Raiders Staff Ready for WHL Bantam Draft
Prince Albert, SK – The 2020 WHL Bantam Draft gets underway tomorrow morning under unique circumstances.
This year’s draft will be conducted entirely online at whl.ca/draft due to the COVID-19 pandemic, beginning at 10 a.m. MT.
Raiders Director of Player Personnel Curt Brownlee noted this year’s draft is a deep one.
“I think it’s a very strong draft,” he said. “There’s lots of talent available throughout the draft. Everybody knows your top-30 players. Our staff feels we win the draft in the later rounds.”
The pandemic caused the cancellation of provincial tryouts held across Western Canada, which gives scouting staffs a final chance to see eligible players before draft day.
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“That’s our biggest year-end wrap up for each province,” Brownlee explained. “Throughout the year we identify players and we use the provincial tryouts as a final evaluation. I have an incredible amount of trust in our regional scouts, who will be key as we rely on their observations from the year.”
Due to the season being cut short, the Raiders claimed their second consecutive East Division banner. It also gave them the 15th overall pick in this year’s draft.
Last season, the Raiders were on the eve of the 2019 Rogers WHL Championship Series when the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft was held in Red Deer, AB. Their first pick was winger Niall Crocker out of Delta, BC at 22nd overall. For a complete recap of the Raiders’ 2019 WHL Bantam Draft, click here.
The Raiders have agreed to WHL Standard Player Agreements with the first three players selected in last year’s draft – Crocker, defenceman Graydon Gotaas (44th overall), and defenceman Tre Fouquette (74th overall). Gotaas made his WHL debut on March 8 in Winnipeg against the ICE in what ended up being the final game of the 2019-20 season.
2020 WHL Bantam Draft Picks
- Round 1, 15th overall
- Round 2, 37th overall
- Round 5, 90th overall
- Round 5, 103rd overall
- Round 6, 129th overall
- Round 6, 132nd overall
- Round 8, 169th overall
- Round 9, 191st overall
- Round 10, 213th overall
- Round 11, 235th overall
- Round 12, 257th overall
- Round 13, 279th overall
- Round 14, 301st overall
- Round 15, 323rd overall
Players eligible for the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft are players born in 2005 who reside in Alberta, British Columbia, 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.
