Bantam hockey players often don’t know much about the Western Hockey League teams that draft them.
But it only took Ronan Seeley a few minutes to learn about the Everett Silvertips organization he hopes to call his own in two years after the Tips took him 20th overall in the first round of the WHL bantam draft held Thursday in Calgary.
“After I got drafted I had some of my advisers tell me about it,” said Seeley, a native of Olds, Alberta. “It seems like it’s a really cool place and I’m looking forward to seeing all the fans and the town. I’m really excited.”
Seeley is a left-shot defenseman who recorded eight goals and 30 assists in 35 regular-season games to go along with five goals and an assist in five playoff games for the Red Deer Rebels bantam AAA team located about 40 miles northeast of Olds.
In total Thursday, the Tips made 13 picks comprising eight forwards, four defensemen and one goaltender. Six hail from Alberta, three from British Columbia, two from Saskatchewan and one each from Manitoba and Colorado.
Seeley, the second-oldest of five hockey-playing siblings, is the son of former WHL player Patrick, who skated with the New Westminster Bruins and the Spokane Chiefs.
“My dad definitely had an influence, but I’d just heard about the league and it seemed the best option for me,” Seeley said.
Coincidentally, Patrick Seeley once played for the Kamloops Junior Oilers coached by Bill La Forge — the father of current Tips director of player personnel Bil La Forge.
The younger LaForge said he didn’t know that until recently. He likened Ronan Seeley’s skill-set to that of two prolific Tips blueliners.
“I think there is some Kevin Davis to him,” La Forge said. “He plays in every situation like Kevin does and he’s a great skater and he can pass the puck. I think there is a lot of Kevin in him, but I know a couple people told me that he reminds them of Noah Juulsen too, so if we can get a mix between those two, that’s pretty good.”
The scouting service Western Elite Hockey Prospects had Seeley as the 34th-ranked prospect heading into the draft.
“Ronan is another two-way defender with great skating ability,” WEHP wrote in its bantam draft preview. “(He) has a good feel for the game and displays good vision in all areas of the ice. Ronan has an offensive flare to his game and enjoys joining the rush. He has a powerful skating stride, (and) looks like a WHL player.”
Everett nabbed a pair of impressive bantam scorers just five picks apart in the second and third rounds. The Tips selected Yorkton, Saskatchewan, native Jackson Berezowski 44th overall in the second round and Nathanael Hinds of Winnipeg 49th overall in the third round.
“We think Jackson is a very complete hockey player,” La Forge said of the winger for the Yorkton Terriers who tallied 87 points in 30 games. “He is another kid that played in all situations and that’s important to us because we want to have as much flexibility as we can. The puck flows through him really well. He makes people around him better and I think every game you go see he’s the guy that’s standing out for his team and that’s a good indication of future success.”
Hinds had 55 points in 32 games.
“He’s a very athletic, powerful kid with soft hands, but plays the game the right way,” La Forge said. “He’s first to pucks, he’s not afraid to shoot it and he is another athletic, fast, skilled kid that we couldn’t pass on.”
The Tips picked twice in the fourth round and grabbed defenseman Dylan Anderson of Langley, B.C. at No. 75 before taking their only goaltender in Edmonton native Blake Lyda 86th overall.
“It wasn’t a priority for us, but we really liked the crop of goaltenders this year,” Tips general manager Garry Davidson said. “I thought it was a deep group. Maybe that’s the reason we looked at the situation at the time and thought, ‘Boy, this guy is a pretty good, young goaltender,’ so we decided to jump on him and grab him.”
Everett then took Calgary forward Brayden Morrison, son of former NHLer Brendan Morrison in the fifth round, followed by forward Ryley Morgan of St. Albert, Alberta, in the seventh. The final two defensemen taken by Everett were eighth-rounder Caleb Brownell out of Fort Collins, Colorado, and 11th-rounder Maxwell Goldade of Calgary.
Between those two blueliners, the Tips selected forwards Kalen Ukrainetz of Wynyard, Saskatchewan, Kent Johnson of North Vancouver and Nick Porchetta of Powell River, B.C. Everett’s final pick was forward Austin Spiridakis of Sturgeon County, Alberta, in the 12th round.
“I think it was a good group. It was an interesting age year where everyone kind of had their own opinions on the players,” La Forge said. “There was lots of skill out there and we tried to grab as much of it as we could.”
Bios of the Silvertips’ 13 bantam draft picks
Ronan Seeley, LD, Olds, Alberta, first round, No. 20 overall
Scored eight goals with 30 assists in 35 regular-season games and added five goals and an assist in five playoff games for the Red Deer Rebels bantam AAA team.
Jackson Berezowski, RW, Yorkton, Saskatchewan, second round, No. 44 overall
Scored 41 goals with 46 assists in 30 games with the Yorkton Terriers.
Nathanael Hinds, F, Winnipeg, Manitoba, third round, No. 49 overall
Had 24 goals and 31 assists in 32 regular-season games with the Winnipeg Warriors bantam AAA team.
Dylan Anderson, RD, Langley, B.C., fourth round, No. 75 overall
Scored two goals with 10 assists in 28 games with the Yale Hockey Academy bantam prep team.
Blake Lyda, G, Edmonton, Alberta, fourth round, No. 86 overall
Had a save percentage of .917 while fashioning a record of 7-12-5 with a 3.30 GAA for the Edmonton CAC bantam AAA team.
Brayden Morrison, C, Calgary, Alberta, fifth round, No. 108 overall
The son of former NHL forward Brendan Morrison, the younger Morrison had 14 goals and 20 assists in 35 games with the Calgary Flames AAA bantam team.
Ryley Morgan, F, St. Albert, Alberta, seventh round, No. 152 overall
Tallied 27 goals with 36 assists in 35 games with the St. Albert Sabres bantam AAA team.
Caleb Brownell, LD, Fort Collins, Colorado, eighth round, No. 174 overall
Skated with the Rocky Mountain RoughRiders last season.
Kalen Ukrainetz, LW, Wynyard, Saskatchewan, ninth round, No. 196 overall
Scored 26 goals with 24 assists in 30 games with the Humboldt Broncs bantam AAA team.
Kent Johnson, F, North Vancouver, B.C., 10th round, No. 208 overall
Scored one goal with one assist in four games with the Vancouver Northwest Giants of the BCMML, also skated with the NSWC Winterhawks bantam team.
Nick Porchetta, C, Powell River, B.C., 10th round, No. 218 overall
Scored six goals with 11 assists while skating for the Delta Hockey Academy bantam prep team.
Maxwell Goldade, LD, Calgary, Alberta, 11th Round, No. 240 overall
Tallied eight goals and seven assists as a blueliner in 30 games with the CNHA Kings bantam AA team.
Austin Spiridakis, F, Sturgeon County, Alberta, 12th round, No. 262 overall
Scored 30 goals with 28 assists in 35 regular-season games and added four goals and four assists in five playoff games for the St. Albert Sabres bantam AAA team.
For the latest Silvertips news follow Jesse Geleynse on Twitter.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
