WHL Victoria Royals

Royals Select Nine Players at 2014 WHL Bantam Draft

Published on May 1, 2014 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Victoria Royals News Release


Calgary, AB - The Victoria Royals are proud to announce the selection of nine players at the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft in Calgary, AB today.

Of the nine players drafted by the Royals, three hail from British Columbia, with two calling Vancouver Island their home. Alberta and Saskatchewan both contributed two players each, while Manitoba provided one player and the United States supplied one player (Minnesota). By position, the Royals picked up four forwards, four defencemen, and one goalie.

Round 1

The Royals used their first pick, 18th overall, to select Scott Walford from the Okanagan Hockey Academy. Walford, a 6-0, 185 lb defenceman, suited up in 56 games and amassed 48 points (12g-36a) and 35 penalty minutes last season. The Coquitlam, BC native also helped lead his team to a gold medal at the 2014 John Reid Memorial Tournament.

"We're very excited to have selected Scott today. He is an intelligent hockey player, he skates well and he has a physical side to his game," said Royals' Director of Scouting Garry Pochipinski.

Round 2

Victoria sent overage defenceman Brett Cote to the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for the 31st overall pick which was used to select Stony Plain, AB native Ryan Peckford. During the 2013-14 season, Peckford skated for the Parkland Athletic Club Saints in the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League (AMBHL). The 5-11, 174 lb center appeared in 33 games for the Saints and scored 60 points (28g-32a) to go along with 44 penalty minutes.

"Ryan is a highly-skilled centerman who is good in the face-off circle and works hard to get pucks to the net," Royals' Director of Player Personnel Grant Armstrong said. "He is slippery for a player of his size and he has great hands. As Ryan grows and gets stronger we believe he will be an offensive force."

The Royals used the 40th overall selection to pick 5-11, 161 lb defenceman Brayden Pachal. The Estevan, SK native played with the Estevan Bruins of the Saskatchewan Bantam AA Hockey League (SBAAHL) and collected 27 points (14g-13a) to go along with 66 penalty minutes in 31 games last season.

" We think that Brayden has tremendous upside. He is an offensively gifted defenceman, mobile and has good size," Armstrong said. "Brayden also places a focus on defending and plays both ends of the ice well."

Round 3

With the 57th overall selection, the Royals chose Baron Thompson from the Omaha Lancers of the North American Prospects League U16. Thompson, listed at a hulking 6-3, 225 lbs, is a right winger from Lakeville, MN and skated in 10 games with the Lancers where he collected six points (3g-3a) to go along with eight penalty minutes.

"Baron's size is obviously attractive," Armstrong said. "We wanted someone that can be gritty as well as have the skill to play the game and Baron certainly provides that."

Round 6

The Royals used the 112th overall selection to pick 5-11, 148 lb goaltender Dylan Myskiw. The Winnipeg, MB native spent the 2013-14 season with the Winnipeg Hawks of the Winnipeg Bantam AAA Hockey League. Myskiw posted a 14-2-0 record with a 2.57 goals against average and a .913 save percentage as well as two shutouts in 16 regular season games last year.

"Dylan is a very athletic goaltender," Armstrong said. "He moves well and he has good size. His strengths are his stick and his glove."

Round 7

Victoria grabbed Vancouver Island product Ben Berard with the 140th selection of the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft. The 5-8, 170 lb winger from Duncan, BC played with the Tier 1 Bantam Cowichan Valley Capitals last season where he racked up 239 points (122g-117a) in 62 games. Berard becomes the third Vancouver Island resident to be selected by the Royals in team history.

"Ben is a top-end offensive player," Pochipinski said. "He has great speed, great skills and he can finish."

The Royals used the 150th overall selection on Calgary, AB native Damian Gorecki. The 5-10, 150 lb defenceman skated for the Calgary Wranglers this past year and posted 32 points (16g-16a) in 25 games.

"Damian has been a pleasant surprise for us," Pochipinski said. "He is a compact, physical defenceman that skates well and sees the ice. He makes great decisions and has offensive upside."

Round 8

The 161st overall selection saw Victoria take another Islander in 5-8, 150 lb winger Dawson Frank. The Duncan, BC native played with the Tier 1 Bantam Cowichan Valley Capitals last year as a teammate of seventh round pick Ben Berard and posted 151 points (69g-82a) in 62 games.

"Dawson is a young player with raw offensive talent and instincts that we saw rapidly developing throughout this past season," Royals' General Manager Cameron Hope said.

With the club's final selection of the day, 172nd overall, the Royals picked Keegan Randell from the Saskatoon Maniacs of the SBAAHL. Randell, a 5-11, 178 lb defenceman from Saskatoon, SK, skated in 31 games and scored 26 points (9g-17a) to go along with 42 penalty minutes last year.

"Keegan is a steady, smart defenceman," Hope said. "Keegan is reliable and can play a physical game as well."

Victoria traded its ninth round pick this year to the Prince Albert Raiders in exchange for the Raiders' ninth round pick in the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft to close out the team's activity for the day.

The WHL Bantam Draft is an annual event in which the clubs of the Western Hockey League select players who have graduated from bantam. For the 2014 draft, players born in 1999 are eligible. Draft order is determined by way of points in the regular season, with the exception of teams that missed the WHL Playoffs which are placed into a draft lottery for the first round only. With the exception of the lottery results in the first round, teams will select in order of fewest to most regular season points.

During the bantam draft, players from Western Canada and the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming are eligible to be selected.

Season ticket packages for the 2014-15 season are on sale now! Call 250-220-7889, visit www.selectyourtickets.com, or head down to the Victoria Royals ticketing office at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre for more information.

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