Natives select Marshall first overall in MJHL Bantam Draft (updated)
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- Published on Sunday, June 8, 2014
myWestman.ca
The Manitoba Junior Hockey League Bantam Draft took place on Sunday in Winkler and the Neepawa Natives were busy with six picks in total, including the first selection overall.
With the first pick, the Natives opted for forward Bradley Marshall of Ste. Rose.
Marshall played for the Parkland Rangers of the Winnipeg AAA Bantam Division 1 League this past season, scoring 29 goals and 50 points in 32 games.
“He’s very skilled,” said Myles Cathcart, Natives general manager. “He’s got good speed; he’s one of those players that is in the open spot and the puck kind of finds him. He’s one of those pure goal scorers.”
In the second round, the Natives selected forward Austin Nault of Winnipeg. Nault, listed at 6-foot-1, spent this past season with the Winnipeg Warriors Bantam Division 1 team, where he netted 15 goals and 29 points in 32 games.
The Natives next selection would come in the fourth round when they opted for Codey Beaulieu, who spent this past season with the Winnipeg Warriors Bantam Division 1 squad.
In round five, the Natives had two selections, opting for Luc Alarie and Brennan Ostir; both of whom are from Winnipeg.
The Natives wrapped up their day by taking Brett Namaka of Winnipeg in the sixth and final round.
Overall, Cathcart is pleased with how the draft played out for the club.
“Last year, one of our main goals was to re-stock our defencemen and I think we did that. Our goal this year was to get as much offence as we can and I think we accomplished that.”
Bruce selected by Pistons; Jubinville goes to Winkler
The Steinbach Pistons held the second pick overall in the draft and wound up selecting blueliner Riley Bruce from Winnipeg; the Winkler Flyers opted for defenceman Tyler Jubinville of Gilbert Plains with the third pick.
The Pistons held the fourth overall selection and chose forward Vaughn Dupre, while the Swan Valley Stampeders took blueliner Dane Hirst of Lac du Bonnet with the fifth pick.
Notable selections
Round 1:
Connor Gutenburg of Brandon - selected by Swan Valley
Round 2 :
Kolby Chen of Deloraine - selected by Waywayseecappo
Brian Harris of Wawanesa - selected by Swan Valley
Reg Pohl of Douglas - selected by OCN
Round 3 :
Cole Kirkup of Souris - selected by OCN
Sam Houston of Brandon - selected by Portage
Jaden Townsend of Roblin - selected by Dauphin
Round 4 :
Cody Thompson of Killarney - selected by Portage
Round 5:
Riese Gaber of Gilbert Plains - selected by Dauphin
Round 6:
Tyler Weatherbie of Shilo - selected by Winkler
Carson Boyechko of Brandon - selected by Swan Valley
Tanner Gaudry of Brandon - selected by Virden
Rylan Rommelaere of Boissevain - selected by Virden
Natives acquire netminder
The Natives were also active on the trade front, dealing their third round pick and 18-year-old forward Brayden Cullum to the OCN Blizzard in exchange for 20-year-old netminder Alex Henry and a fifth round pick.
This is the second go-around for Henry with the Natives. He spent some time in Neepawa during the 2011-2012 season before being traded to OCN in September of 2012.
He played in 39 games during the regular season with OCN this past season, going 11-27 with a .906 save percentage and a 4.05 goals against average.
“First thing with Alex is that he was here when he was 17, so it was one of those things where we had other goalies in the system at the time and he was still young, so he got traded to OCN,” explained Cathcart. “He’s done very well in the league the past couple of years and he’s done very well against us. He brings leadership and he’s a very good goaltender and one of the better ones in the MJHL.”
It’s expected that Henry will in all likelihood take over as the club’s No. 1 goaltender heading into next season.
“There’s going to be competition for the goaltending in camp. We’ve got lots of guys coming in, but definitely when a 20-year-old veteran with the leadership qualities that he brings definitely sets everybody’s mind at ease,” said Cathcart. “To start the season, knowing you have a No. 1 goalie, it brings confidence to the players and everybody, the organization and the fans."
Rainka, Jones protected by Natives
The MJHL released its auto protected list prior to the draft. The Natives wound up protecting Neepawa products Will Rainka and Reese Jones.
MJHL to go to one division next season
The MJHL board of governors approved the one-division format next season, which has been long rumoured around league circles at the annual general meeting prior to the draft.
The league will be getting rid of the Sher-Wood and Addison Divisions and will instead have just one division for all 11 clubs.
The top 10 teams will make the playoffs with the bottom four finishers taking part in a best-of-three survivor series. The two survivor series winners will then join the top six in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, the league also approved a balanced 60-game schedule next season as well, which will see each club play six games against every member club in the league.
Cathcart says the Natives have been an advocate of a balanced schedule for several years and he’s pleased it’s finally taking place.
“It balances it out,” said Cathcart. “Everybody plays everybody six times and it cuts down on road trips everywhere. It’s just a win-win for the whole league.”
Other deals from around the league . .
- The Winnipeg Blues traded their fifth and sixth round picks in the draft to the OCN Blizzard for a fourth round pick in the 2015 MJHL Draft and future considerations.
- The Steinbach Pistons have traded 20-year-old forward Nicolas Kobelka to the Swan Valley Stampeders for 20-year-old defenceman Landon Cross.
- The Dauphin Kings have acquired 19-year-old forward Chance Thomas from the Mattawa Jr A Black Hawks for future considerations.
- The Winkler Flyers have traded 20-year-old forward Hayden Berra to the Grande Prairie Storm for future considerations.
