The Everett Silvertips selected 13 players over 12 rounds and added another via trade during the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft Thursday in Calgary, Alberta. The Silvertips made two draft-day trades, netting a 2012 NHL draft prospect and two additional bantam picks in the process. Everett’s first round pick was defenseman Kevin Davis of Kamloops, BC.

“We’re very excited about how the day went,” said Silvertips General Manager Garry Davidson. “We spent the last three days really discussing and working through our list with the coaches and scouts, and we were fortunate enough to get some players later than where we had them rated. I think overall we found a group of players with good skill, hockey sense, intelligence and a solid compete level as well.”

Of the 12 picks Everett made on Thursday, five of the first eight were used to draft defensively, including four defensemen and one goaltender. Overall the ‘Tips drafted seven forwards, five defensemen and one goalie. Four of the new Silvertips prospects are U.S. born (including Mill Creek, WA native Daniel Woolfenden), making this the first time the club has taken that many Americans in one bantam draft. Five other draft picks are British Columbia natives, two are from Manitoba, and one each hail from Alberta and Saskatchewan.

In their first trade of the day, the ‘Tips sent the 7th overall pick and forward Jari Erricson to the Prince George Cougars in exchange for the #11 pick, a third-round choice (#57 overall) and high-scoring 1994-born forward Jujhar Khaira, who played last season in the BCHL. The other deal found Everett acquiring a fifth-round pick (#98 overall) from the Kootenay Ice in exchange for forward Jordyn Boyd.

Jujhar Khaira (6-3, 195 pounds) could be quite the pickup for the Silvertips. Last season with the BCHL's Prince George Spuruce Kings, he totaled 79 points on 29 goals and 50 assists in 54 games; good for 10th in the BCHL in scoring. He's also likely to be a mid-round NHL draft pick this year after being ranked 74th among all North Americans skaters by NHL Central Scouting.

Everett Silvertips 2012 WHL Bantam Draft Acquisitions:
1st round, 11th overall – Kevin Davis, defense (Kamloops, BC)
"He's a player we've had our eyes on all year," says 'Tips Head Scout Bil La Forge. "He skates well and moves the puck well, and his game sense is off the charts. He'll be a solid all-around defenseman who can play the powerplay, the penalty kill and eat up a ton of minutes. Kevin is a guy we identified early on and a player we believe can be a top-pairing defenseman. He has tons of growth potential as well - his brother is 6-foot-4."

Davis was nearly a point-per-game defenseman for the Kamloops Jardine Bantam Blazers last season.

3rd round, 57th overall – Austin Mathews, forward (Phoenix, AZ)
General Manager Garry Davison says the only reason Mathews fell to the 'Tips in round three is because he hasn't fully committed to playing in the WHL yet. "We had Austin rated among the top ten players in the draft this year. We’re very excited that we had the opportunity to draft him, and now we’ll get to work on recruiting him to come to Everett. He’s a skill player with good height who can do some good things on the rush. He has the potential to be a top-three forward for our hockey club someday."

3rd round, 59th overall – Nik Amundrud, goaltender (Melfort, SK)
"We saw Nik play a fair amount this year and rated him among the top five goalies we saw. He took his team to the Western Canadian Bantam Championships by winning Saskatchewan. We’re excited about him, because he has a lot of confidence and composure in the net and can play the puck as well.

3rd round, 66th overall – Matt Fonteyne, forward (Wetaskiwin, AB)
"We saw Matt again this past weekend in the Alberta Cup. He is a smart, two-way player who gets around very well and has a very good shot also."

4th round, 70th overall – Noah Juulsen, defense (Abbotsford, BC)
"Noah is a puck-moving, two-way defenseman who was the captain of his team in Abbotsford. He is pretty physical for his size, moves the puck well and has a good shot."

5th round, 98th overall – Jordan Wharrie, defense (Port Moody, BC)
6th round, 128th overall – Patrick Bajkov, forward (Nanaimo, BC)
7th round, 136th overall – Daniel Woolfenden, defense (Mill Creek, WA)
8th round, 158th overall – Carson Richards, forward (Vernon, BC)
9th round, 180th overall – Jake Durflinger, forward (Walnut Creek, CA)
10th round, 202nd overall – Desmond Nevin, defense (Steinbach, MB)
11th round, 224th overall – Michael Wirth, forward (Morden, MB)
12th round, 246th overall – Alec Mehr, forward (Irvine, CA)

http://www.everettsilvertips.com/art...s-on-draft-day