WHL Prince Albert Raiders

Raiders Select 13 In 2010 WHL Bantam Draft

April 29, 2010 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Prince Albert Raiders News Release


Edmonton, Alberta - The Prince Albert Raider selected 13 players in the 2010 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft today held at the FantasyLand Hotel in Edmonton. They selected 6 defencemen, 5 forwards and 2 goaltenders.

"You work all year and it comes down to a few hours, but I was very happy with our scouting staff and how the draft turned out for us," said Dale Derkatch, Raiders Director of Player Personnel who oversaw his first draft in that capacity. "We did what we needed to do in picking up some very good defencemen that can skate, some strong forwards and some good goaltenders. All of our draft picks are very good skaters."

The Raiders selected defenceman Josh Morrissey in the first round, 6th overall. Morrissey was the Top Defenceman in the South Division of the Alberta Bantam Hockey League this season.

"We were ecstatic with the pick," said Derkatch. "In our books Josh was the top rated defenseman in the draft and we did not think he would be there when we selected 6th. He is a good all around defenceman that can play on the power play, penalty kill and is a good skater."

In the second round they selected their first of four players from the St. Albert Gregg Distributors Sabres, high scoring right winger Luke Mahura. Mahura averaged over 2 points a game this season for St. Albert.

"He is a goal scorer," commented Derkatch, himself the WHL's leading point getter in 1982-83 when he was the league's Rookie of the Year. "He was in the top 4 of the Alberta Major Bantam League for goals scored (39) and along with that comes great work ethic. He plays the game the way it is supposed to be played - hard all the time."

A highlight was the selection of Prince Albert Minor Hockey product, goaltender Tarayn Phenauf in the 5th round, 94th overall. Phenauf was the only player from Prince Albert selected in the draft.

"Obviously we watch Tarayn a lot this year," continued Derkatch. "He is very calm and poised. Tarayn is very good at moving with the puck - He tracks the puck very well. I just love his poise and hockey sense."

Here are the Raiders 2010 Bantam Selections:

Rd Pick Name Hometown Pos. Ht. Wt. GP G A

1 6 Josh Morrissey Calgary, AB D 5'11" 170 32 21 28

2 28 Luke Mahura St.Albert, AB RW 5'9" 151 33 39 29

3 50 Michael Lorange Winnipeg, MB LW 5'10" 170 30 25 27

5 94 Tarayn Phenauf Prince Albert, SK G 5'11" 168 8 GAA3.30

6 119 Tyler Dea St. Albert, AB D 6'3" 170 31 1 18

7 138 Kaiden Tobin Stony Plain, AB D 5'10" 187 32 9 16

8 160 Regan Yew Meadow Lake, SK LW 5'11" 162 24 25 15

8 170 Arvin Atwal Delta, BC D 5'10" 171 n/a n/a n/a

9 182 Sebastian Auray St. Albert, AB C 5'8" 130 32 22 30

10 204 Matt Zentner Red Deer, AB G 5'11" 172 22 GAA4.12

11 226 Braeden Farge St. Albert, AB LW 6'3" 165 33 16 12

12 248 Evan Elaschuk Calgary, AB D 6' 155 n/a n/a n/a

12 249 EJ Pfiefer North Battleford, SK D 5'11" 165 23 6 13

Comments from Dale Derkatch, Raider Director of Player Personnel:

On Michael Lorange: "Raider fans will really like the style of play they will see out of Michael Lorange. He is a big strong winger that plays with grit and on the edge!"

On Tyler Dea: "This is where we shored up the defense in terms of physical presence. He is already 6'2", captain of his team, physical and plays hard. He is a lot like Tyler Yaworski."

On Kaiden Tobin: "Kaiden is very strong on his skates and plays the body well. I see him as a puck moving defenseman. He is a lot like Nathan Deck."

On Regan Yew: "He is a power forward - a big winger, a good skater, has great skills and plays hard. It is great to have some more Saskatchewan flavour in the draft."

On Arvin Atwal: "Another big strong defenceman. I was shocked he was still available in the 8th round. He is a good skating d-man, captain of his team. This is one of the biggest surprises for us."

On Sebastian Auray: "He was Luke Mahura's centre man in St. Albert - a very good skater. He is very skilled and a lot like Ryan Harrison."

On Matt Zentner: "He is a big goalie. He is solid. Goaltenders develop later usually and we are excited to have him in our draft. Matt is confident in the net with good rebound control."

On Braeden Farge: "Braeden is another big power forward. He was one of the leading scorers in the St.Albert Tournament. He is a good guy that competes hard"

On Evan Elaschuk: "He is another big defenseman. He is a good stay at home one on one player. Very smart. He made the Alberta Cup team out of Bantam AA this season which is a feather in his cap. He is a very young 15 year old (December 29 birth date)."

On EJ Pfiefer: "Good skating solid defenseman with a good shot. He is a lot like a Blaine Tendler - a good hard working Saskatchewan type player."

Check out the Prince Albert Raiders Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from April 29, 2010


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