Studs and duds.
In the Western Hockey League bantam draft, selected players fall into one of those two categories or land somewhere in between. The same is true of any draft, because regardless of the sport, evaluating talent and determining potential is far from an exact science. Often, deciding between one player or another comes down to a figurative throw of the dart.
In the case of the bantam draft, making the right choices are especially challenging because scouts and general managers are projecting the future capabilities of 14-year-olds. At that age, these kids are - in a hockey sense - raw pieces of clay that have only begun to give a hint of their eventual form.
In this year's WHL bantam draft, held Thursday in Calgary, the Prince George Cougars chose Jackson Leppard and Jonas Harkins with their first two picks. Based on past history, odds are good they'll turn into productive members of the organization. But fair warning: that's not always the case.
Studs and duds. Over the years, the Cougars have had their share of both.
Chances are, forward Justin Almeida and defenceman Max Martin - the Cats' top two picks in 2014 - will both end up in the stud group. Same goes for blueliner Josh Anderson and forward Kody McDonald, who were the team's first- and second-rounders in 2013. Right now it's still too early to say with certainty.
Jansen Harkins and Brad Morrison? Definitely studs. They were both first-round picks in 2012 (second overall and seventh overall) and are coming off outstanding sophomore seasons. Jansen Harkins put up a team-leading 79 points (20 goals, 59 assists), added four assists in five playoff games and then helped Team Canada to a bronze medal at the world Under-18 championship. Morrison, meanwhile, recorded 50 points (23 goals, 27 assists) in 67 games and then added two goals and a team-high seven points in the playoffs. It would be a shock if Jansen Harkins isn't chosen in the first round of the upcoming National Hockey League draft. As for Morrison, he's now on the draft radar as well, listed at No. 124 among North American skaters.
It's worth mentioning that the Cougars' next three picks in the 2012 bantam draft - defenceman Tate Olson (68 games), forward Aaron Boyd (52 games) and blueliner Shane Collins (40 games) - all saw action with the team this past season. That was some nice drafting by Dallas Thompson and Wade Klippenstein, who were general manager and assistant GM/director of player personnel at the time.
Other studs? How about defenceman and current captain Sam Ruopp (fourth round, 76th overall, 2011); starting goaltender Ty Edmonds (ninth round, 186th overall, 2011); local sniper Chase Witala (fifth round, 89th overall, 2010); forward Troy Bourke (second round, 26th overall, 2009); forward and current Boston Bruin Brett Connolly (first round, 10th overall, 2007); forward Dana Tyrell (fifth round, 97th overall, 2004); local forward Nick Drazenovic, first round, 11th overall, 2002); Eric Hunter (first round, eighth overall, 2001); Miles Zimmer (fifth round, 86th overall, 2000); forward Jonathan Filewich, first round, 10th overall, 1999); forward Chris Falloon (second round, 31st overall, 1998); goaltender Billy Thompson (third round, 42nd overall, 1997); and forward Tyler Bouck (first round, second overall, 1995). And to cap off the list of studs, here's a beauty: defenceman and current part-owner of the Cougars, Eric Brewer (sixth round, 81st overall, 1994).
Take note that one of the Cougars' other owners, defenceman Dan Hamhuis, went undrafted as a bantam and was later listed by the Cougars. Same goes for forward Blair Betts.
Now the duds. And, for the record, players in this group have been placed here for only one reason: because, in relation to where they were picked in the draft, they didn't make any real impact with the Cougars. Listing them as "duds" is in no way a comment on their value or worth as people.
That disclaimer out of the way, here were go.
First, there were the players picked by the Cougars who never reported to Prince George. They include defenceman Stefan Elliott (first round, 12th overall, 2006) and forwards Tyler Swystun (first round, sixth overall, 2003) and Rick Kozak (first round, 14th overall, 2000). Elliott did turn into a solid WHLer with the Saskatoon Blades and has carved out a nice pro career with the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League and the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL. Swystun and Kozak, meanwhile, went on to moderate success with other WHL clubs and then played university hockey (Swystun) and minor pro (Kozak).
For players who were drafted by the Cougars and did play here, the biggest dud, hands down, was defenceman Ryan Kerr (first round, first overall, 2004). Kerr had good size but, from Day 1 in Prince George, it was apparent his skating ability was not up to par. He ended up appearing in just 20 games for the Cats (zero goals, one assist, four penalty minutes) before he was traded to the Lethbridge Hurricanes. After parts of three seasons with Lethbridge, Kerr moved on to the Portland Winter Hawks and then the Calgary Hitmen before he finished his junior career with the Tier 2 Spruce Grove Saints. As a WHL player, he managed only 30 points in 211 games.
The players chosen behind Kerr in the 2004 bantam draft who went on to become NHL regulars include Thomas Hickey, Dwight King, Brandon Sutter and Luke Schenn.
Two other duds worth mentioning are the Cougars' first-rounders from 2010 and 2009 - forward Alex Forsberg and defenceman Josh Smith respectively. Forsberg was the first-overall pick and Smith went 19th overall and neither came close to meeting expectations in Prince George.
Forsberg skated in a total of 131 games for the Cats and generated 86 points. Along the way, he walked out on the team part way through the 2012-13 season and dropped down to junior A hockey with the Humboldt Broncos. As for Smith, he bounced between the Cougars and junior A hockey in Alberta. In 93 games with the Cats, he recorded just 11 points.
One last thing to note: for the Cougars, the draft years between 2003 and 2006 were horrid. The only standout players nabbed by the organization during that stretch of time were blueliner Ty Wishart (2003), forward Evan Fuller (2003) and Tyrell (2004). That's three players out of 51 selections. Given that putrid percentage, it's no surprise the Cougars struggled so badly in the years that followed (losing records from 2007-08 to 2011-12, including just 12 wins in 2009-10).
Evidence has always shown that successful teams are built through the draft. Given the Cougars' solid results at the draft table the past five years, that's good news for fans of the club.
