The Warriors selected a total of 10 players on Thursday afternoon, including five forwards, three defenceman and two goaltenders -- and of that crew of skaters, four are 6-foot-0 or taller, with two others coming in at 5-foot-11.
It all began with the 16th overall selection, which the Warriors used to land Calgary’s Marek Howell, a 6-foot-3 , 187-pound defenceman who currently plays for the Calgary Royals in the Alberta Elite Hockey League U18 division.
Howell had a short but productive season in 2020-21, scoring once and putting up nine points in five games with the Royals U15 AAA program during the pandemic shortened campaign.
Playing against players three years his senior, Howell has four goals and six points in 18 games so far for the Royals.
Howell also suited up to Team Alberta at the WHL Cup this past fall, scoring the overtime winner against Saskatchewan in the round robin. The goal was his only point for Alberta’s silver-medal winning crew.
Howell also brings a solid hockey pedigree to the Warriors -- his father Mark Howell is the head coach of the University of Calgary Dinos.
With their first pick in the second round, the Warriors added one of the tallest players in the draft in 6-foot-5, 174-pound Lynden Lakovic from Kelowna.
Playing with Rink Hockey Academy Kelowna in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League U15 division last season, Lakovic had three goals and seven points in four games. He moved on to West Vancouver Academy U18 Prep for the current season and has three goals and six points in 10 games. Lakovic has also played two games with the West Kelowna Warriors of the Junior A BCHL this season.
Lakovic played for Team B.C. in the WHL Cup and had a goal and three points in five games with the gold-medal winning crew.
The Warriors added another left-hand shot defenceman with their second second-round pick, selecting Edmonton’s Brady Ness 35th overall.
Like Howell, Ness brings plenty of size to the position at 6-foot-3 and 171 pounds. Playing with the CAC Canadians U15 AAA program in the Alberta Elite Hockey League, Ness scored twice and had five points in four games. Playing with the Canadians U18 team this season, Ness has a goal and six points in 21 games.
Moose Jaw used their third-round pick to bolster their forward corps with the addition of Edmonton’s Owen Berge 57th overall. A 5-foot-11, 172-pound forward, Berge has played the last two seasons with Northern Alberta of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League. In four games with the U15 Prep Xtreme in 2020-21, Berge had four goals and seven points; he’s off to a solid start in the U16 Prep division with 12 goals and 25 points in 18 games to go along with an assist in a single game with the U18 crew.
With their fourth-round pick and fifth selection in the top four rounds, the Warriors added Edmonton’s Ethan Hughes from the CAC Canadians U16 AAA team. Playing alongside Ness with the Canadians last season, the 5-foot-7, 141-pound forward had four goals and nine points in four games with the U15 Canadians. This season, Hughes has scored 11 goals and 24 points in 13 games with the U16 Canadians.
Hughes carries a bit of fame into the organization as well -- after being diagnosed with cancer as a 10-year-old in 2017, Hughes was profiled by the Edmonton Journal for his dedication to hockey despite his illness.
The Warriors continued their run of Alberta selections by adding Olds, Alta. defenceman Ryan Seeley from North Alberta Extreme U16 Prep in the fifth round, 104th overall. A 5-foot-10, 150-pound right-shot rearguard, Seeley played for the Red Deer Rebels in the AEHL U15 AAA loop in 2020-21 and had three assists in four games. He joined Berge with the CSSHL Northern Alberta U16s this season and has three goals and 10 points in 18 games.
The Warriors had a long break until their next pick in the eighth round, 160th overall, where they selected goaltender Joshua Banini from Edmonton CAC U16 AAA. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Edmonton product played two games for the U15 Canadians in 2020-21 and recorded a shutout in one of those. So far with the U16 team, Banini has seen action in 10 games and has a 2.29 goals against average and .921 save percentage to go along with a pair of clean sheets.
The team’s scouting crew didn’t have to forage far for their next pick, as the Warriors selected Regina product and Moose Jaw AAA Warriors forward Jake Britlz with the 161st overall pick. The 5-foot-9, 165-pound forward had a solid showing with the Regina Pat Blues in the Saskatchewan AA Hockey League U15 division in 2020-21, scoring six goals and 12 points in five games. Britlz has also put together a decent rookie campaign with the AAA Warriors, with four goals and 14 points in 24 games.
The Warriors went back to Edmonton for their next selection in the ninth round, 192nd overall in forward Spencer Masters from Edmonton SSAC U18 AAA. Another sizable player at 6-foot-2, 174-pounds, Masters had five goals and six points in five games with the SSAC U15 AAA program last season; so far in 2021-22, Masters has scored four times and put up 10 points in 19 games.
With their 10th round and final selection, 204th overall, the Warriors went back to the crease with the addition of Winnipeg’s Dimitri Fortin. Playing with the Winnipeg Bruins in the Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League this season, the 6-foot-1, 183-pound Fortin has seen action in 13 games, putting together a 3.42 goals against average and .872 save percentage. Fortin also saw action in the WHL Cup with Team Manitoba, playing two games and finishin with a 4.52 GAA and .836 SP.
