When the Western Hockey League bantam draft is held in Calgary on May 3 the Prince George Cougars will step up to the podium to make the third overall selection.
The Seattle Thunderbirds (25-45-1-1) won the draft lottery held Wednesday morning to leap over the Cougars (24-46-0-2) and Prince Albert Raiders (21-45-3-3) in the first round of the draft for 1997-born players. Prince George has two first-round selections having acquired the Regina Pats' 11th pick in the trade for Slovak defenceman Martin Marincin.
Seattle will revert back to the third selection after the first round with the Raiders and Cougars up first and second, respectively, in subsequent rounds. The Lethbridge Hurricanes (29-42-0-1) and Swift Current Broncos (27-37-2-6) round out the top five with the fourth and fifth picks.
Players eligible for the WHL draft reside in the four western provinces or territories and in American states west of Minnesota, including Alaska and Hawaii.
