The Everett Silvertips drafted seven forwards, three defensemen and two goalies at the WHL Bantam Draft in Red Deer, Alberta on Thursday.
DUBNetwork spoke to Silvertips head scout Mike Fraser about the draft. It was his first draft as head scout for Everett. Fraser was a scout for six seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings prior to coming out west.
Fraser and the Silvertips were without picks in the first two rounds of the draft. The first round pick was sent to Kamloops during the 2017-18 season and the second rounder was moved to the Seattle Thunderbirds this season.
“It can be a little intimidating when you don’t have a first or second round pick. This is my 14th year as a scout and it’s the first time a team I’ve worked for has not had a first or second round pick.”
That didn’t mean Everett could not find some high-end talent though.
“The one thing I was really impressed with about out group was how well we evaluated talent. A wise man told me – the most expensive thing to find is talent. Our goal going into today was to draft talented hockey players. We did a good job this year making sure we had all our bases covered both on and off the ice – with the families,” Fraser recalled.
Everett’s 12 picks hail from three different provinces and two states. Fraser remarked that the landscape of scouting Bantam players continues to change.
“I think the game in general has really evolved. The WHL should always be looking for talent. I think it’s awesome to see the game growing in some of these areas that typically in the past you wouldn’t see as a hockey area. There’s a lot of good hockey players all over Western Canada and the Western U.S. I was fortunate to go to some of the events that I usually go to but also some of the new things as well like the Anaheim camp and tournaments south of the border.”
One particular area has benefitted from an NHL team coming to their area.
“I was at a Bantam tournament in Vegas about a month and a half ago and it’s unbelievable how much the game has grown there and how crazy they are about it with the Golden Knights and everything else,” Fraser said.
The first pick the Silvertips made was in the third round. They received this choice from the Kelowna Rockets as part of a trade for Mark Liwiski.
They went to the vaunted Northern Alberta Xtreme program and took Bantam Prep forward Ben Hemmerling. The Sherwood Park, Alberta native had 53 points in 30 games with NAX.
“A lot of our staff got to see him. It’s nice when you get a body of work where you can get opinions from everyone. Everybody on our staff had seen him play and been really high on him all season long. He’s a very smart player and plays the game quick. Pucks go through him so well. His offensive vision is so good,” Fraser said of the 49th overall pick in the draft.
Everett had another pick in the second round and took Coldstream, BC native Austin Roest. The five-foot-seven and 145 pound forward played for the North Zone Kings Bantam AA team.
“For Roest there are a lot of similarities. He wins a lot of faceoffs, moves the puck around in the offensive zone and can create. He hasn’t quite filled out in terms of his growth potential but we have no concerns with that. He were so impressed with his skill and talent,” Fraser remarked.
For their next two picks, the Silvertips went to California. They took forwards Matthew Ng out of the San Jose Sharks 14U program and James Hong from the Anaheim Ducks 14U team. Ng had 17 points with the 14U Sharks in 12 games, while Hong compiled 22 in 12.
“Matthew is a kid we’ve seen multiple times this year. Not many guys work harder than him. He always makes things happen when he’s on the ice. He’s a very smart player. He’s also a 200-foot guy as well. He takes care of his own zone as well. We are excited to add him to the group.
James Hong is another guy who plays quick. He has a great stick in tight. At the Anaheim camp recently, he showed he can take a team and put it on his shoulder at times. He’s that type of flashy player,” Fraser said of Hong and Ng.
The first non-forward taken by Everett in the draft was a goalie. They selected five-foot-eleven and 155 pound netminder Ian Mills out of Calgary CNHA Northstar Sabres Bantam AAA in the seventh round.
“Ian is a guy we’ve had on our radar for years. We had a lot of viewings of him in Calgary. He was phenomenal this past weekend at the Alberta Cup against some of the best players in the province. I love his technique and I love his positioning. He has a calm demeanor to him and doesn’t get rattled by a whole lot and seems like a goalie who feels like a Silvertip,” Fraser stated.
