Image  credit: WHL

By Earl Seitz

WHL bantam draft

Prep versus rep in WHL bantam draft

Apr 23, 2020 | 6:31 PM

KAMLOOPS — 233 players were selected in yesterday’s Western Hockey League Bantam draft.

Alberta led with 77 players, Saskatchewan had 53, and B.C. 49.

51.5% of the 66 players taken in the first three rounds were from the Canadian Sports School League — academy, or prep teams.

In the first three rounds there were 34 players drafted from the Canadian Sports School League.

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Of the 21 players taken from B.C. in rounds one through three, all were from academy teams.

The Blazers led all teams in academy players in the first three rounds, with three.

“The trend has kind of been that way.” says Blazers general manager Matt Bardsley. “Over the last few years, especially in the first round, there are a lot of academy players. With academies they pretty much play all over Western Canada —- I think maybe with academies they are a little more viewed by everybody. Whether that’s the case or not, at the end of the day that’s just the way it happened for us that our first three picks were academy players.”

Tanner Molendyk was the first player from Kamloops taken in the draft —— at number five overall, by the Saskatoon Blades.

After playing a season in bantam rep hockey, Molendyk played last season at the Yale Hockey Academy.

He was one of seven players from Kamloops who played at the Abbotsford Academy — with prep school teams promoting academic and athletic excellence.

“They focused a lot on hockey and schooling.” says Molendyk. “But I found their schooling is just unbelieveable. They do a great job on it. We get practice in the morning — so we had two semesters. Practice at 11 on weekdays in the first semester and then the second semester we had right (first thing) in the morning.”

Canadian Sports School teams play a 30 game season, plus tournaments.

But it’s not for every family.

Sending a son to an academy can cost upwards of $20,000 or more.

Not a ticket everyone can afford.

So while academies may be the route for some, there’s still a place for local minor hockey rep team players at the draft.

“It all defends on the family, the player.” says Matt Bardsley. “Maybe it’s the program wherever they’re at. Maybe it’s something that’s not quite available to them or satisfy’s what they’re looking for. I think it’s tough, but there are still good players that come from associations as well. I think a part of it is that there are a lot of academies in B.C.. There are certainly options for players, so I think that it’s more of a case by case when it comes to players and parents.”