Jordan Harris was the 10th overall pick in Thursday's WHL bantam draft, but to the Prince George Cougars, he's No. 1.
The Cougars made Harris, a six-foot-one, 170-pound defenceman, their top choice at the draft table in Calgary.
The 15-year-old native of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, played this past season for the Prince Albert Pirates in the Centre Four Bantam Hockey League. In 23 regular season games with the Pirates, Harris picked up 10 goals and 24 assists for 34 points. The team went on to win the Saskatchewan double-A bantam title.
"We wanted a big franchise defenceman and we were fortunate to get Jordan No. 10," said Wade Klippenstein, the Cougars assistant general manager and director of player personnel. "We feel he's one of the best defenceman in the draft and that's exactly what we needed.
"Last year our draft was very heavy with skilled forwards and [this year] right off the hop we wanted a good defenceman. Harris will be a power-play guy for sure. He's a big-bodied guy who can play a physical game but he's a skill-guy as well, almost everything you want in a young defenceman."
Harris will play for Prince Albert Mintos triple-A midget team next season.
As expected, Abbotsford left winger Jake Virtanen was taken first overall by the Calgary Hitmen.
The Saskatoon Blades acquired the Cougars' second-round choice in a trade last September in exchange for winger Charles Inglis and that pick was subsequently dealt to Brandon as part of the Brayden Schenn deal in January. The Wheat Kings used it to select centre Jayce Hawryluk of Roblyn, Man. Brandon also held the Cougars third-round pick, 54th overall, and snagged winger John Quenneville of Edmonton.
The Cougars did have a third-round pick, 59th overall, as a result of a deal with Kelowna, and selected Carson Bolduc, a five-foot-10, 145-pound native of Salmon Arm. Bolduc played last season for the Kamloops Jardine Blazers triple-A bantam team.
"He's a natural goal-scorer, a forward who plays the point on the power play and he's got a great shot," said Klippentein. "I think he had almost 50 goals for Kamloops, he had a great season."
Defenceman Sam Ruopp (five-foot-10, 145 pounds) of Zehner, Sask., went to the Cougars in the fourth round, 76th overall. In 22 regular season games for the Balgonie double-A bantam Prairie Storm, recording one goal and 17 assists for 18 points.
"Sam is another strong blue line prospect for the Cougars," said Klippenstein. "He moves the puck well and is very reliable in his own end."
The Cats traded their fifth-round pick, 98th overall, to the Kootenay Ice and also shipped their sixth-round selection, 120th overall, to Kamloops. Saskatoon moved its sixth-round pick to the Cats, who picked six-foot, 186-pound defenceman Ben Sowa of Edmonton.
In the seventh round, 142nd overall, five-foot-six, 150-pound centre Mitchell Lipon of Regina became property of the Cougars, and five-foot-10, 168-pound right winger Matt Jones of Peoria, Ariz., followed suit in the eighth round, 164th overall.
The Cats picked five-foot-10, 145-pound goalie Ty Edmonds of Winnipeg in the ninth round, 186th overall; used their 10th-round, 208th overall pick to choose five-foot-11, 165-pound defenceman Sam Houston of Boissevain, Man.; and ended their draft by taking five-foot-six, 139-pound forward Francis Bamford of Abbotsford in the 11th round, 230th overall.
