Rebels ready to add talent during busy draft week
By DANNY RODE
All the hard work Red Deer Rebels Director of Player Personnel Jamie Novakoski has done over the past eight months will come together over the next two days.
Novakoski, who joined the Rebels this season after 17 years with the Edmonton Oil Kings, will lead the Rebels draft team as they make their selections in the WHL Prospects Draft and U.S. Priority Draft.
The WHL Prospects Draft begins Wednesday at 5 p.m. MT with the first round (Red Deer owns the 7th overall pick) and resumes Thursday following the two-round U.S. Priority Draft (Rebels own the 6th and 42nd picks).
“It’s been busy for sure,” said Novakoski, who feels the team is well prepared.
“We’ll review our list over the next couple of days and fine tune it, but I think we’re in good shape so far.”
Novakoski has no idea who they will pick, or even who may be available when their turn comes. The Rebels do know they’ll get a good player.
One thing is for sure the Rebels, in fact no team outside of the Regina Pats, who won the draft lottery, will get a shot at Maddox Schultz of Regina.
The 15-year-old is thought of as the best player in the country for his age. However, unlike Landon Dupont who asked for and received exceptional status to play in the WHL as an underage and joined the Everett Silvertips, Schultz decided not to do the same.
“Maddox is the top guy for sure,” said Novakoski. “But there’s a handful of guys jockeying for the next few spots.
“I’ve seen all the players at least once and the Canadian kids eight to 10 times if not more, so I know them fairly well. There’s a good group of skilled forwards and some good mobile defencemen with some size. We should get a very good player there. You never know who as it depends on the teams in front of you and who they take.”
Forwards have dominated the rankings for the most part with Liam Pue of the Langley Hockey Academy U18 team ranked second on some lists. The six-foot-one 154-pounds forward had 30 goals and 20 assists in 29 games this season.
Ben Oliverio of the Calgary Northstars, who had 37 goals and 40 assists in 28 games, tops the Alberta lists.
Novakoski feels Reid Nicol of the Brandon Wheat Kings U18 AAA squad, Louis-Oscar Holowaychuk of Vancouver and the St. George’s School, and Riley Brown, who is from Milestone, SK, but plays for the Northern Alberta Xtreme, are other top forwards.
The defensive group is led by Cruz Jim of NAX, while provincial champion Red Deer Rebels U15 AAA star Cruz Nicolay is also highly regarded.
“I would say Cruz is top ranked. He’s a good defensively with good puck skills and is good enough to run a power play in our level.”
The second-ranked Red Deer U15 AAA prospects is forward Jaxon Jaffray.
“He’s a smaller guy (five-foot-six) but has incredible hockey sense,” said Novakoski.
Jaffray comes from hockey family, his dad is former NHLer Jason Jaffray, which is a benefit, says Novakoski.
“Every bit helps and having relatives who have gone through our league and played pro and know what they went through and what it takes is a benefit for sure. We do like good bloodlines.”
Novakoski won’t be alone in the draft room Wednesday and Thursday.
“We’ll bring in our scouts from Alberta and one from Saskatchewan and as well our U.S. scout will be here.”
The crew know exactly what their plans are.
“In the Canadian (Prospects) draft we’ll take the best player available in the first couple of picks and then look at our depth charts and fill in from there.
“The past few years the Red Deer scouts have done a great job of picking later in the draft, getting guys who can play with us. That’s always a bonus when later players turn out to be players in your organization.”
As for the U.S. draft Novakoski indicated they’ll take the best player available on their list in both rounds.
The Expansion Draft to help the latest addition to the league – the Penticton Vees – will also take place Wednesday. The Rebels will lose one player from their list unless they make a trade.
“You just never know, there could be a trade once you see the list,” concluded Novakoski.
