Miguel Marques knows now where his WHL future lies.
The 15-year-old Prince George minor hockey product skates like the wind, so it’s only fitting he’s heading to the Windy City to make his WHL debut this weekend.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes selected Marques 10th overall in Thursday’s Prospects Draft. The five-foot-11, 170-pound Marques leads his Delta Academy U17 Prep team in scoring with 27 goals and 34 assists for 64 points in just 16 games.
“It’s a great honour,” said Marques, who came home to Prince George for the draft. “Lethbridge is a great organization and I’ve got a lot of the guys reaching out to me in the coaching staff, head scout, it’s been great.”
Marques intends to sign with the Hurricanes over the next day or so and has been told by the team they want him in the lineup Friday in Lethbridge when the Hurricanes host the Red Deer Rebels. He’ll catch a flight to Alberta from Prince George early Friday. Once he signs, he’s eligible to play as many as five games this season with the Hurricanes.
Known as one top scorers available in the draft, many scouts consider his skating ability his best asset. The former Cariboo Cougar U-15 forward played last season at St. George’s School U-15 Prep in Vancouver.
“It’s hard to find a centre iceman like Miguel, he can skate, he’s a little bit of power forward, he gets to the dirty areas, he scores goals and he’s scored 64 points in 16 games – he’s the high scorer on his team,” said Hurricanes head scout Rob McLaughlan.
Marques is the highest-ranked Prince George minor hockey product taken in the WHL draft since 2007, when the Cougars selected winger Brett Connolly 10th overall. Connolly went on to win the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2018 and currently plays in the AHL for the Rockford IceHogs. Winger Ryan Howse, chosen third overall in 2006 by the Chilliwack Bruins, is the highest-ever local pick in the history of the WHL draft.
Two other Prince George minor hockey graduates were picked in Thursday's draft. Centre Smyth Rebman was a third round choice of the Saskatoon Blades, picked 62nd overall. He's on a point-per-game pace, with eight goals and five assists in 13 games, for the Rink Academy U-18s, based in Kelowna. He also played two games this season in the KIJHL for the Kelowna Chiefs. Defenceman Kenyon McIsaac was selected in the ninth round, 190th overall by the Everett Silvertips. He plays for the Burnaby Winter Club U-16 prep term and has two goals and 10 assists in 12 games.
Fort St. James forward Diego Johnson was the sixth-round 120th overall choice of the Seattle Thunderbirds. He's produced eight goals and 14 assists for 22 points in 17 games with the Okanagan Hockey Academy U-17 Black team, based in Penticton.
The Delta Academy U-16s (15-0-1) are the top team in their division in the Canadian Sports School Hockey League and are heading to the Mac’s Tournament in Calgary over the Christmas break. Three of Marques’s Delta teammates were picked in the first 11 picks of the draft. Right winger Jordan Gavin of Delta Academy went third overall to the Tri-City Americans. Gavin has 24 goals and 58 points in 14 games for the Delta U-17s. Left winger Tomas Mrsic of Delta Academy, went eighth overall to the Medicine Hat Tigers. The Vancouver Giants chose defenceman Colton Roberts of Maple Ridge 11th overall. Gavin, Mrsic and Marques are linemates.
Delta Academy goalie Gavin Garland (second round, 31st overall, Tri-City Americans) and forward Cayden Lindstrom (third round, 54th overall, Medicine Hat Tigers) also went early in the draft.
“We beat teams by quite a bit and our league isn’t the greatest but I’ve been mixed in with some good linemates, obviously, both getting drafted in the top-10,” said Marques. “That’s been a huge help. They’ve been able to get me the puck and I’ve been able to get them the puck and I guess we just keep rolling off that.”
As the tournament MVP, Marques led Team BC to the WHL Cup title in October in Red Deer.
“I think the WHL Cup, just being surrounded by such great teammates, we were a well-bonded team and obviously that’s what helped us get to the tournament and get to the final there,” said Marques. “It was the best of the best at that tournament and that really helped these scouts pick who they’re going to take.”
Marques grew up in Prince George and played most recently in the city in his first year of eligibility for the Cariboo Cougars U-15 team. He lit up the scoreboard that season with 16 goals and 42 points in 26 games.
“PG has been great my whole life really and one of the biggest coaches who has helped me is Travers Rebman,” said Marques. “He’s coached me all throughout spring hockey, peewee and atoms. I think he’s got me to where I am today, along with all the other coaches I’ve had so far.
“My first year of bantam I got to play for Mirsad (Mujcin) and that was a good year for me, too. The league was pretty good competition and I was able to play with the older group of kids and got to play good minutes and that’s what helped me to develop as a player as well.”
Marques has one more game with Delta Academy before the Christmas break. They will be in Calgary as one of 30 teams invited to the Mac’s Tournament, which starts Dec. 26. He plans to be back for the summer in Prince George to work out with his personal trainer and says he’ll keep working on his hockey skills on the ice during the off-season with former Cougar Nick Drazenovic.
