#12 Now on the clock, the Red Deer Rebels
The Rebels picked defenceman Kayle Doetzel here, a stay at home type who was true to his stay-at-home type by playing his entire WHL career with broadcaster Cam Moon calling his home games from the Centrium. And there’s nothing wrong with taking a steady blueliner who was 18th in team scoring in his 20-year-old year, but 30-40 goal players are harder to find.
IN THE REDRAFT, the Rebels pick up a player who they would trade for anyway, forward Adam Helewka (Burnaby). Helewka was undrafted but finished his WHL career with 119 goals, the last 26 of which were in 34 games with the Rebels after a trade from Spokane. It was Spokane where he had 60 goals in his last 88 regular season games. While he’s bounced around a bit as a pro, his last two seasons of junior, just as the Rebels were starting to peak, would have been a good thing for Red Deer to have.
#13 Now on the clock, the Tri City Americans
The Americans went with goaltender Eric Comrie, who over the last year or so, knows direct flights to and from Winnipeg and New Jersey very well. Despite a couple of very good regular seasons and a stint with the World Juniors, Comrie was never able to have the support needed in Tri Cities to compete against teams like Kelowna in his day.
IN THE REDRAFT, the Americans stick with Comrie. Based on the other goaltending options, and based on most of the rest of the first round not having that nightly gamebreaking ability, the Ams would do well to stick with one of the franchise’s best at the position, and try to redraft better in later rounds and later years.
#14 Now on the clock, the Medicine Hat Tigers
Defenceman Spenser Jensen was a great fit for the Warriors in his final two seasons, playing 69 games and heading to University with one year of eligibility left in junior. He had only 36 points in his career, though, so while Jensen the human being and eraser would be welcome on any team, the chance to get more offense or goaltending would have been tempting for the Tigers, who groomed Jensen for three seasons before dealing him.
IN THE REDRAFT, the Tigers select offensive star Tyson Baillie (Fort Saskatchewan). Baillie scored 138 goals over five seasons after being picked in the third round. The Tigers have had a history of some very good offense-based teams that come at you in waves, and Baillie’s offensive numbers would have provided the Tigers would an extra bit of jump to help compete with Edmonton and Calgary in these seasons.
#15 Now on the clock, the Kootenay Ice
The Ice will have to look elsewhere in the re-draft, as forward Sam Reinhart was nabbed earlier by Edmonton. Fortunately for the Ice, there was still a lot of high level talent in the draft.
IN THE REDRAFT, the Ice decide to take five-year playmaking forward Trevor Cox (Surrey). Undrafted in real life, Cox would score a league high 80 assists in 2014-15 in Medicine Hat. Early in the next season, the rebuilding Tigers shuttled the 20-year-old to Vancouver, who ended up missing the playoffs. Cox ended up playing in Slovakia last season on the same team as Petr Klima’s nephew, if you’re looking for trivia that absolutely no one will get right or appreciate.
#16 Now on the clock, the Portland Winterhawks
They thought they were so smart and cool for picking the best player in the draft at #16 with Nic Petan, but the redraft has taken him and several other top offensive weapons off the table and now it‘s back to the drawing board.
IN THE REDRAFT, the Winterhaws take forward Cole Sandford. He ended his WHL career with more shorthanded and game winning goals than any other player in the draft (or even European-born 1995s like Oliver Bjorkstrand and Leon Draisaitl). Sandford was late in developing for the Tigers, but he did score 50 for the 2014-15 Tigers, before being dealt to Regina around the 2016 trade deadline.
#17 Now on the clock, the Spokane Chiefs.
The Chiefs took future Estevan Bruins star Tyler King (-Cunningham) with this pick, and while the defenceman did pick up 37 points with the Ice in 2014-15, he chose junior A’s Bruins and a spot in the Western Canada Cup for his final season of junior. But if the Chiefs wanted a defenceman…
IN THE REDRAFT, they could have also picked up Macoy Ehrkamps (Greater Van Canadians). Ehrkamps was a -62 in one forgettable season with Lethbridge, but scored 71 points as a 20-year-old with the Wheat Kings, going all the way to the Memorial Cup. With a steadier team than that era’s Lethbridge, perhaps he develops better in his first three seasons.
