WHL Saskatoon Blades

Saskatoon Blades WHL Bantam Draft Recap

Published on May 1, 2014 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Saskatoon Blades News Release


SASKATOON, SK - The Saskatoon Blades were busy on draft day during the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft on Thursday in Calgary. The team entered the day with a trio of picks in the first 33 selections of the draft, while also having 6 picks in the first 4 rounds.

When it was all said and done, Saskatoon ended up selecting 12 players through the first 11 rounds of the draft.  That included 7 forwards, 3 defenceman and 2 goaltenders. 

Below you can find all the information on the players selected by Saskatoon in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft.

2nd round - 25th overall - Josh Paterson - 6'2 - 177 pounds

With the Saskatoon Blades first pick in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft, they selected forward Josh Paterson of Edmonton's South Side Athletic Club. Paterson is a right-handed shot who plays left-wing. He comes in at 6'1 and 168 pounds and is a product of Edmonton, Alberta. This season he put up 46 goals and 97 points in only 33 regular season games. He also added 7 goals and 13 points in 8 playoff games.

"We had Josh in our top 10," said Blades managing partner Colin Priestner. "We know everyone says this, but we didn't think he'd be in the conversation for our first pick. We're absolutely thrilled to get him. He led the entire league in scoring in Alberta, which by all accounts is the best bantam league in western Canada. He's big, he's intelligent both on and off the ice. He can play both centre and wing and he's a man amongst boys out there."

2nd round - 30th overall - Logan Christensen - 5'10 - 170 pounds

With the Saskatoon Blades second pick in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft, they selected forward Logan Christensen of Kelowna's Pursuit of Excellence. He stands 5'10, weighs 170 pounds, plays centre and is from Morden, MB. This season he put up 34 goals and 79 points in 54 games.

"This is another guy we had our eyes on from the first time we saw him," said Priestner. "Doug Molleken and Scott Unger, our Manitoba scout, have long been touting him. He's a ferocious forechecker, backchecker, he's the kind of guy you win with. He's hard-nosed and a skilled kid."

2nd round - 34th overall - Jake Kustra - 5'10 - 155 pounds

With the Saskatoon Blades third pick in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft, they selected defenceman Jake Kustra of Yorkton, Saskatchewan. He's a left-hand shot and spent this season with the Notre Dame Hounds. In 28 games he scored 5 goals and had 16 points in 28 games. He also had 105 PIMs. His dad is former Saskatoon Blades goaltender Damon Kustra.

"This is one of the toughest kids in the draft," said Priestner. "He's going to be huge, his feet must be size 12 or 13 already. We're familiar with the family, he plays big minutes, he hits everything. All of our scouts that were at Sask First were telling us to get this guy, and we did. We're extremely happy to get him, he's a hardnosed guy with some skill, too."

3rd round - 60th overall - Lukus MacKenzie - 6'0 - 161 pounds

With the Saskatoon Blades fourth pick in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft, they selected left-winger Lukus MacKenzie of Calgary, Alberta. The winger slots in at 6'0, 161 pounds and played with the Edge School Bantam-AAA team in 2013-14. In 59 games, he scored 21 goals, had 66 points and put up 48 PIMs.

"We had him inside our first round," said Priestner. "This is a kid that blew us away in two different ways. He was good at the Alberta Cup, he's big, he's strong. People were scared to go anywhere near him there. He's also overcome some hardships in his life, his story is inspiring. To get him where we did, we were definitely doing some fist pumps under the table."

3rd round - 66th overall - Dorrin Luding - 6'1 - 190 pounds

With the Saskatoon Blades fifth pick in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft, they selected goaltender Dorrin Luding of North Vancouver, BC. The 6'1 Luding was the starting goaltender for the North Shore Winter Club, one of the elite bantam programs in Canada. While standing 6'1, Luding already weighs in at 190 pounds.

"This is a big goaltender for the North Shore Winter Club, the best team in western Canada," said Priestner. "He's a man already. He's 6'1 or 6'2, over 180 pounds. He's very poised. He won every big game, in all the tournaments this team was in. He's calm after he lets in a goal, very composed and mature. We had him rated as one of the very best goalies in this draft."

4th round - 69th overall - Alec Capstick - 5'11 - 150 pounds

With the Saskatoon Blades sixth pick in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft, they selected defenceman Alec Capstick of Langley, BC. Capstick is listed at 5'11, shoots left-handed and spent this past season with the Langley Eagles Bantam team, where he was the captain of his team.

