Bantam draft wrap-up

Everett made nine selections in today’s bantam draft: five forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender. These players will be eligible to play full-time for the Tips beginning in the 2014-15 season. Here they are, along with their position, height, weight, hometown, bantam stats (where available), and a quote from Tips head scout Bil La Forge:

First round (seventh overall): Tyson Jost, right wing, 5-9, 169, Leduc, Alberta.

Stats: 77 goals, 79 assists and 71 penalty minutes in 49 games for Kelowna Pursuit of Excellence.

La Forge: “He’s a player who competes very hard and is hard to play against. But in saying that he has some special skills. I was really surprised he was there when we got him, taking him was a no-brainer.”

Second round (26th overall): Patrick Khodorenko, center, 5-10, 161, Walnut Creek, Calif.

Stats: 15 goals, 25 assists in 23 games for Detroit Honeybaked.

La Forge: “He’s a special player, he does a bit of everything. He can score, he’s not afraid of traffic, he likes to make contact. He was probably one of the top three players in the draft.”

Third round (51st overall): Alex Astasiewicz, defenseman, 6-0 178, Salmon Arm, B.C.

Stats: Not available for the Salmon Arm Silvertips.

La Forge: “He’s a very smart defenseman who’s physically strong and has the ability to carry the puck. He’s intelligent, moves well and creates a little havoc with physical play.”

Fourth round (80th overall): Kevin Jakisch, left wing, 5-11, 168, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Stats: 11 goals and 25 assists in 30 games for the Winnipeg Monarchs.

La Forge: “He’s a power forward who moves up and down the wing and can put the puck in the net when he has the chance. I compare him to Reid Petryk, a no-nonsense kid who’s going to work hard and put up some numbers.”

Fifth round (91st overall): Connor Nobach, defenseman, 5-10, 165, Stanwood.

Stats: Not available for the L.A. Jr. Kings.

La Forge: “He’s a steady no-nonsense stay-at-home defenseman who reads the play well in his own zone. If he was from anywhere else we would have taken him anyway, the fact he’s local is just a bonus.”

Fifth round (107th overall): Andrew Fyten, center, 5-11, 166, Didsbury, Alberta.

Stats: 23 goals, 10 assists and 137 penalty minutes in 32 games for the Airdrie Xtreme.

La Forge: “He’s a guy who likes to stir the pot a bit. He hasn’t met a scrum he doesn’t like, but he still has the hockey sense and speed and skill we want in a player. He was his team’s captain, he protects his teammates and he’s the first to the puck all over the ice.”

Seventh round (134th overall): Keyvan Mokhtari, right wing, 5-7, 135, Burnaby, B.C.

Stats: Not available for the North Shore Winter Club.

La Forge: “He’s a small-statured kid who put up very big numbers and scored goals in big games. He’s an intriguing package because he has the skating and the skill and the hockey sense.”

Eighth round (156th overall): Carter Hart, goaltender, 5-8, 135, Sherwood Park, Alberta.

Stats: 11-5-4, 3.36 goals against average and .908 save percentage for the Sherwood Park Flyers.

La Forge: “He’s a big-game goalie. He may not be huge in stature, but the bigger the game the better he plays.”

Ninth round (178th overall): Ryan Warner, defenseman, 6-1, 145, Victoria, B.C.

Stats: Not available for the Juan de Fuca Grizzlies.

La Forge: “He’s a very intelligent defenseman with lots of upside. We like his ability to read plays and make the first pass out of the zone.”

Other notes from the draft:

– This is the first time in 11 drafts in which the Tips selected fewer than 10 players. La Forge said that’s a good thing as it indicates good organizational depth, since there were a limited number of open spots on Everett’s 50-player protected list.

– According to general manager Garry Davidson, Everett tried to trade up into the top three, but was unable to swing a deal. The Tips then had a deal in place to move down if their player wasn’t available, but with Jost sitting there they decided to nix the deal.

– Khodorenko is another example of a risk/reward draft pick. Similar to Auston Matthews from last year, he’s a first-round talent who slipped because of questions about his commitment to the WHL. Davidson said, however, that he’s had positive conversations with his father and advisor.

– Nobach is just the second local product ever selected by the Tips (following seventh rounder Daniel Woolfenden from Mill Creek last year), and just the third Snohomish County resident ever picked in the bantam draft. The fifth round makes him the earliest selection among the local picks. Apparently he and his family are big fans of the Tips and he’s fully committed to playing in the WHL.

– Fyten is the younger brother of former WHLer Austin Fyten, who played 2008-11 with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, then appeared in the playoffs with Vancouver in 2012.