to current Portland Winterhawks forward Ty Rattie's mark of 75 in 2007-08, while finishing 3rd in the AMBHL scoring race.

In Round 2, Tri-City picked up another offensively talented forward from Alberta. Nolan Yaremko (29th overall), a 5'11 178 pound left wing, was a member of the Southside Athletic Club Southgate Lions of the AMBHL who captured the Alberta and Western Canadian AAA Championships. Yaremko finished 13th overall in AMBHL scoring, after racking up 28 goals and 69 points in 33 regular season games.

Then, with two picks in the 3rd Round, Tri-City got defensive, taking two blueliners four picks apart.

With the 59th pick, the Americans claimed Mark Drohan of the Calgary Bisons. The 5'11 143-pound Calgary-native collected seven goals and 15 points in 28 games for the Bisons, which won the AMBHL Challenger South division title.

Then, with pick #63, Tri-City selected Dylan Coghlan from Nanaimo, British Columbia. The 6'1 174-lb. defenseman spent the 2012-13 season with the Nanaimo Clippers of the Vancouver Island Amateur Hockey Association. Coghlan played in 35 games for the Clippers, registering 18 goals, 44 points and 72 penalty minutes.

Tri-City then used their remaining selections to take Morgan Geekie (5, 90th), Jordan Roy (5, 95th), Nicholas Sanders (6, 125th), Anea Ferrario (7, 146th), Parker McCormick (8, 163rd) and Cory Thomas (8, 169th) respectively.

Of the 10 players selected today, the Americans grabbed five forwards, four defensemen and one goaltender. Tri-City also selected one player from the United States (Ferrario), which marks the fifth straight season that the club has drafted at least one U.S.-born player, five from Alberta, two from Saskatchewan and one each from British Columbia and Manitoba.

The WHL Bantam Draft is the WHL's talent identification process and serves as the first opportunity for WHL teams to add players to their respective 50 player lists. Eligible players for the Bantam Draft will be 1998-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.

Notes : Morgan Geekie is the son of Craig Geekie, who played three full WHL seasons from 1991-1994. The elder Geekie played two seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings before spending his final WHL season with the Spokane Chiefs...Anea Ferrario of the Colorado Thunderbirds is competing in the same program that produced recent Tri-City signees Brandon Carlo and Riley Hillis. Ferrario's coach is NHL Hall of Famer, Adam Foote, who played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League, 13 of which were spent with the Colorado Avalanche...During today's Draft, the Americans also announced that they traded prospect and former bantam draft pick Tyler Mrkonjic to the Prince George Cougars in exchange for a 4th Round pick in the 2014 Bantam Draft.

Tri-City Americans 2013 Bantam Draft Results:

1st Round (15th overall)

Parker Aucoin (C)

6'0 176 lbs., Calgary, AB

Calgary Northstar Sabres (33-GP, 63-G, 24-A, 87-PTS, 45-PIM)

2rd round (29th overall)

Nolan Yaremko (LW)

5'11 178 lbs., Edmonton, AB

Southside Athletic Club Southgate Lions (33-GP, 28-G, 41-A, 69-PTS, 16-PIM

3rd round (59th overall)

Mark Drohan (D)

5'11 143 lbs., Calgary, AB

Calgary Bisons (28-GP, 7-G, 8-A, 15-PTS, 14-PIM)

3rd round (63rd overall)

Dylan Coghlan (D)

6'1 174 lbs., Nanaimo, BC

Nanaimo Clippers (35-GP, 18-G, 26-A, 44-PTS, 72-PIM)

5th round (90th overall)

Morgan Geekie (C)

5'11 153 lbs., Strathclair, MB

Yellowhead Chiefs (41-GP, 20-G, 20-A, 40-PTS, 40-PIM)

5th round (95th overall)

Jordan Roy (C)

5'11 154 lbs., Lethbridge, AB

Lethbridge Golden Hawks (31-GP, 11-G, 13-A, 24-PTS, 12-PIM)

6th round (125th overall)

Nicholas Sanders (G)

5'11 185 lbs., Calgary, AB

Calgary Bisons (901-MP, 2.26-GAA, 0.925-SV%, 12-2-1, 2-SO)

7th round (146th overall)

Anea Ferrario (D)

6'0 180 lbs., Ogden, UT

Colorado Thunderbirds U14 AAA (66-GP, 14-G, 28-A, 42-PTS, 42-PIM)

8th round (163rd overall)

Parker McCormick (RW)

6'1 178 lbs., Regina, SK

Regina Silver Foxes (20-GP, 6-G, 19-A, 25-PTS, 136-PIM)

8th round (169th overall)

Cory Thomas (D)

6'1 163 lbs., St. Brieux, SK

Northeast Wolfpack (23-GP, 2-G, 10-A, 12-PTS, 26-PIM)

Check out the Tri-City Americans Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from May 2, 2013


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