WHL Lethbridge Hurricanes

Canes Choose 9 Players at Bantam Draft

Published on May 2, 2013 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Lethbridge Hurricanes News Release


Lethbridge, AB - The Lethbridge Hurricanes closed out the 2013 WHL Bantam draft with nine players selected and a trade to start the day. Lethbridge had the 6th overall pick but they traded that to the Brandon Wheat Kings for Goalie Corbin Boes and the 17th overall pick. In making the move to trade down, it was a deal General Manager Brad Robson felt he had to make. "The goalies we have in our system will be our goalies of the future but we needed to make a move. We need to start the year off with a really good start and we needed the experience that we're getting in Boes."

The Hurricanes then used the 17th overall pick to draft 6'3, 189 pound Stuart Skinner. Lethbridge Hurricanes Head Scout Blake Robson says "he's a franchise goalie who's played in two Western Championship final games - winning one and he's the top goalie in Western Canada." With SSAC of the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League, Skinner was 18-1-2 with a .929 Save Percentage, 1.75 GAA with 4 shutouts.

In the 2nd round with the 30th overall pick the Hurricanes selected North Vancouver Right Winger Tak Anholt. Lethbridge Hurricanes Director of Player Personnel Todd Hassen calls him a "good skater, who works really hard, has good skill level and he competes at both ends of the rink which makes him tough to play against." In 58 games with North Shore, Anholt registered 88 points (29G, 59A) with 30 PIM's.

In the 3rd round, 45th overall, the Hurricanes selected Defenseman Cody Allen of Kamloops, BC. Brad Robson calls the 6'0 165 pound blueliner "a big strong player, who clears the net easy for his size. He'll be a big shutdown type guy who will be hard to play against and he's a good character kid. His offensive play has also improved from earlier in the season." Allen put up 23 points in 26 games with Kamloops this season.

The Hurricanes had two selections (72nd and 74th) in the 4th round and with their first they selected 5'8, 162 pound Centre Jaeger White from Medicine Hat. White put up 109 points (51G, 58A) in 58 games this season and added 36 PIM's. Scout Gerry Klinkhammer says "he's small but a really skilled forward with good hands. He goes hard to the net and can finish." Two picks later the Hurricanes added Edmonton Defenseman Connor Rokosh who plays for the Maple Leaf Athletic Club in the AMBHL. At 6'2 and 174 pounds, Scout Barry Rimmer, says "he's a big, stay at home tough defenseman. He makes a good first pass, handles the puck well and also skates well."

The Hurricanes did not have a 5th round pick this year, but did have the final pick (132nd overall) in the 6th round where they selected a Winger from Colleyville, Texas Jordan Porter. Blake Robson had a chance to scout him at the US Prospects Camp in Anaheim and says the 5'9, 179 pounder "has high end speed with quick feet who plays with bite and he can score goals."

The Hurricanes added another Defenseman in the 7th round (140th overall) when they drafted Jesse Sheen from the Calgary Bisons. Standing 6'0 and 173 pounds, Blake describes him as "a solid 2-way defenseman that has good size, he plays a mean style of game but he can also chip in offensively." In 25 games he had 16 points (1G, 15A) and 48 PIM's.

With their final two selections the Hurricanes drafted Jacob Ashton of Calgary in the 8th round. Also from the Bisons, the right-winger played 33 games and registered 61 points (27G, 34A) and in the 9th round (184th overall) Lethbridge made Richardson, Texas Defenseman Matthew O'Brien their final selection. The Canes traded their final three picks (9th round - 186th overall, 10th round and 11th round) to the Saskatoon Blades for future considerations.

With nine (1 Goalie, 4 Forwards, 4 Defensemen) new additions to the Hurricanes organization, Robson feels the team addressed some needs in all areas and he's eager to see those players at training camp in August.

Check out the Lethbridge Hurricanes Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Western Hockey League Stories from May 2, 2013


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.

OurSports Central