"This is a kid that really blew us away in BC," said Priestner. "Going into the BC Cup we weren't sure where he would end up on our list, but we felt he was one of the best two defenceman at that event. He's big, he's offensive, he's mobile and he's the captain on a team that has 3 or4 really high end players, which shows his character. We project him as a top-4 defenceman."

6th round - 113th overall - Kris Bzdel - 5'9 - 155 pounds

With the Saskatoon Blades seventh pick in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft, they selected winger Kris Bzdel of the North East Wolfpack. Bzdel is a left-winger and is listed at 5'9 and 155 pounds. The product of Tisdale, Saskatchewan had 33 goals, 62 points and 50 PIMs in 28 games during the 2013-14 season.

"This guy is a personal favorite of mine and many of our scouting staff," said Priestner. "He's a lot of fun to watch, he's a wrecking ball. He's got great power in his stride and was one of the top scorers in the province this year. We think he's a high-end kid and we're excited."

7th round - 135th overall - Cameron Hausinger - 5'10 - 177 pounds

With the Saskatoon Blades eighth pick in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft, they selected winger Cameron Hausinger. The 5'10 forward is from Anchorage, Alaska. He spent his season playing with the Los Angeles Junior Kings Bantam team. He's a right handed shot and weighs in at 177 pounds.

"He's an extremely gritty and hard to play against player," said Priestner. "We had him in our top 10 overall, in terms of ability, but he obviously gets affected by being from the US. We feel that he's one of the very best forwards in this draft. We've been in contact with his parents over the last few months, getting to know them, making them aware of what we're all about in Saskatoon. We really hope to see him at camp."

8th round - 157th overall - Tyler Stratechuk - 5'10 - 181 pounds

With the Saskatoon Blades ninth pick in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft, they selected defenceman Tyler Stratechuk. He's from Springside, Saskatchewan, near Yorkton and played for the Terriers this year. He's listed at 5'10, 181 pounds and put up 13 goals and 38 points to go along with 32 PIMs in 31 games this season.

"He's a big and rugged defenceman," said Priestner. "He's actually more of an offensive defenceman but has some edge to his game. We think he's a really good defenceman for us to develop along. We like the physical tools he brings to the table. He was the captain on a very good team in Yorkton."

9th round - 179th overall - Connor Tuffs - 5'10 - 162 pounds

With the Saskatoon Blades tenth pick in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft, they selected right winger Connor Tuffs of the North East Wolfpack. Tuffs was a linemate of fellow draft pick Kris Bzdel this season, putting up 15 goals and 37 points in 25 games. He's listed at 5'10 and weighs 162 pounds, shooting right handed. He was also the captain of the Wolfpack this year.

"We think really highly of him," said Priestner. "He has had some injury troubles and I think that's what was to blame for him dropping a bit in the draft, but it's to our benefit. We're confident he can heal up. He's a big strong forward, playing on a line with Bzdel on what we considered to be the best line in Saskatchewan. They'll play together again next year and I guess we'll see how many more years they can play together."

10th round - 199th overall - Jordan Robinson - 5'10 - 155 pounds

With the Saskatoon Blades eleventh pick in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft, they selected centre Jordan Robinson. The right-handed shooting forward is from Kelowna, BC. He's listed at 5'10 and 155 pounds. He had 27 goals, 51 points and 55 PIMs in 59 games for the Okanagan Hockey Academy AAA team in 2013-14.

"He's a big strong forward with grit, who can score," said Priestner. "Our BC Scout Jason Smart couldn't be here but was following along online. My phone started ringing when this pick came up and Robinson was still there, it was Jason saying we should take this player. We did, he was the best player available on our board at his part of the draft."

11th round - 223rd overall - Joel Grzybowski - 5'9 - 162 pounds

With the Saskatoon Blades twelfth pick in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft, they selected goaltender Joel Grzybowski of Hafford, SK. The goaltender spent the season with the Sask Valley Vipers. The goaltender is seen as an athletic one, being listed at 5'9 and 162 pounds.

"Very athletic goaltender," said Priestner. He's a great kid, focused. He's very fast in the net. He's a little on the small side, but if he can grow a bit we think he could be a very good goaltender. He took his team to the final this year, which is definitely an accomplishment."

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