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By Scott Roblin

New Additions

Tigers add offence in inaugural U.S. Draft, to pick 11th in Bantam Draft

Mar 25, 2020 | 6:49 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Before their season was abruptly cut short last week, the Medicine Hat Tigers boasted one of the most prolific offences in the Western Hockey League.

On Wednesday, they added to their arsenal picking up a pair of offensively minded forwards in the inaugural WHL U.S. Prospects Draft.

Holding the 12^th overall pick in the draft, the Tigers used their first selection on Minnesota centre Oliver Moore.

Playing for the Totino-Grace High School Eagles as a 15-year-old, Moore shattered all expectations with seven goals and 35 points in 25 games in his first year of high school hockey.

He also played in eight games for the MNBEL Sharks at the bantam level, posting a goal per game average with eight goals and 10 points.

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“I would say he’s one of the top guys in all of the U.S. in my opinion,” said Tigers director of player personnel Bobby Fox. “He’s a skilled playmaker but he can score, he works hard at both ends of the rink. He played as a ‘05 this year at high school hockey, which is an accomplishment of its own and I believe he was second in team scoring.”

In the second round of the draft, Medicine Hat went back to the forward well with Shattuck St. Mary’s product Josh Erickson at 33^rd overall.

Erickson had a solid year offensively in his first full season at the bantam tier one level with the Sabres, netting 21 goals and 47 points in 58 games.

“Josh is a completely different player,” said Fox. “He’s a competitive power forward, he has great speed and he has a knack around the net. He’s a very difficult player to play against and he’s going to fit in nicely.”

Neither Moore nor Erickson have committed to where they will be taking their respective hockey careers, either to major junior with the Tigers or the NCAA path.

Fox added they’ll take their time with their two newest prospects in the hopes that in a few years the pair will be willing to join the WHL.

“The recruiting process starts now,” he said. “They’re both going to come up to camp and we’re going to introduce them to the coaching staff, the facilities, and see what our program can offer. We want them to make an informed decision of what path they want to take in hockey.”

Erickson’s Sabres teammate Gracyn Sawchyn was taken with the first overall pick in the U.S. Prospects Draft, going to the Red Deer Rebels after posting an 83-point season in just 54 games.

Players not selected by the 22 WHL teams on Wednesday will re-enter the pool of prospects for the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft.

Pats, Cougars hit the lottery

The Regina Pats and Prince George Cougars organizations celebrated on Wednesday, coming away as the big winners at the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft Lottery.

Prince George bucked the odds and won the lottery with only a 19 percent chance going in, jumping from fourth to second in the draft order.

The Cougars’ win in the draft lottery was fortuitous for the Pats as well, as they retained the first overall selection in one of the most talked about draft classes in recent memory.

West Vancouver forward Connor Bedard is the likely favourite to go first overall on April 22 after becoming the first WHL prospect ever to be granted exceptional player status.

Bedard tore up the CSSHL with West Van Academy Prep for 84 points in 36 games and will be allowed to take to the ice next fall as a 15-year-old in the WHL.

Regina acquired the first overall pick in late 2018 from Lethbridge in a monumental deal that sent forward Nick Henry and defenceman Jake Lecshyshyn to the Hurricanes.

The pick had previously belonged to the last-place Swift Current Broncos, however they sent the selection to the Hurricanes as part of a package that included Giorgio Estephan and Stuart Skinner ahead of the 2018 WHL trade deadline.

As for the Tigers, they will draft 11^th overall in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft using a pick that previously belonged to the Saskatoon Blades.

Saskatoon had sent that pick to Medicine Hat along with a 2021 second rounder and Bryan Lockner as part of a three-team trade that saw longtime Tiger Max Gerlach moved to the Blades.

Medicine Hat’s own 2020 first round pick is owned by the Prince George Cougars, who acquired it themselves from the Vancouver Giants this winter.

The Tigers had used the pick as part of a blockbuster trade that saw the team bring in Dylan Plouffe and Lukas Svejkovsky from the Giants.