Mill Creek youth rises from ‘rink rat’ to WHL draftee

In 2003, Snohomish County introduced its very own Western Hockey League team, the Everett Silvertips.

Seven years later, the county achieved another WHL milestone, this time of the individual variety.

Snohomish County youth hockey finally hit the major-junior map last week when local product Brad LeLievre was selected in the WHL’s bantam draft.

“That felt very good,” LeLievre said. “I was just hoping I would get drafted. I thought I could, but I didn’t know when it would happen.”

When LeLievre, a 14-year-old resident of Mill Creek, was selected in the seventh round (144th overall) by the Seattle Thunderbirds, he became the first Snohomish County resident drafted since the Silvertips began play. Indeed, he’s believed to be the first Snohomish County player ever selected in the bantam draft’s 21-year history.

“That’s pretty cool,” LeLievre’s father, Lawrence, said. “It’s pretty special because it’s tough to get noticed around here, since it’s not a huge hockey area. We’re excited about it. It opens some doors and now he has to work hard to get to that next level.”

Players from Washington are rare in the WHL, which is overwhelmingly populated by Canadians. Those from the Puget Sound region are almost unheard of.

Just three players from the vicinity have played in the league since 2003: Former Silvertip Damir Alic who hailed from Kent, former Portland Winterhawk C.J. Jackson from Tacoma and current Spokane Chief T.J. Cratsenberg from Federal Way.

Only one player listed on hockeydb.com with a Snohomish County hometown ever appeared in the WHL — Gary Haight from Edmonds played for the Seattle Breakers from 1978-80. Players with county ties found their way onto teams’ 50-player protected lists in recent years — T.J. Oshie and Ryan Doner both were listed by Everett at one point — but none have appeared in a game.

LeLievre, a feisty power forward with a scoring touch, wants to change that trend. The 5-foot-9, 150-pound center/left winger was a star for the Seattle Junior Hockey Association’s Northwest Admirals Bantam AA team this season. In 63 games, he registered 42 goals, 50 assists and 110 penalty minutes.

“He’s physical,” Scott Farrell, SJHA’s hockey director and a WHL product himself, said about LeLievre. “He’s a powerful skater who has enough of a mean streak that he’s tough to play against. And he has a good shot.”

LeLievre was on the WHL scouts’ radar throughout the season, with Seattle, Spokane, Prince Albert and Medicine Hat showing the most interest. Then he further stated his case at the WHL’s U.S. prospects camp on April 9-11 in Anaheim, Calif., where he earned team MVP honors in one game.

That made LeLievre confident he’d hear his name called on draft day.

“It was pretty much a normal day (at school),” LeLievre said. “I was just waiting to see what happened. I got a little nervous about where I was going to go, but not too nervous.”

Getting drafted is the culmination of what’s already a long hockey history for LeLievre, who’s played the sport his entire life. His father is originally from Nova Scotia, Canada, so LeLievre got an early start. He began playing with the Mountlake Terrace-based SJHA when he was 4 years old.

“Brad’s been a rink rat right from the time he could walk,” Lawrence LeLievre said. “He would watch (his older brother) Mark play when he was young, then he took to it himself.”

The LeLievres were T-bird fans prior to the arrival of the Silvertips, so Brad LeLievre has some emotional ties to the team that drafted him. More importantly, there’s the advantage of geography. Had Brad LeLievre been drafted by a Canadian team, the family considered having him play midget hockey in Canada next season. But being picked by a team an hour away means Brad LeLievre will probably remain in the SJHA another year, and he’ll have the option of attending occasional practices with the T-birds.

And his family gets to follow him a little longer.

“I’ve been so much a part of his hockey life since he was young, all the way up to the bus trips to Canada,” Lawrence LeLievre said. “Once that’s taken away, I’m really going to miss it, so it’s exciting how I’m still going to be a part of supporting his hockey.”

Brad LeLievre isn’t eligible to play in the WHL until the 2011-12 season, when he’ll be a 16-year-old. His goal is to crack Seattle’s roster as soon as possible.

“This summer I’m going to be training and lifting weights, try to get bigger and stronger and quicker, then next year will be about developing my skills,” Brad LeLievre said. “After that, I hope I’m ready to make the T-birds.”

If he is, he’ll put himself into the Snohomish County history books.

Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog: http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog.