Giants stay close to home with top WHL Draft pick, trapping Delta Hockey Academy’s D-man Roberts

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It will be interesting to see how quickly members of Thursday’s Vancouver Giants WHL Draft class watch the game action.

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The WHL delayed the 2006 draft from last spring until this week due to COVID-19. Instead of waiting during an offseason, players are instantly eligible for action.

Vancouver pulled 6-foot-2, 180-pound defender Colton Roberts from the Delta Hockey Academy with a right hand shot with their first pick, No. 11 overall. Under league rules, players in this year’s draft class can play five games with their WHL team until their junior hockey season ends. At that point, they can become a regular at your WHL club. There are exceptions for emergency injuries.

Vancouver 2020 first-round player Mazden Leslie, who is also a defender, played 17 games for the Giants last season, but his minor hockey season never started due to the pandemic. Vancouver 2018 first-round player Zack Ostapchuk played six regular season games plus two playoff games, while 2017 first-round player Justin Sourdif played four regular season games plus seven playoff games.

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The Delta Hockey Academy is led by Ian Gallagher, the former strength and conditioning coach for the Giants. The alumni include current Giants forwards Sourdif, Payton Mount and Cole Shepard.

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With their next pick, Vancouver took goalie Matthew Hutchison in the third round, No. 50 overall. His regular team is the North Island Silvertips U-18 team, although the 6-foot-2, 160-pound team is 1-1-0-0 with an average of four goals against and a .909 save percentage. in two games as a call. -up with BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals. The Giants traded to pick him, sending the Moose Jaw Warriors picks No. 57 and No. 104.

The Spokane Chiefs had the first overall pick and brought the Saskatoon Contacts forward to Berkly Catton. BC’s first product came in at No. 2, and the Tri-City Americans chose Delta Heat forward Jordan Gavin.

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In total, 214 players were chosen: 119 forwards, 71 defenders and 24 goalkeepers. Alberta led all provincial branches with 75 players, followed by 65 from BC / Yukon, 41 from Saskatchewan and 26 from Manitoba.

The Giants play their annual Teddy Bear Toss game today (7:30 p.m., sportsnet650.ca ) at the Langley Events Center, taking on the Victoria Royals. Fans are asked to bring a stuffed animal to the game. They can also buy one by donating on the track. When the Giants score their first goal, fans throw their toys on ice, and Giants staff collect them and donate them to charities.

Shepard (hip surgery), a winger who has yet to play this season and missed the entire 22-game core season last spring, is expected to prepare tonight for Vancouver.

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The Giants (13-8-1-0) saw their six-game winning streak come to an end on Wednesday when they were defeated 7-1 by the Kamloops Blazers. The Blazers (18-4-0-0) are 5-1-0-0 against Vancouver this season. Their power play is 11 of 34 (32.4 percent) against Vancouver in all six games, while the Giants’ power play is 2 of 22 (9.1 percent) in those meetings.

Forward Logan Stankoven has five goals and 10 points for Kamloops in those six games.

Tonight will be Vancouver’s first game with Sourdif absent in team Canada’s youth world trials. Tryouts will take place on Sunday in Calgary. Vancouver will lose goalkeeper Jesper Vikman and winger Fabian Lysell to team Sweden after this weekend.