Hurricanes select Sam Lawson in

Lethbridge, AB – Lethbridge Hurricanes Director of Scouting and Player Personnel Brad Robson has announced the Lethbridge Hurricanes have selected Sam Lawson of Calgary, AB with their 7th round (150th overall) selection in the 2008 WHL Bantam Draft. Lawson, tallied 24 points (10G, 14A) and 32 PIMs in 31 games for the Calgary Bisons of the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League.
r
rEarlier in the draft Lethbridge made forward Phil Tot (Taw-T) their first selection – 18th overall in the first round of the 2008 WHL Bantam Draft. Tot is a 6’1” 175 lbs. ’93-born forward who is a strong combination Left Wing/Centre. Tot, a native of Calgary, Alberta, finished the season fifth in league scoring in the AMBHL. In 33 games with the Calgary Bisons, Tot notched 60 points (26G, 34A) with six game winning goals and 12 penalty minutes. His 16 points (9G, 7A) in 12 post season games was good enough for fourth in the AMBHL playoff scoring race.
r
r“Phil Tot is a player who has the potential to be an excellent power forward in our league. He has good strength and he comes off the wall from either wing with a lot of authority.” said Stasiuk “He is a player who will complement our group of forwards both in the present and in the future.”
r
rThe Canes then selected defenseman Reid Jackson with the 28th overall pick in the second round of the 2008 WHL Bantam Draft. The Hurricanes acquired this pick from the Kamloops Blazers in exchange for goaltender Justin Leclerc prior to the start of the 2007-2008 season. 
r
rJackson, who hails from Weyburn, Saskatchewan, is 6’1” 160 pound mobile defenseman who played last season with the Weyburn Wings of the South Saskatchewan Bantam Hockey League. In 20 games with Weybrun, Jackson tallied 25 points (4G, 21A) with 22 penalty minutes.
r
r“Reid is big strong kid, who plays a physical game and possesses probably the best shot bantam hockey today.” says Robson “He’s a strong two way defenseman with good hockey skills and good hockey sense.”
r
rThe Hurricanes then followed that up by selecting defenseman Drew Graham, a native of Chilliwack, BC is a 6’1” 175 pound defenseman who played last season with the Chilliwack Coyotes Bantam AAA club of the Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey Association with their third round pick (62nd overall).
r
r“Drew Graham is a player who is a rugged stay at home defenseman with some potential offensive upside.” said Stasiuk “While scouting and interviewing several players in that area, many of them mentioned that Graham is difficult defenseman to play against.”
r
rThe Canes then selected their third defenseman of the draft and their first Lethbridge area prospect with the 84th overall pick of the 2008 WHL Draft, selecting defenseman Brandyn Hulit in the fourth round.
r
rHulit, a southern Alberta native of Coutts, is a 6’2” 175 pound defenseman who tallied 19 points (3G, 16A) and 24 penalty minutes in 33 games with the Lethbridge Val Matteotti Golden Hawks of the AMBHL.
r
r“Brandyn is a tall, mobile defenseman who has very good lateral movement.”  Said Stasiuk adding “He competes very hard and is among a group of players who got significantly better throughout the course of the 2007-2008 AMBHL season.”
r
rThe Canes then selected forward Jordan Baillie with the first pick of the 6th round (111th overall). This is the pick which the Hurricanes received from Portland as a part of the Colton Sceviour, Nick Hotson and Lukas Alexiuk trade.
r
rBaillie, was second in scoring for his hometown Ft. Saskatchewan Rangers of the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League (AMBHL) posting 68 points (24G, 44A) and 26 PIMs in 33 games. Baillie then went on to tally 15 points (5G, 10A) in nine playoff games and was the co-winner of the AMBHL 2007-08 most Sportsmanlike Player Award.
r
r“We project Jordan to bring some valuable secondary scoring to our club in the future” said Canes GM Roy Stasiuk “We also believe he possesses very good leadership qualities as well”
r
rThe 2008 WHL Bantam Draft kicked off this morning (May 1st, 2008) at 8:30 AM MDT from the Round Up Centre in Calgary. The entire draft can be followed in real time online at www.whl.ca. All of the Hurricanes draft day information can be followed at www.lethbridgehurricanes.com. The order of the second round and all other rounds will be the inverse order of final 2007-08 regular season standings.
r
rPlayers eligible for the 2008 WHL Bantam Draft will be 1993-born players who reside in Alberta, B.C., Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Yukon, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
r
rThe 19th Annual WHL Bantam Draft will be posted live on www.whl.ca.  Click on the WHL Bantam Draft icon on the www.whl.ca homepage to get the results live in real-time.
r
rHere is a breakdown of the Hurricanes picks:
r1st round (18th overall) – Phil Tot – C/LW – 6’1” 175 lbs.
rBirth date: Sept.16/93 – Bantam Club: Calgary Bisons (AMBHL) 
r2nd round (28th overall – from Kamloops) – Reid Jackson – D – 6’1” 160 lbs.
rBirth date: Jan.18/93 – Bantam Club: Weyburn Wings (SSBHL)
r2nd round (40th overall) – Traded to Prince Albert
r3rd round (62nd overall) – Drew Graham – D – 6’1” 175 lbs.
rBirth date: Jan.8th, 1993 – Bantam Club: Chilliwack Coyotes Bantam AAA (PCAHA)   
r4th round (84th overall) – Brandyn Hulit – D – 6’2” 175 lbs.
rBirth date: June 4, 1993 – Bantam Club: Lethbridge Val Matteotti Golden Hawks (AMBHL)
r5th round (106th overall) – Traded to Portland
r6th round (111th overall – from Portland) – Jordan Baillie – RW –  5’9” 155 lbs.
rBirth date: May 12/93 – Bantam Club: Ft. Saskatchewan Rangers (AMBHL)
r6th round (128th overall) – Traded to Kootenay
r7th round (150th overall) – Sam Lawson – C – 5’11” 135 lbs.
rBirth date: August 31/93 – Bantam Club: Calgary Bisons (AMBHL) 
r8th round (172nd overall) – Traded to Tri City
r9th round (194th overall) – Traded to Tri City
r10th round (216th overall) –
r11th round (238th overall) –
r12th round (260th overall) –