March 21, 2018

WHL Bantam Draft Lottery held today

Calgary, Alta. – The WHL Bantam Draft Lottery was held today at the WHL Office in Calgary to determine the order of the first six selections in the first round of the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft.

The WHL Bantam Draft Lottery involved the six non-playoff teams (Edmonton, Prince George (traded to Prince Albert), Calgary, Kootenay, Kamloops and Saskatoon) from the 2017-18 season. The winning team could only move up a maximum of two positions in the first round of the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft.

The Lottery selection process was performed by Braden Smith from KPMG. The 2018 WHL Bantam Draft will be held in Red Deer, Alta. on Thursday, May 3, 2018.

A Kootenay ICE ball was drawn, meaning the ICE will move up two positions and have the second selection in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft. The Edmonton Oil Kings retained the first overall selection while the Prince Albert Raiders (from Prince George) will pick third overall. The Calgary Hitmen will have the fourth selection, the Kamloops Blazers will pick fifth, and the Saskatoon Blades will select sixth.

The order of the second round and all other rounds will be the inverse order of final 2017-18 WHL regular season standings.

Players eligible for the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft will be 2003-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.

2018 WHL BANTAM DRAFT 1^st ROUND ORDER OF SELECTION

Following is the order of selection for the first round of the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft:

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

2^nd ROUND (AND ALL SUBSEQUENT ROUNDS) ORDER OF SELECTION

Following is the order of selection for the 2nd and all subsequent rounds of the WHL Bantam Draft:
(Please note that traded picks are not indicated)

Edmonton Oil Kings
Prince George Cougars
Calgary Hitmen
Kootenay ICE
Kamloops Blazers
Red Deer Rebels
Lethbridge Hurricanes
Saskatoon Blades
Prince Albert Raiders
Seattle Thunderbirds
Medicine Hat Tigers
Vancouver Giants
Victoria Royals
Tri-City Americans
Brandon Wheat Kings
Regina Pats
Spokane Chiefs
Kelowna Rockets
Portland Winterhawks
Everett Silvertips
Swift Current Broncos
Moose Jaw Warriors

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.