Three Chiefs Selected at Draft

[HomerSimpson]

Center Mitch Wahl - as expected was the first Chief of three selected at the 2008 NHL entry draft. Mitch went in the 2nd round (48th overall) to the Calgary Flames. Maybe now he'll get the media attention he deserves; being drafted by a Canadian team is a pretty big honor and it's cool to see for a kid from SoCal. We should hear alot about him in the coming weeks.

Dustin Tokarski's Memorial Cup performance didn't go unnoticed as the Tampa Bay Lightning selected him with the first pick in the 5th round of the draft. The Lightning are notorious for mishandling young goaltenders, but Tic has the kind of personality and strong head that just might make him successful with that organization.

Size didn't matter all that much to the New York Islanders as they selected the uber-smart and talented Jared Spurgeon in round 6. Not much of a shocker here; you had to think Spurg could be a late pick in the draft with his skillset; he will get a strong opportunity with the Islanders, a team that historically has been a strong draft team.

On another note; I'm a little surprised we didn't see Mike Reddington or Tyler Johnson selected. I had Redder down as a sleeper to go in the later stages of the draft, and after the way Johnson was raved about in the Memorial Cup tournament, I figured he would merit a pick. Especially after his USA camp invite. Maybe next year, though...we're starting to see guys get selected in their second and third years of eligibility now.

[LinkGaetzFan]

I thought Redder and Johnson were 17 year olds.... Next year is their draft year.

[LifelongChiefsFan]

I thought Redder and Johnson were 17 year olds.... Next year is their draft year.

I'm not sure exactly what the cutoff dates are, but I believe that Johnson and Reddington both turn 18 before the start of the next WHL season which made them eligible for this year's draft.

I wasn't too surprised that Johnson didn't get picked this year. He's young and short which generally don't work in your favor. I have no doubts he'll be picked next year. I predicted that Reddington would go before the draft started, but he was actually younger than I thought, so that's not too surprising either. I didn't expect that Spurgeon would get picked, but it looks like puck moving defensemen are a hot commodity this year! Spurgeon definitely deserved to be drafted though.

Congrats to Wahl, Tokarski and Spurgeon for getting drafted this year!

[HomerSimpson]

I thought Redder and Johnson were 17 year olds.... Next year is their draft year.

Eligibility for this year's draft was players born between 9-16-89 thru 9-15-90, or anyone born earlier than 9-15-90...some older players were selected too (Ryley Grantham is an '88 birthday in Moose Jaw).

First year eligible Chiefs were as follows:
Dustin Tokarski (9-16-89) Tampa, 5th round
Mike Reddington (8-18-90) n/a
Jace Coyle (5-24-90) n/a
Brett Bartman (10-20-89) n/a
Tyler Johnson (7-29-90) n/a
Mitch Wahl (1-22-90) Calgary, 2nd round
Jared Spurgeon (11-29-89) NY Islanders, 6th round

For next year; active players on our roster this year:
James Reid (12-15-90)
Jared Cowen (5-24-91)
Stefan Ulmer (12-12-90)
Levko Koper (10-5-90)

It might also interest some that a former Chiefs' list player, Andrew MacWilliam (9th round bantam selection, 2005; since dealt to Medicine Hat) was selected in the draft yesterday as well. I believe he went in the sixth or seventh round. Going the college route, I presume.

[Pete76]

congrats to the three selected ... wahl's numbers should be great next year if he keeps feeing the puck to Bowman