WHL Spokane Chiefs

Spokane Take Gow in 1st Round

Published on April 30, 2009 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Spokane Chiefs News Release


The Spokane Chiefs selected 11 players in the WHL's annual Bantam Draft, including Reid Gow, a 5'11" defenseman from Killarney, Manitoba, with the 16th overall pick in the first round.

"For us, Reid was highly regarded and we had him as one of the top four defenseman in the draft," Chiefs Director of Player Personnel Chris Moulton said. "We were excited to get him 16th overall. He is a great skater and makes plays. He is the leader of his team and makes everyone around him better."

Overall, Spokane took five forwards, four defenseman and one goaltender.

"At the end of the day, I think we were really well rounded in this draft," Moulton said. "We selected a little bit of everything today; skill, kids who can really skate, and players with high character. These players fit the Chiefs profile."

Gow was a tournament all-star for the Killarney Raiders of the Westman High School Hockey League as they won the Manitoba AA provincial title. Gow also played with the bantam Killarney Stars and helped them win the Bantam A title at the Tournament of Stars in Brandon, MB. While playing for Westman South at the 2009 Director's Cup, Gow had seven assists in four games. Gow was the only Manitoba born player to be selected in the first round and just the second defenseman taken by Spokane in the first round in the 20-year history of the Bantam Draft. Jared Cowen was selected first overall in 2006.

The Chiefs used their second round pick on Connor Chartier, the captain of the Airdrie Xtreme. The Xtreme won the Western Canadian Bantam Championships this past season and in 31 regular season games, Chartier scored 19 goals and 41 points. He added another nine goals and 18 points in nine playoff games.

"The most important part for me was that Connor was on the best team in Canada and he was their leader," Moulton said about Chartier. "He is a hardworking kid who sees the ice real well, gets involved physically and does all the things someone needs to do to be a good WHL player."

"You can't win without leadership and skill and that is what both Reid and Connor have," Moulton said.

Spokane did not have a third round choice, but took T.J. Reeve out of Grenfell, Saskatchewan and Brendan Rooney from Edmonton with a pair of fourth round picks.

Reeve is a 6'0", 175 pound forward that scored 22 goals and 57 points in 21 games with the bantam Balognie Prairie Storm in Saskatchewan. He added another eight goals and 13 points in seven playoff games.

"T.J. is a powerful player with a very hard shot and a quick release," Moulton said. "He has good hockey sense."

Rooney, "a good skater with a lot of competitiveness," was a defenseman with the Edmonton North Oilers last year and had six goals and 20 points in 32 games. "Brendan plays well in all areas of the rink," Moulton said.

Jarrid Hauptman, from Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, was taken with the 99th overall pick in the fifth round. Hauptman scored 33 goals and 62 points in 33 games while finishing sixth in the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League in scoring.

"Jarrid is a great skater who handles the puck very well," Moulton said.

The Chiefs selected goaltender David Readman and defenseman Cole Wedman with two sixth round selections. The 6'2" Readman hails from Dawson Creek, B.C. and "is a huge goaltender who takes up a lot of space," Moulton said. "He's raw, but he has good potential." Wedman, "a steady defenseman," is from Edmonton. "He doesn't make many mistakes and plays a smart game."

Anthony Paskaruk, a teammate of Chartier with the Airdrie Xtreme, was taken in the seventh round. Paskaruk scored seven goals and 24 points in 26 regular season games, but tallied nine goals and 18 points in 14 playoff games helping the Xtreme with their title.

"Anthony improved tremendously as the season went on. He can score and create offense but at the same time is very good in both ends of the rink," Moulton said. "He was unbelievable in the playoffs and at the Western Canadian Championships."

Edmonton's David Pope, a 6'0" forward who scored 28 goals and 50 points in 26 regular season games with the Notre Dame Bantams, was selected in the eighth round.

Chris Buchanan of the San Jose Jr. Sharks was taken with the Chiefs ninth round pick. Buchanan attended the WHL's U.S. Prospects camp earlier this month in Anaheim, California.

Dillon Bogart, a 5'10" forward, was the lone local player selected in the draft. The Chiefs took the Spokane Jr. Chief in the 10th round. "It's nice to have a Spokane player in the draft, but we didn't draft him because we thought we had to, but because we wanted to. Dillon is a quality player who deserved to be selected and we're excited to have him as a part of our organization."

"We thought we had a great draft," Moulton said. "We have a great group of scouts that do a thorough job of evaluating the players and it really helps the process. Their hard work makes my job easier."

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Western Hockey League Stories from April 30, 2009


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