The Kamloops Blazers chose 9 players, including 5 forwards, 3 defenseman and 1 goaltender in the 2010 WHL Bantam draft held in Edmonton, AB.

The Kamloops Blazers Vice President / General Manager Craig Bonner is proud to announce Matthew Needham was chosen with the hockey club’s first round, 8th overall pick.

Needham is a native of Penticton, BC and had a terrific season scoring 94 goals and adding 159 assists for 253 points in 57 games this season with the Penticton Vees Bantam AAA team. Matthew is a 5’9” and 170lb center that possesses a powerful skating stride and terrific scoring prowess.

“We’re excited to add Matthew to our hockey club,” says Vice-President and General Manager Craig Bonner. “Matthew is a terrific player who plays with passion and character while also possessing a terrific skill set. We were fortunate and thrilled that Matthew was available when making our first selection. We believe Matthew will be a contributor with the Kamloops Blazers for years to come.”

Needham, who is a left shot, was the top scoring player in the 2010 U16 BC Cup held earlier this month in Prince George. The high scoring center finished the tournament with 6 goals and 8 points. Matthew is also the son of former Blazer Mike Needham who played 176 games with the hockey club from 1986-1990 registering 115 goals and 243 points with the Blazers.

The Blazers picked up two players in the second round, Cole Ully 30th overall and Tyson Harvey 35th overall. Ully is a left winger from Calgary, AB that collected 64 points in 32 games this season. Harvey, a native of Nanaimo, BC, is a 5’11 165lb smooth skating defenseman.

The hockey club selected defenseman Joshua Connolly from Prince George, BC in the 3rd round. Connolly is the younger brother of Brett Connolly who plays with the Prince George Cougars.

In the 5th round, the Blazers chose left winger Matt Macleod 98th overall. The Saskatoon native had 27 goals and 47 points in 37 games this season. Dylan Frey 118th overall and Ryan Rehill 132nd overall were both chosen in the 6th round by the Blazers. Frey is a 5’10 right winger from Weyburn, SK and Rehill is a 6’1 defenseman from Edmonton.

With the Blazers final two picks, goaltender Braden Krogfross was chosen in the 7th round 140th overall and forward Mackenzie Ferner was taken in the 8th round 162nd overall. Krogfross, from Cloverdale, BC, played for the North Shore Winter Club in North Vancouver posting a 27-5 record this season. Ferner, who is the son of former Blazer player Mark Ferner (1982-1985), played in Vernon with the Tier 1 Bantam team.

http://blazerhockey.com/blazer-news/...mDraft2010.php