The Silvertips have had good luck when looking for goalies with that calm demeanor. Look no further than reigning WHL Western Conference goalie of the year Dustin Wolf and three-time WHL goalie of the year Carter Hart.
“Everett has had a great track record with goalies who are like that and I really think he fits that mold as well. He’s not worried about making the flashy save. He’s so cool and calm and so positionally sound. If the pucks are hitting the goalie in the chest a lot it means that is where the goalie should be. He makes a lot of stops and kills a lot of plays. He was a no brainer for us when he was still available.”
Everett went with right shot defenseman Dexter Whittle as their first d-man chosen, in the seventh round. The Virden, Manitoba native had 30 points from the blue liner in 34 games with the Yellowhead Chiefs Bantam AAA team.
“Any report I got from one of our scouts or people I knew there was that this guy will do anything for any of his teammates. He’s got a very high character. He skates well, moves pucks and is not afraid to go back and get pucks to get them out of the zone. He will go through the boards for anyone. One person described him as an upcoming Wyatte Wylie and that was enough for me.”
Everett selected five Americans in the draft. Their next two picks, forward Beau Courtney and defenseman David Hejduk are from the Colorado Thunderbirds 14U team.
“This Colorado Thunderbirds team is a very strong program. The best way to describe Beau is a solid two-way forward who plays a competitive game. Pucks go through him well. Maybe someday down the road a second-line center who potentially wears a letter for you. You always know what you are going to get out of him. Very good skater. He’s one of the better skaters on that team and in this draft,” Fraser said of his team’s eighth-round choice.
Hejduk is the twin brother of Marek Hejduk, a forward drafted by the Portland Winterhawks and the son of former Colorado Avalanche forward Milan.
As teams started passing on picks, Everett kept right on selecting. They took a second goalie in the draft, going against normal protocol. They used their 11th round pick on netminder Evan May from Nanaimo.
“Evan is a bigger goaltender that played on the island in Nanaimo. Our island scout knows those players in and out and really liked this guy I got to see him and really liked his potential. He’s another guy who is positionally sound. He’s maybe a little raw and has not grown into his frame yet. At that point in the draft, even though we already picked a goalie, he was so high on our list we had to take him. We are really happy with both of our goalies,” Fraser said.
In the 12th round, Everett picked five-foot-six and 150 pound forward Ryder Ringor. He played 2018-19 with the CHA Mavericks U14 Bantam AAA team.
“Ryder played out in Ontario so we did not get a lot of viewings from many people. He lives in Winnipeg and came back for the POE camp there at the end of March. This kid was electrifying every time he was on the ice. He’s just quick and made things happen. Sounds like he will be back in Manitoba playing Midget next year,” Fraser said of Ringor.
Kelowna, BC native, forward Carter Schmidt was Everett’s 13th round pick.
“He’s another smart, cerebral. player. We want to play the game quick and fast and we want talent. Carter fits that mold. He’s got some physical maturing to do but we are not concerned about that. This kid is such a smart player. He’s going to provide some offense and be a pain for a lot of defensemen moving forward,” Fraser stated.
Everett finished up the draft, taking defenseman Reid Conn from the Colorado Thunderbirds 14U team, their third player from the same team.
“He’s a bigger bodied defenseman. Perhaps your prototypical shutdown guy. He does not bring the flare and flash but is a rangy guy with a great stick. He’s positionally sound and has a good gap. He’s a real good shutdown guy.” Fraser also remarked that this type of player did not fit one they had already taken.
With Everett’s top two picks from the 2018 Bantam Draft being defensemen, the Silvertips drafted four straight forwards to begin their 2019 Draft.
12, 2004-born players were taken by Everett on Thursday but one player was moved out. 2002-born goalie Blake Lyda was traded to Seattle for a third-round pick in 2021.
The long scouting season has come to a brief end and the players who will make up the future of the Silvertips have been selected. The next step will come this fall when the 2004-born players descend on camp in Everett and try to live up the legacy that the outgoing 1998 and 1999-born have left.
