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Hawks Win Draft Lottery

March 18, 2009 - Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release

Calgary, AB - The WHL Bantam Draft lottery was held today at the WHL Office in Calgary to determine the order of the first six selections in the first round of the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft.

The WHL Bantam Draft Lottery involved the six non-playoff teams (Chilliwack, Moose Jaw, Portland, Prince Albert, Red Deer and Regina) from the 2008-09 season.

The Lottery selection process was performed by a representative from KPMG. The 2009 WHL Bantam Draft will be held in Edmonton on Thursday, April 30, 2009.

A Portland Winter Hawks ball was drawn first in the lottery, giving the Winter Hawks the first overall selection in the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft. The Moose Jaw Warriors, based on their position in the overall 2008-09 WHL Regular Season standings, will receive the second pick in the first round. The Chilliwack Bruins will select third.

The Brandon Wheat Kings, who finished second in the East Division and third in the Conference will have to wait for the 18th pick to make their selection. Thanks to their on ice success, the Wheat Kings have only had ten "Top 10" picks since the draft began in 1990 and just three in the past 15 years.

Three years ago, the Wheat Kings opted for Brayden Schenn (9th overall); In 2001, they chose Jeff Topilko (9th) while in 2000, Brandon selected right-winger Eric Fehr with the fifth overall pick.

Brandon's other top ten picks include Darren Van Oene (2nd, 1993), Wade Redden (2nd, 1992), Justin Kurtz (6th, 1992), Joel Korenko (7th, 1992), Colin Cloutier (2nd, 1991), Mike Dubinksy (7th, 1991) and Bob Brown (4th, 1990).

The Red Deer Rebels will have the fourth pick overall while the Regina Pats and the Prince Albert Raiders will draft in the fifth and sixth positions respectively.

The order of the second round and all other rounds will be the inverse order of final 2008-09 WHL regular-season standings.

Players eligible for the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft will be 1994-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.

2009 WHL BANTAM DRAFT 1st ROUND ORDER OF SELECTION

Following is the order of selection for the 1st round of the WHL Bantam Draft:

1) Portland Winter Hawks

2) Moose Jaw Warriors

3) Chilliwack Bruins

4) Red Deer Rebels

5) Regina Pats

6) Prince Albert Raiders

7) Prince George Cougars

8) Everett Silvertips

9) Edmonton Oil Kings

10) Kamloops Blazers

11) Lethbridge Hurricanes

12) Seattle Thunderbirds

13) Kootenay Ice

14) Medicine Hat Tigers

15) Swift Current Broncos

16) Spokane Chiefs

17) Kelowna Rockets

18) Brandon Wheat Kings

19) Tri-City Americans

20) Saskatoon Blades

21) Vancouver Giants

22) Calgary Hitmen

2nd ROUND AND ALL SUBSEQUENT ROUNDS ORDER OF SELECTION

Following is the order of selection for the 2nd and all subsequent rounds of the WHL Bantam Draft:

1) Moose Jaw Warriors

2) Portland Winter Hawks

3) Chilliwack Bruins

4) Prince George Cougars

5) Red Deer Rebels

6) Regina Pats

7) Everett Silvertips

8) Edmonton Oil Kings

9) Prince Albert Raiders