Bantam Draft Results

The WHL held its annual Bantam Draft, with the Winterhawks selecting eight players.

The team’s first pick came in the sixth round, 121st overall (from Victoria Royals), when the Hawks took defenseman Carter Czaikowski (5'9", 160 lb) from the Calgary Flames Bantam AAA team, where he led his team’s defensemen with 11 goals and 28 assists for 39 points in 32 games.

Portland made three picks in the seventh round, starting with center Kieffer Bellows (6'0", 190 lb) 142nd overall (from Medicine Hat Tigers for Cam Lanigan). A Minnesota native, Bellows is the son of former NHL player Brian Bellows. With the next pick (from Victoria Royals) the Hawks selected center Adam Touchette (5'11", 155 lb) from St. Adolphe, Manitoba. Touchette had 27 points in 10 games for the SW Jets of the EastMan Bantam League, and 14 points in 11 games in the Manitoba Bantam Showcase. Portland then selected defenseman Brendan De Jong (6'2", 145 lb) from Victoria, British Columbia 154th overall. De Jong had 16 goals and 38 assists for 54 points in 37 games with the Juan De Fuca Grizzlies of the VIBHL AAA Bantam League.

The Hawks had the first and last picks of the eighth round, taking forward Garrett Wait (5'11", 160 lb) of Edina, MN 155th overall (via Victoria Royals for Troy Stecher) and center Skyler McKenzie (5'5", 136 lb) from Sherwood Park, Alberta 176th overall, the latter with 18 goals and 22 assists for 40 points in 19 games for the Sherwood Park Flyers of the AMBHL AAA Bantam League.

Portland’s ninth round pick, 198th overall, was goaltender Jake Oettinger (5'11", 158 lb) of the Minnesota Edge AAA team in the USA AAA Bantam League, and the team rounded out their draft with defenseman Tristen Charles (6'1", 135 lb) in the 10th round, 220th overall, who posted four goals and seven assists for 11 points in 13 games for the North East Wolfpack of the SBAAHL AA Bantam League.

http://www.winterhawks.com/article/b..._143599/143599