Long time no chat!
Well to be honest I suppose, there hasn't been a whole heck of a lot going on in Hurricanes land since the end of the regular season nearly six weeks ago. Head Coach & G.M. Rich Preston as well as Assistant G.M. Brad Robson have been here, there, and everywhere scouting players and watching various tournaments since mid-March. It certainly won't be quiet this week though with the WHL Bantam Draft takes place on Thursday at West Edmonton Mall's Fantasy Land Hotel.
We've been talking quite a bit on this blog about the April 29th draft ever since about the middle of December when the Hurricanes made that big trade with Regina and as it got more apparent each game that the Canes' were likely going to miss the post-season. I said it before and I'll say it again, this is probably the most important draft in the Hurricanes soon-to-be 25 year history as an organization. The Hurricanes have the third overall pick, as well as three picks in the second round. Two of those picks are via trades this past season with Regina and Tri-City. So, the Hurricanes will select four players on Thursday in the top 40. As Brad Robson said to me a few weeks back, these four players could make the difference for this hockey team over the course of the next three or four seasons. It's important I think the drafting staff have all their ducks in a row for this one. No question the pressure is on, given the rough season this team is coming off of. Both Preston and Robson have said they will select the best player available when it's time for the Hurricanes to make their selections.
For all intents and purposes, I've been told this is a fairly deep draft when it comes to talent, so if the Canes' play their cards right here, they should end up with four pretty good players with those early picks. I think for Hurricanes fans, despite this past season this draft could be the start of some really positives things for this team. I, and many others have been anticipating this draft for months now and here we are just a couple of days away. Sometimes you have to hit the bottom as a sports team, before you get back up to the top. Just look at Saskatoon and Portland a few years ago in the WHL. Good drafting, a couple of timely trades, and what difference a few seasons can make. It's happened in the pros too. Hopefully that'll be the case for the Lethbridge Hurricanes. I believe this draft is critical, I really do. I also get the feeling talking to those running the show (Preston, Robson, and Rich Sutter) that they feel the same. Preston has now been able to see over the past year what he has and now knows what he needs to go forward to build this team. We will find out on Thursday just who the future faces of the Lethbridge Hurricanes are!
I'll be posting the Canes' draft choices as they come in throughout the day on Thursday. The draft will begin around 9am (MDT), April 29th.
Thanks,
Pat
The views expressed on this blog are those of the moderator and contributors and are not endorsed by 94.1 CJOC or the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
Forsberg is going first to PG, Bowey 2nd to Edmonton. That leaves you guys with a choice of Josh Morrissey-D, Jon Merkley-C (one of the better two-way forwards) and Jesse Lees-D from calgary as well as Morgan Klimchuk from Calgary. You guys can't go wrong with any of these players but if I had to pick one for 3rd overall, I would take JOSH MORRISSEY. Brian Williams is in the mix from LA Selects but I feel he'll go to Seattle.
ReplyDeletewhat about Needham? he is ranked 2nd or 3rd overall by a few scouts...averaged about 4 points per game in bantam AAA, and he is the son of a former WHLer!
ReplyDeleteNeedham will be a tough recruit. Word is he wants to play in Kamloops who pick 8th and Kamloops only! Could be like a Shane McColgan situation. Sure he was rated #2 by all the scouts prior to the bantam draft but he went 14th to Kelowna beacause he would only play on certain teams.
ReplyDeleteNeedham has already told a couple of teams that he only wants to go to Kamloops so don't bother drafting him. Quite frankly, I think it is wrong to hold the other teams hostage because a player only wants to play in one location. (Mind you it kind of tells you what kind of character the player has, just like TJ Galiardi did with his demands to play only in Calgary). I forget the name of the defenseman in Manitoba, but he is on the Hurricane's radar. Certainly with 3 picks in the 2nd round that will give Preston/Robson the chance to add top notch forwards. Don't be surprised if they deal the 19th pick in the 2nd round (or a couple of roster players) in order to get an established forward. All in all it should be an interesting day.
ReplyDeleteRJ
ya should be interesting for sure! i know with Landon Ferraro being bunched in the playoffs, he could be available...and also (but unrealistically) would the Canes be willing to give up the 3rd overall pic in exchange for Brett Connolly?
ReplyDeletei guess we'll find out on Thurs!