WHL Prince George Cougars

Cougars 2009 Bantam Draft Recap

Published on April 30, 2009 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Prince George Cougars News Release


(Prince George, BC) - Prince George may be home to the Cougars, but it was Alberta that had the most production of the newest Cats. Of the 11 players taken by the Cougars at Thursday's WHL Bantam Draft in Edmonton, 8 came from the Wild Rose province. If the draft class of 2007 played a prominent role for the Cougars in 2008-09, most notably Brett Connolly leading the team in scoring, then Cougars General Manager Dallas Thompson and his staff hope the class of 2009 will pay similar dividends in a couple of years.

The first business of the day wasn't a draft pick, but rather a trade with Tri-City, swapping first round picks from 7th to 19th and also getting a third round choice from the Americans. With that 19th overall selection, the Cougars picked a player considered to be one of the toughest in the draft, Joshua Smith, who stands 5'10" and weighs 180 pounds. Smith collected 9 goals and 18 points in 28 games, while racking up 140 penalty minutes in the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League. For the second straight year the Cougars take a blue liner with their first pick. "Joshua's a good skater with a great shot." Says Cougars General Manager Dallas Thompson, "He fits well in our plans being a right hand shooting defenceman, after taking Jesse Forsberg last year, who shoots left."

The Cougars then looked for some offence in the second round and found it with the selection of Troy Bourke 26th overall. Bourke, a 5'10", 150 pound centre, was the leading scorer and MVP of the AMBHL, posting 45 goals and 38 assists in 33 games, while collecting 8 game winning goals for the Spruce Grove Timberwolves. "Troy is an exceptionally talented player that plays at both ends of the ice very well." Comments Cougars Edmonton area scout Bob Simmonds. "We were very surprised Troy was available at this point in the draft. He not only has a wealth of talent, but he's a great kid off the ice as well."

The "is he?" pick came in the third round for the Cougars and yes, Dane Phaneuf is the younger brother of Calgary Flames star Dion Phaneuf. The Cougars selected the right handed defenceman 46th overall, one selection lower than where big brother Dion landed for Red Deer in 2000. But the 5'10", 150 pound blue liner from Edmonton didn't need the family name to get noticed by the Cougars. Phaneuf's potential as a leader on the Cougars blue line was a big reason for his selection. "Dane is a very smart player, with and without the puck." States Cougars Head Scout Russ Smart. "He reads the play very well, is a strong skater, has a good shot and is going to be a real solid player down the road."

In the fourth round, the Cougars went back up front with the selection of right winger Peter Quenneville of Edmonton. Quenneville had 24 goals and 23 assists in 32 games for the Edmonton Maple Leaf Athletic Club in 2008-09 and stands 5'11" and weighs 160 pounds. "Peter is a really solid two way player with offensive upside." Says Simmonds. "He's a great kid, as well, and his family became very aware of the Cougars because we had one of the best 16-year olds in the country with Brett Connolly this past season. Peter is a player that we feel can help with secondary scoring. He's capable of playing multiple roles, very strong defensively, but can be an offensive threat for us, as well."

After no selection in the fifth round, the Cougars were back on the board in the sixth round, taking a big piece of the championship puzzle of the Airdrie Xtreme, goaltender Devon Fordyce. The 6'0", 160 pounder went 13-1-4 during the regular season, which was tied for second most wins in the AMBHL, and had the third best goals against average of 2.21. Fordyce played 1057 minutes for the Xtreme and had a save percentage of 91.8%. Fordyce also proved he could win big games, guiding the Xtreme to the Western Canadian Bantam Championship in Weyburn, Saskatchewan. In 175 minutes played at the Western Canadian tournament, Fordyce went 3-and-0 with a 2.06 GAA and a 91.3 save percentage.

The first player not from Alberta chosen by the Cougars was Carter Rigby of Penticton in the 8th round. In 47 games in 2008-09, Rigby posted 67 goals and added 53 assists. Rigby is 5'10" tall and weighs 175 pounds. The Cougars expect Rigby to be a physical force to go along with his offensive upside. "We were a bit surprised he was still on the board this late in the draft." Says Cougars Vancouver Island scout Kelly Kursteiner. "It might have been a case of limited exposure for him, but he really caught our eye at the BC Cup tournament, where we saw he could be a very physical player. He skates very well and his numbers show he's a threat with the puck, as well."

The Cougars then had a pair of picks in the next two rounds. In the 9th round, The Cougars first decided on centre Sam Johnson from Okotoks, Alberta, 180th overall, followed by defenceman Dustin Cave of Calgary with the 191st overall pick. Johnson played for his hometown Okotoks Oilers in the AMBHL, posting 21 goals and 36 points in 31 games in 2008-09, a 17 point improvement from a year earlier. Cave, who measures 5'11" tall and weighs 175 pounds, was an assistant captain for the Xtreme in 2008-09. Cave had 2 goals and 11 points this season, with 30 penalty minutes and will be looked upon as a rugged, shut-down defenceman.

In round 10, the Cougars had consecutive picks at 213 and 214, respectively. The Cougars started with Yankik Tetreault of Winnipeg, Manitoba, who had 5 goals and 12 points for the Winnipeg Bantam AAA Warriors in 2008-09, along with 22 penalty minutes. The Cougars then selected Scottsdale, Arizona defenceman Drew Newmeyer, who stands 5'10" and weighs 150 pounds. Newmeyer played this past season with the Phoenix Firebirds Major Bantam squad.

The final pick for the Cougars went to Lloydminster, Alberta left winger Kolten Anderson, who produced 23 goals and 42 points in 33 games for the Lloydminster Heat Bantam AAA squad. The 5'10", 160 pound Anderson had 24 penalty minutes on the year and is looked at as a solid skater with plenty of skill who plays a very aggressive style.

Here is the final breakdown of the 2009 Bantam Draft.

Round Ovr Player Position Hometown

1 19 Joshua Smith D Lacombe, AB

2 26 Troy Bourke C Spruce Grove, AB

3 46 Dane Phaneuf D Edmonton, AB

4 69 Peter Quenneville RW Edmonton, AB

6 114 Devon Fordyce G Cochrane, AB

8 158 Carter Rigby LW Penticton, BC

9 180 Sam Johnson C Okotoks, AB

9 191 Dustin Cave D Calgary, AB

10 213 Yankik Tetreault C Winnipeg, MB

10 214 Drew Newmeyer D Scottsdale, AZ

11 224 Kolten Anderson LW Lloydminster, AB

Breakdown by position

Goaltender 1 Defence 4 Right Wing 1 Centre 3 Left Wing 2

Total 11

Final Breakdown by Origin

Alberta 8 British Columbia 1 Manitoba 1 United States 1

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Western Hockey League Stories from April 30, 2009


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