Calgary Hitmen select forward Jake Virtanen first overall in WHL draft

<p>CALGARY – The Calgary Hitmen turned to winger Jake Virtanen ahead of a two top defence prospects with the first overall pick in the Western Hockey League draft on Thursday.</p> <p>Virtanen, a strong skater and shooter who styles his game on Columbus Blue Jackets star Rick Nash, had 70 goals, 49 assists and 149 penalty minutes in 62 bantam AAA games with the Abbotsford Hawks this season.</p> <p>It was the first time Calgary held first overall pick since 1995.</p> <p>Then came three defencemen as the Swift Current Broncos took Brycen Martin from the Calgary Bisons, the Lethbridge Hurricanes opted for Ryan Pilon of Duck Lake, Sask., third and the Kamloops Blazers selected Jordan Thompson of Wawanesa, Man..</p> <p>Scouts had predicted a three-way race between Virtanen, Martin and Pilon to be chosen first.</p> <p>The six-foot Martin was an all-star and was named top defenceman in the Alberta major bantam league this season, where he had six goals and 36 assists in 31 games. He is described as a puck-moving defenceman who reads the play well and can dominate games.</p> <p>The six-foot-two Pilon, the cousin of former NHL defenceman Rich Pilon, had 48 points in 21 games for the Warman Wildcats and also is strong at both ends of the rink.</p> <p>Players born in 1996 were eligible for the draft.</p> <p>Lethbridge also had the fifth overall pick and took forward Reid Duke, who had 64 points in 30 games for the Calgary Royals.</p> <p>Swift Current also had two first rounders and selected defenceman Zach Gonek 13th overall.</p> <p>Seattle used the sixth pick to select high-scoring left-winger Ryan Gropp and the Everett Silvertips chose centre Ty Mappin of the Red Deer bantam Rebels seventh overall.</p> <p>The Prince Albert Raiders took forward Reid Gardiner eighth, the Edmonton Oil Kings selected defenceman Aaron Irving ninth, the Prince George Cougars took defenceman Jordan Harris 10th and the Brandon Wheat Kings chose defenceman Kord Pankewicz 11th.</p> <p>The new as-yet unnamed Victoria team, formerly the Chilliwack Bruins, took defenceman Joe Hicketts 12th overall.</p> <p>The Moose Jaw Warriors chose forward Braydon Point 14th and the Kelowna Rockets took centre Rourke Chartier 15th.</p> <p>The Reginas Pats traded the 16th overall pick to Moose Jaw for later picks and the Warriors selected forward Miles Warkentine.</p> <p>The Kootenay Ice took forward Colin Shirley 17th overall, the Medicine Hat Tigers took forward Blake Penner of the Notre Dame Hounds, a Medicine Hat native, 18th. The Spokane Chiefs chose playmaking forward Tanner McMaster 19th.</p> <p>The Vancouver Giants, using the 20th pick they acquired in a deal with Portland, took defenceman Thomas Foster. The Red Deer Rebels chose centre Connor Bleakley 21st overall.</p> <p>Brandon had the 22nd pick via a trade with Saskatoon and used the final pick of the first round to take the first goaltender, Jordan Papirny.</p>