When Brogan O'Brien got the text message from his mom, he didn't scream out loud in celebration. He was at school, so his reaction to the news he had just been selected in the Western Hockey League bantam draft was much more cool and collected.
But he was happy. Of that, make no mistake.
"I was excited inside," said O'Brien, a 14-year-old centreman who was chosen in the 10th round, 207th overall, by the Kelowna Rockets in Thursday's draft, held in Calgary. "The last couple of years I've been thinking about [playing in the WHL] and hoping that I'm going to be there someday."
O'Brien, a Grade 9 student at Duchess Park secondary, was one of two Prince George players to be drafted. The other was defenceman Todd Bredo, who had his name called by the Medicine Hat Tigers just seven picks later.
Bredo, who attends Grade 9 classes at College Heights secondary, had been following the draft all day on his phone and was getting nervous about his chances of being chosen. In the middle of science class, his name finally popped up on his screen.
"I think I yelled out loud," said Bredo, also 14. "I was pretty excited. I'm pretty happy about [being picked by Medicine Hat]. I've heard that it's a great organization and they take things pretty seriously."
O'Brien and Bredo both skated for the Farr Fabricating bantam Tier 1 Cougars this past season.
Gibby Chasse, head coach of the Cats, was pleased to see the pair get one step closer to WHL careers.
"Both of them are basically, I think, diamonds in the rough for those teams," Chasse said. "They were late picks and probably could have gone a little bit earlier."
The five-foot-11, 160-pound O'Brien is a terrific puck-handler, especially in heavy traffic. He understands the fine details of the game and rarely gets out-hustled.
"His work ethic is second to none," Chasse said. "He's going to get out of hockey what he puts into it so he's got a long future ahead of him."
Bredo, six-foot-two and 175 pounds, is a defensive-style defenceman who plays a physical but smart game.
"He takes care of his own zone first and uses his size and reach to his advantage," Chasse said. "And his understanding of the game as well is improving all the time. He started making some really good decisions after Christmas with the puck."
Both players expect to attend camps with their new teams late in the summer.
