Blades’ top pick sees himself as a local boy
Aidan De La Gorgendiere may have grown up in the Greater Vancouver area, but he considers himself a Saskatchewan boy at heart.
De La Gorgendiere was jumping for joy when the Saskatoon Blades chose him as their first pick, fifth overall, in Thursday’s Western Hockey League Bantam Draft in Calgary.
It was a wish come true. “Both my parents (Graham De La Gorgendiere and Marla Meginbir) are from Saskatoon — they both grew up there and I have a lot of family and friends there — so it’s honestly a real honour to become a Blade,” said the blue-chip blue-line prospect, who was born in Abbotsford and now resides in Langley, B.C..
His dad is a member of the RCMP, so the parents lived in Regina for a bit before moving to the West Coast.
“I had a lot of talk with Saskatoon so I had a good feeling about it,” said De La Gorgendiere, who stands six feet tall and weighs 169 pounds. “I’ve been very excited for the last month, hoping I would go to Saskatoon.”
De La Gorgendiere had 26 points and 50 penalty minutes in 30 games this season with the Yale Hockey Academy bantam squad that plays in the Canadian Sport Schools Bantam Hockey League (CSSBHL).
He was named the top defenceman in the John Reid tournament, where he racked up 15 points in six games. He’s a skilled D-man who can quarterback the power play.
“He just embodies everything we are looking for,” said Blades general manager Colin Priestner. “We’ve been really looking for that No. 1 left-handed defenceman who plays in all situations, who competes extremely hard every shift; rangy, offensive, good first pass; awesome kid.
“He’s going to be a natural-born leader and a top-pairing guy for us, a guy we can help build our team around.”
De La Gorgendiere will play for Yale Hockey Academy U-18 team next season before moving on to the Blades.
With their second pick in the first round, at No. 10 overall, the Blades selected centreman Kyle Crnkovic from Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy. The fivefoot-six, 149-pound Crnkovic, a native of Chestermere, Alta., scored 40 goals and added 39 assists for 79 points this season.
“He’s just an exceptional talent,” said the Blades’ director of scouting, Dan Tencer. “We’re talking about a guy who’s got insane speed and insane skill at that speed.”
Crnkovic helped POE win the CSSBHL championship and Alberta Cup.
In the second round, 31st overall, the Blades picked Braden Plaschewsky, a six-foot-tall, 159-pound forward from the Calgary Bisons.
A few picks later, at 35th overall, Saskatoon selected six-foot-one, 165-pound goalie Koen MacInnes from the Western Canadian Bantam AAA Hockey champion Burnaby Winter Club Bruins.
The Blades followed that up in the second round by picking fivefoot-11, 158-pound D-man Kurtis Smythe of Delta Hockey Academy 42nd overall.
Kalen Szeto, a five-foot-three, 124-pound skilled speedster who also played for the BWC Bruins, was selected in the fifth round by the Blades, 102nd overall.
Also in the fifth, Saskatoon picked up five-foot-10, 141-pound defenceman Alex Ozar from Prince Albert.
Davis Frank, a five-foot-eight, 150-pound centre from Yale Hockey Academy, was the Blades’
He’s going to be a natural-born leader and a top-pairing guy for us, a guy who can help build our team around.
seventh-round selection at No. 137. Chase Barlow, a five-foot-11, 162-pound blueliner from Victoria, B.C., was next at No. 159.
They took yet another rearguard in five-foot-10, 134-pound Kyle Lamoureux from the Winnipeg Warriors, 181st overall.
Cal Caragata, a Prairie Storm forward at five-foot-11 and 184 pounds, was picked in the 10th round, 203rd overall.
Rounding out the Blades’ picks is Zach Veitch, a six-foot-three, 181-pound D-man from the Yellowhead Chiefs. He was also taken in the 10th round, 206th overall.
BLADES TRADE MCCARTY
The Blades addressed their overflowing over-age problem Thursday by dealing 1997-born forward Mason McCarty to the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for the 31st pick overall in Thursday’s draft.
The Blades used that pick for forward Plaschewsky.