#18 Now on the clock, the Edmonton Oil Kings
With their second selection of the first round, Edmonton picked defenceman Mason Geertsen. A solid pick with a good pedigree of playing in the right programs (captain of the U15 AAA Leduc Oil Kings in his draft year), Geertsen was moved to Vancouver in 2014 where he developed well. We’re already pried Lazar off the roster in favour of Max Reinhart, and in this case…
IN THE REDRAFT, the Oil Kings pick up Californian Chase DeLeo (Los Angeles Selects). DeLeo had 39 goals in each of his final two seasons of junior for Portland and was an important player in their 2014 run to the Memorial Cup. DeLeo would have fit in well with what the Oil Kings were doing.
#19 Now on the clock, the Vancouver Giants
When it came to the on-ice product, the Giants spent some time around here on the outside looking in at the better teams in the conference. Here, they selected alliterative forward Anthony Ast. He only scored 31 career goals in 157 games, so the Giants would have wanted more offence.
IN THE REDRAFT, the Giants choose royalty with forward Parker Bowles (Calgary Bisons). Nearly a point a game player during his time with the Americans, Bowles had a dynamite 20-year-old season in 2015-16 with 39 goals, 57 assists and 96 points… on a non-playoff team. Perhaps Bowles would have made a big difference? Or at least been eminently tradable to a contender in 2016?
#20 Now on the clock, the Saskatoon Blades
The Blades took one of the McGauley kids in forward Tim McGauley, one of the consensus best talents available, from the Lumsden-Bethune Lions. 103 points in 26 games in U15 AA was hard to ignore. But he was dealt to the Wheat Kings as part of a package for Brayden Schenn when the Blades had a hankering to compete in the Memorial Cup in 2011 they were hosting. Three years later he blossomed into a 100-point man with the Wheat Kings and they reaped the rewards of McGauley and some of the other huge early picks they took.
IN THE REDRAFT, the Blades take McGauley (Notre Dame) again. Since it was obvious the Blades weren’t quite ready on a talent level to compete with the best of the best, it only makes sense that if they’re going to trade their top prospect less than a year from drafting him anyway that they go with the one who got them Brayden Schenn in a trade. Ever see your friend making a bad decision that you can’t talk them out of? That was the Blades hosting the 2011 Memorial Cup. Excellent event but the franchise was spinning its wheels on the ice for a few years after.
#21 Now on the clock, the Moose Jaw Warriors
The Warriors selected Torrin White here, who was beloved in Moose Jaw after a few solid seasons with the team. They never traded him despite needs for upgrades in the 2012-15 era, and he chose to play junior A in his last season of junior. He had a career high of 38 points at age 19.
IN THE REDRAFT, the Warriors pick Luke Philp (Canmore MHA). Snipe-ier (I know that’s not a word), Philp was captain of Red Deer, an assistant in Kootenay and a point a game player in his final three seasons. The Warriors would certainly have found room for him in the 2015-16 playoff run with Dryden Hunt, Brayden Point, Noah Gregor and Brett Howden also entrenched in the top six. I’m not salivating, you’re salivating.
22 Now on the clock, the Calgary Hitmen
The Hitmen picked up Greg Chase here, a capable scorer in his last three seasons of junior with Calgary and Victoria. The Hitmen were about to undergo a rebuild after a 2010 season that saw them win the WHL, and chose Chase to help lead that. While it didn’t quite work out like that, he did form a partnership with Brady Bassert in 2013-14 that helped him lead the team in scoring. An admirable first round pick, but the Hitmen ..
IN THE REDRAFT take defenceman Jesse Lees. After Colby Harmsworth, Calgary had a dearth of quality 1995-born defencemen until the 2014-15 season when they traded Chase for Kanzig. A steadying force for Kelowna and later Prince Albert, if Calgary was patient, they’d have had an all-star and leader before having to trade for Kanzig.
So that’s it for the 2010 first round. The early second round would have been dynamic as well, with Cole Ully, Greg Chase, Dryden Hunt and Jackson Whistle still on the board.
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