BEARCATS TAKE A MEASURED APPROACH AT MHL DRAFT

The Truro Bearcats pretty much split their choices down the middle, between offence and defence, at the Maritime Junior Hockey League’s 2018 Draft on the weekend.

The draft was hosted by the Valley Wildcats in Berwick.

With their first-round pick, seventh overall, the Bearcats took rearguard Damian Hartt, from the Valley Wildcats Major Midget team. Hartt shoots right and is listed at 5-ft. 10-in. and goes 189 lbs. In 35 games with the Wildcats last season he had nine goals and 23 assists for 32 points, while leading the Nova Scotia Major Midget league in penalty minutes with 107.

The St. Stephen Aces owned the first three picks in this year’s draft. The first player taken was right winger Zachary Alchorn of the Saint John Vitos. They followed that up with choices of Jack Morris of the Cape Breton West Islanders and Ethan Stuckless, a forward from the East Coast Blizzard of the Newfoundland and Labrador Major Midget league.

Round 2

No pick. Round 3

Truro didn’t have a selection in the second round and in the third, took Regan Seymour, a forward with the St. John’s Maple Leafs Major Midgets. Seymour shoots left and is a lanky 6-ft. 2-in. and 170 lbs.

He was second in Newfoundland and Labrador Major Midget Hockey League scoring last season with 43 points on 19 goals and 24 assists in 32 games.

Round 4

Joe Chambers, a goaltender with the Cole Harbour Wolfpack Major Midgets was Truro’s fourth-round pick.

Chambers stands 6- ft. and weighs in at 172-lbs. He had a 3.73 goals-against average and .888 save percentage with the Wolfpack and posted a record of 10 wins and 7 losses in 19 games. He played 1,044 minutes, giving up a total of 65 goals.

Round 5

The Bearcats had three selections in the fifth round and took forward Logan Camp from Dartmouth Steele Subaru with the first. Camp (6-ft. 165-lbs.) had 8 goals, including 3 power-play markers, and 3 assists for 11 points in 28 games with Dartmouth last season.

Next to be taken was Camdon Langlois, a defenceman from the Cape Breton Tradesmen. The 5-ft. 9-in., 176-lb. Langlois had a goal and 7 assists for 8 points in 36 games.

The third player picked in the round was Gregor Yoell, a teammate of Hartt’s from the Major Midget Wildcats. The 6-ft., 186lb. Yoell had 13 goals, 19 assists for 32 points in 35 outings, and scored four times on the power play.

Round 6

Marc Aucoin of the Pictou County Weeks Major Midgets was taken in the sixth round. Aucoin (5-10 ft. 155-lbs.) plays left wing and had 11 points on 5 goals and 6 assists in 36 games.

Round 7

Cole Julian was taken in the seventh by Truro. The Cole Harbour Wolfpack forward goes 6-ft. 181 lbs. and had 8 goals and 9 assists for 17 points in 36 games. He had three power-play goals to go with 62 penalty minutes.

Round 8

With their final pick, the Bearcats took defenceman Colin MacGillivray of Pictou County Weeks Major Midgets. Macgillivray (5-ft. 10-in., 153-lb.) had a goal and four assists for Weeks in 34 games last season.

Territorial Picks

Truro had two territorial picks, claiming Ben Fraser of Pictou County Weeks Midgets and Del Welton, a blueliner from Cape Breton West Islanders.

It was announced Friday that league champion Edmundston Blizzard will host the 2019 MHL annual general meeting and player draft next year.