Northwest BC players selected in WHL bantam draft

It's one of the key steps for those with ambitions to pursue hockey at the national level, the bantam draft, a process where Canada's Junior A teams stock their rosters with up and coming prospects took place this week.

The Western Hockey League holding ten rounds of selections, allocating players of ages 14 and 15 to prospective WHL teams and while in the end, few will actually make the jump to the very competitive WHL, the draft is their first look at the path that the Junior leagues have to offer.

For the most part, players selected are fifteen, however on occasion, a fourteen year old will so impress the scouts that he is picked up by junior squads.

While some will pursue the opportunities that the WHL may have to offer, others will also consider such options as US or Canadian University hockey, a path that is proving to be more popular as years go by for talented hockey players who may wish to avoid the long trek that Junior hockey provides for.

As we have highlighted through the last few years, former PRMHA player Frank Slubowski is one athlete who has chosen the US college route to pursue both his educationn and hockey future. Slubowski has spent the last few years with the University of Western Michigan Bronco's program.

This year in the Northwest, three players made the bantam draft cut, with the top choice for the region being former Kitimat resident Justin Almeida.

The fifteen year old was selected by the Prince George Cougars in the first round of Thursday's draft, the fifth overall pick in the 2014 process.

Almeida currently plays for North Vancouver's North Shore Winter Club Winterhawks, but spent many of his formative minor hockey years in the Kitimat Minor Hockey system.

The Prince George Citizen provides this look at Almeida's progress so far, with an eye to his future with Northern BC's Junior A team in Prince George.

When the former Kitimat resident attends his first camp with the Cougars, he may find a rather impressive face to welcome him. The Cougars were recently sold to a new investment group, with Smither's Dan Hamhius included as one of the key investors in the Prince George franchise.

As for the 2014 Bantam Draft, two other notable Northwest selections included:

Hazelton's Joel Patsey, selected by the Prince George Cougars in Round 8, the 159th pick
Terrace's Nick Nordstrom, selected by the Kelowna Rockets in Round 10, the 220th pick

You can review the full 2014 Bantam Draft listings from the WHL website.

For more on Minor Hockey in Prince Rupert and other notes on local hockey see our archive page.