Regina Pats hold first-overall selection following WHL Bantam Draft Lottery

Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League announced today the Regina Pats will select first overall in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft, following the completion of the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft Lottery at the WHL Office in Calgary, Alta. The Pats hold the first-overall selection, having previously acquired the first-round pick belonging to the Swift Current Broncos. As a result of the lottery proceedings, the Prince George Cougars will move up two places and will select second overall in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft.

The WHL Bantam Draft Lottery involved the six lowest-place Clubs (Swift Current, Moose Jaw, Tri-City, Prince George, Regina, and Red Deer) from the 2019-20 WHL Regular Season. A team may only move up a maximum of two positions in the WHL Bantam Draft.

The 2020 WHL Bantam Draft will be conducted online on Wednesday, April 22. The selection process for the WHL Bantam Draft lottery was performed by Bennett Huber from KPMG.

A Prince George Cougars ball was drawn during the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft Lottery, which results in the Cougars moving up two spots in the order of selection in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft. Therefore, the Pats (via Swift Current) retain the first-overall selection, while the Cougars will select second overall. The Moose Jaw Warriors will pick third overall. The Tri-City Americans will have the fourth selection, the Saskatoon Blades (via Regina) will have the fifth selection, and the Red Deer Rebels will select sixth.

The order of the second round and all other rounds will be the inverse order of final 2019-20 WHL Regular Season standings.

Players eligible for the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft will be 2005-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.

2020 WHL BANTAM DRAFT FIRST ROUND ORDER OF SELECTION
Following is the order of selection for the first round of the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft

1.Regina Pats (from Swift Current Broncos via Lethbridge)
2. Prince George Cougars
3. Moose Jaw Warriors
4. Tri-City Americans
5. Saskatoon Blades (from Regina Pats)
6. Red Deer Rebels
7. Seattle Thunderbirds
8. Kelowna Rockets
9. Victoria Royals
10. Vancouver Giants
11. Medicine Hat Tigers (from Saskatoon Blades)
12. Calgary Hitmen
13. Brandon Wheat Kings
14. Winnipeg ICE
15. Prince Albert Raiders
16. Lethbridge Hurricanes
17. Prince George Cougars (from Medicine Hat Tigers)
18. Spokane Chiefs
19. Kamloops Blazers
20. Edmonton Oil Kings
21. Swift Current Broncos (from Everett Silvertips)
22. Prince George Cougars (from Portland Winterhawks)

SECOND ROUND (AND ALL SUBSEQUENT ROUNDS) ORDER OF SELECTION
Following is the order of selection for the second and all subsequent rounds of the WHL Bantam Draft:

(Please note that traded picks are not indicated)

1. Swift Current Broncos
2. Moose Jaw Warriors
3. Tri-City Americans
4. Prince George Cougars
5. Regina Pats
6. Red Deer Rebels
7. Seattle Thunderbirds
8. Kelowna Rockets
9. Victoria Royals
10. Vancouver Giants
11. Saskatoon Blades
12. Calgary Hitmen
13. Brandon Wheat Kings
14. Winnipeg ICE
15. Prince Albert Raiders
16. Lethbridge Hurricanes
17. Medicine Hat Tigers
18. Spokane Chiefs
19. Kamloops Blazers
20. Edmonton Oil Kings
21. Everett Silvertips
22. Portland Winterhawks

About the Western Hockey League
Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and five in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 350 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.