When the draft class is as good as the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft was, you want to do everything you can to lock up the players your team chose. Especially those prospects with an NHL bloodline, as it gives you an advantage as you try to help players get ready for the next step in their hockey journey.
The Rebels have done that in the last 10 days, signing their first four picks from the draft.
Today the team signed Arjun Bawa to a Standard Player Agreement.
WELCOME TO RED DEER!
The team's 2nd round pick, 36th overall from the 2020 WHL Draft, Arjun Bawa, is officially a Rebel!
Details: https://t.co/N20mSOVUPP pic.twitter.com/u0L0xdN0H8
— Red Deer Rebels (@Rebelshockey) May 7, 2020
Bawa was selected 36th overall by the Rebels with their third selection in the second round. From Richmond, BC, Bawa played his Bantam season with St. George’s Bantam Prep team of the CSSBHL. His 16 goals and 25 assists were good enough to put him in the top-30 in scoring in the CSSBHL.
His father, Robin Bawa, played for four different NHL teams over four seasons and 61 games. He also played 565 games in the now-defunct IHL, and 159 AHL games.
Expectations are high for a player like Bawa as he has continued to follow a high trajectory in his development.
“He’s a tall lanky guy, he’s already grown a ton this year, think he’s almost 6-foot-2 and weighs 170 pounds. He’s a bigger body that’s got skill and he’s smart, he sees the ice. He’s only gonna get better and better,” said Assistant General Manager Shaun Sutter following the 2020 WHL Bantam draft.
He also told reddeerrebels.com, “Arjun is a tall, cerebral, two way forward who has good vision and skill to be a playmaker while also possessing awareness on both sides of the puck to be a responsible player who can produce offensively. His upside is high with his size, skillset, and hockey sense.”
