Kelowna Rockets 2020 Bantam Draft recap

 

It was an historic day for the Kelowna Rockets organization when the brain trust convened April 22 to conduct its 2020 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft.

For Lorne Frey, now 70 years of age, it was his final day with the Rockets in his role as assistant general manager and director of player personnel.

Lorne Frey

Earlier in the week, the organization issued a release announcing Frey is moving into a senior advisor role. Effectively, it’s kind of a semi-retirement gig, although Frey’s vast knowledge of the Rockets system and crop of prospects will continue to be of value. The move also enables Frey to relocate to his old stomping grounds in Swift Current, Saskatchewan.

“It’s been a great 29 years,” said Frey. “One of the great things about this job is that I’ve been able to do something that I truly love to do.

“Not everyone can say that they enjoy coming to work each day. Bruce and I have been working together for a long time and had some great success. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I wouldn’t want to work for anyone else in this league – he has been tremendous to me.”

General manager Bruce Hamilton was reflective when making the announcement.

“It would be impossible to replace Lorne,” he said. “He was the first employee I hired and has played a key role within the Rockets franchise and with each group of players over the past 29 seasons.

“He has been involved in every hockey decision since day one, whether it was coaching staff or players. He has been a very close friend and is one of the most loyal people I know. Throughout the years we have instilled in our players and staff that ‘once a Rocket, always a Rocket’ and that will always be true with Lorne.”

In a separate release, the Rockets announced today Terry McFaul will take over from Frey as head scout. McFaul has been with the organization in a scouting role for 29 years.

Draft Day
Frey also confirmed in a draft-day release that the Rockets are pleased with their selections at the 2020 edition of the bantam draft.

“We picked guys who are skilled that can skate and compete,” said Frey. “It was a deep draft, hopefully, the players that we took take strides and improve over the next couple of years.

“That’s what you’re in this for, to see which players down the road improve and get better. In saying that, they are good prospects at this time who are going to grow and develop.”

Much was made last season regarding the Rockets decision not to trade away its 2020 early round picks to load up the roster for the Memorial Cup in Kelowna. As a result, the Rockets had the eighth overall pick, just its third first round selection since 2015.

Kelowna chose speedy forward Andrew Cristall, a talented offensive player with great hands.

“We think Andrew is a very good hockey player, he’s highly skilled with a tremendous hockey IQ,” said Frey. “He controls the game and sets the tempo of it, and he makes players better around him.”

In 27 games with the St. George’s Academy Bantam Prep team, Cristall scored 43 goals and added 37 assists.

The 5’6, 132-pounder from Burnaby, B.C. spoke with Rockets play-by-play voice, Regan Bartel of radio station AM1150.

“Leading up to the draft and talking to some teams, I was kind of thinking I was going to be in that ballpark,” Cristall said, when asked by Bartel if he felt he might be a first round pick.

Cristall follows St. George’s Academy alumnus Trevor Wong to Kelowna. Wong, who just completed his rookie campaign in the WHL was the Rockets most recent first round pick, selected 18th overall in 2018.

“I chose to play in the CSSHL because it develops a lot of great players,” Cristall said. “And you’re able to be on the ice everyday and working out.”

This draft class is particularly important to the Rockets. While the organization hung on to most of its 2020 current picks, Kelowna moved a host of future draft picks during the past season as it juggled the roster a Memorial Cup hosts.

Kelowna will not have a first-round pick in 2021 and 2022, as those picks were traded. Subsequently, how the Rockets can mine the prospects obtained through the past two drafts will go a long way toward maintaining competitive teams in the coming years.

The remainder of the Rockets 2020 selections went like this:

Round 2 (30) Caden Price (D) 5’11, 156 lbs. Saskatoon, SK

Round 3 (49) Marcus Pacheco (C) 5’9, 144 Edmonton, AB

Round 6 (115) Logan Dochuk (D) 6’0, 152 Edmonton, AB

Round 6 (118) Jackson Romeril (D) 5’11, 173 Calgary, AB

Round 7 (140) Alex Scheiwiller (G) 5’9, 142 Calgary, AB

Round 8 (161) Grady Lenton (C) 5’9, 151 Delta, BC

Round 9 (180) Ethan Neutens (F) 5’10, 160 Cochrane, AB

Round 11 (228) Will Munro (LW) 6’0, 167 Swan River, MB

Round 12 (250) Wyatt Homeniuk (D) 5’11, 150 Regina, SK

(Special thanks to Paige Bednorz of the Kelowna Rockets for her input.)