Brandon Sun - PRINT EDITION
With the first overall pick in Sunday’s Manitoba Junior Hockey League draft, the Neepawa Natives know they’re going to get their man.
The trick is making sure it’s the right man for them.
Sunday’s six-round draft in Steinbach will allow MJHL teams to stock their lists for the future, with players born in 1997. Prior to the draft, each team will also "autoprotect" two local players.
In addition to the challenge of projecting how 14- and 15-year-old players will fare four or five years down the road, the MJHL teams also must try to predict which players are willing to commit to the Junior A league, meaning top-notch Western Hockey League prospects often slide down the draft board.
"You’re just trying to get the best for what your team needs," said Natives general manager Myles Cathcart, whose team will pick first as the consolation prize after a trying 2011-12 season that included finishing with the MJHL’s worst record (12-45-4). "I guess with having the first pick, you want to make sure it’s a player that’s going to play for you and there’s no chance you’ll never see him play because he might go to the WHL as well. I guess that’s the trick right? What we’re looking for is somebody that’s going to be part of our organization for three or four years and then go from there."
Cathcart says he holds character in high regard for the draft, which he views as vital to rebuilding Neepawa’s roster.
"Every player that you draft may not play for your team, but you need to make sure that you’re getting two, three if not more players that will be on your roster," he said. "It builds your foundation and once you draft a kid and they feel part of your organization, it’s much easier to recruit them as opposed to getting a player from somewhere else and trying to recruit them."
Westman’s newest team, the Virden Oil Capitals, go into the draft with the sixth overall pick — smack dab in the middle of the first round — as their predecessors, the Winnipeg Saints, finished in the middle of the pack with a 34-22-6 record last season before making a surprise run to the league final.
"Your first go ’round you want to have a good showing and I think we have a step in the right direction with our autoprotects," said director of player personnel and assistant coach Chad Leslie. "Derek Cross and Wyatt Kalynuk are pretty high-end guys, character-wise. Skill-wise, we definitely think they’ll be Junior A guys down the road that will make a big impact."
Leslie said both the draft and the southwest region are deep in talent this year, although he said the Oil Capitals won’t necessarily feel obliged to pick locally.
They did add a significant local talent on Wednesday, acquiring the list rights to defenceman Jordan Greig, 18, of Souris from the Swan Valley Stampeders for goalie Alcide Grenier, 19.
"Jordan was, in my opinion, the best defenceman in the AAA Midget league this year," said Leslie, who was one of Greig’s coaches with the Southwest Cougars. "By no means have we signed him yet — he still has the decision to make whether he’s going to come to us or head out of the province — but we felt that Jordan was such a quality player we had to throw our hat in the ring and bring in somebody of that calibre."
ONE-TIMERS: The MJHL’s Dauphin Kings have secured a commitment from G Brian Archibald, who had a standout AAA Midget season with the Cougars in 2011-12 with a 1.97 goals-against average.
» rhenders@brandonsun.com
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition May 31, 2012
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With the first overall pick in Sunday’s Manitoba Junior Hockey League draft, the Neepawa Natives know they’re going to get their man.
The trick is making sure it’s the right man for them.
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With the first overall pick in Sunday’s Manitoba Junior Hockey League draft, the Neepawa Natives know they’re going to get their man.
The trick is making sure it’s the right man for them.
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