Two Saskatoon players crack the top 10
A pair of Saskatoon-area forwards cracked the first round of Thursday’s Western Hockey League Bantam Draft.
Warman’s Josh Pillar, from the SaskValley Vipers, was selected 14th overall by the Kamloops Blazers.
“We were all watching it during gym (at school) and it’s just a good honour to be selected,” said Pillar, a five-foot-10, 150-pound centreman who had 18 goals and 36 assists for 54 points in 25 games during the regular season and 19 points in 10 playoff games.
“I really wanted to go there (Kamloops) too. They kind of told me that, if I was still around, then they would select me, so I’m really happy about that.
“It was awesome to go that early.” Three picks later, Cohner Saleski — who played for the Saskatoon Bantam AA Stallions this past season — was taken 17th overall by the Prince Albert Raiders, who used their No. 1 pick, first overall, to choose Sherwood Park defenceman Kaiden Guhle.
“It’s pretty great,” said Saleski. “It’s close to home so I don’t have to travel very far. It’s just going to be exciting. I was hoping I could go in the first round — that’s what you hope for and that’s your goal.”
As the first round went on, Saleski started to hope that maybe a Saskatchewan team would pick him, and sure enough.
“We pretty much jumped out of our seats then,” said Saleski, who had 43 goals and 40 assists in 30 games with the Stallions this season.
Saskatoon Wild product Tom Cadieux was picked in the second round, 34th overall by the Tri-City Americans. The solid five-foot-11, 155-pound D-man played for the Notre Dame AAA Hounds this season in the Canadian Sport Schools Hockey League.
James Form, a six-foot, 160-pound centre from the Saskatoon Outlaws, was selected 45th overall by the Kootenay Ice as the first selection in the third round.
The Ice have a new ownership group, a brand new logo and now possibly a new player in Form, who racked up 29 goals and 27 assists for 56 points in 30 games during the regular season and added another five goals and nine points in four playoff games.
“I didn’t know what was going to come of the draft,” offered Form. “To be drafted is something I’ve thought about for a long time and it’s something I’ve been working to achieve. Now that it’s actually happened, I’m very pleased and excited that it happened.”
Maniacs goalie Ethan Hein was chosen in the third round, 57th overall, by the Swift Current Broncos. Nowadays, bigger goalies are in demand. Hein fits the bill at sixfoot-two and 179 pounds.
“I got chosen by Swift, but, at the start of the day, I wouldn’t have (thought) Swift, but it’s a good place to end up going,” said Hein, who will play midget AAA next season in Moose Jaw.
“I’m happy with it. I kind of expected somewhere in the third round, so 57th (overall) is nice.”
Stallions’ bruising six-foot, 177-pound forward Boston Maxwell was taken in the fourth round, 84th overall, by the Prince George Cougars. Maxwell had 22 goals and 21 assists in 30 games this season.
In the fifth round, 105th overall, the P.A. Raiders picked up Outlaws captain Graham Skinner, a sixfoot, 178-pound defenceman.
Kaeden Watkins, a six-foot-five, 175-pound blueliner from the Saskatoon Generals, was taken next at 106th overall, right after Skinner, by the Kelowna Rockets.
Alec Saretzky, a five-foot-eight, 139-pound forward from the Maniacs, was the 156th pick overall.
The Edmonton Oil Kings took Logan Holm, another defenceman from the Outlaws, in the eighth round, 158th overall. Holm is sixfoot and 142 pounds.
Rounding out Greater Saskatoon Hockey League picks was Josh Paulhus, taken by the Seattle Thunderbirds in the 10th round at No. 200. The five-foot-eight, 159-pound Paulhus had 35 goals and 25 assists for 60 points in 29 games with the Generals.