Yellowhead Chiefs center Conor Geekie of Strathclair was the first Manitoban taken in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft, selected second overall by the Winnipeg Ice.
As it turned out, Geekie was the lone homegrown player taken by the Ice, who selected six Albertans and a BC-born player with their other seven selections.
After engineering a series of trades to acquire that second overall pick, Winnipeg did not have another selection until the fourth round, when they chose 5′ 11″, 155 pound center Rieger Lorenz from the Edge Academy in Calgary.
The Ice also took two of Lorenz’s team mates in the sixth (Daniel Hauser) and eighth (Josh Mettimano) rounds.
Winnipeg also selected 5’9″, 145 pound forward Brayden Edwards of Abbotsford (Yale Prep) in the sixth round, 5’11”, 160 pound center Hayden Paakala of High River (Okotoks Oilers) in round seven and finished up by taking a pair of Fort Saskatchewan Rangers with their final two picks – 5’10”, 135 pound defenceman Owen Boucher and 5’7″, 145 pound RW Carter Spirig.
Swift Current took a total of five Manitobans to lead the way while Brandon and Moose Jaw drafted four each.
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In all, 16 different teams took at least one player from Manitoba with Kamloops, Vancouver, Victoria, Prince George, Edmonton, and Tri City all taking a pass on the keystone province.
WHL “Made In Manitoba” Bantam Draft
Rd # WHL Team Player Pos 2018-19 Team Hometown
1 2 Winnipeg Conor Geekie C Yellowhead Chiefs B1AAA Strathclair
1 6 Brandon Tyson Zimmer C Okanagan H.A. Bntm Prep Russell
1 11 Moose Jaw Denton Mateychuk LD Eastman Selects B1AAA Dominion City
2 25 Medicine Hat Cayden Glover LW Brandon Wheat Kings B1AAA Brandon
2 29 Seattle Spencer Penner RD Eastman Selects B1AAA Blumenort
2 31 Brandon Zach Turner LD Southwest Cougars B1AAA Boissevain
3 45 Swift Current Reid Dyck G Pembina Valley Hawks B1AAA Winkler
3 46 Swift Current Sam Court RD Winnipeg Monarchs B1AAA Winnipeg
3 51 Red Deer Carter Anderson C Rink H.A. Nationals Bntm Prep Thompson
3 52 Brandon Jesiah Bennett RW Rink H.A. Nationals Bntm Prep Winnipeg
3 53 Brandon Owen Harris LD Southwest Cougars B1AAA Wawanesa
3 63 Regina Matthew Kieper G Winnipeg Sharks B1AAA Winnipeg
4 67 Swift Current Josh Filmon C Rink H.A. Nationals Bntm Prep Winnipeg
4 77 Calgary Ethan Buenaventura G Rink H.A. Nationals Bntm Prep Winnipeg
5 89 Saskatoon Benjamin Saunderson LD Yellowhead Chiefs B1AAA Carberry
5 105 Portland Ryder Thompson LD Rink H.A. Nationals Bntm Prep Russell
6 111 Swift Current Karson King RD Interlake Lightning B1AAA Warren
6 117 Moose Jaw Jaden Waddell RD Rink H.A. Nationals Bntm Prep Winnipeg
6 123 Prince Albert Owen Savoie G Winnipeg Hawks B1AAA Winnipeg
6 125 Spokane Michael Cicek F Winnipeg Monarchs B1AAA Winnipeg
6 129 Medicine Hat Ben Bonni LD Winnipeg Sharks B1AAA Winnipeg
6 132 Prince Albert Bryce Warkentine F Eastman Selects B1AAA Landmark
7 139 Seattle Kyle Grysiuk RW Rink H.A. Nationals Bntm Prep Winnipeg
7 147 Spokane Carson Buydens F Central Plains Capitals B1AAA Gladstone
7 152 Everett Dexter Whittle RD Yellowhead Chiefs B1AAA Virden
8 159 Lethbridge Kaden Dyck LD Pembina Valley Hawks B1AAA Plum Coulee
8 162 Kelowna Daimon Gardner C Rink H.A. Nationals Bntm Prep Winnipeg
8 167 Seattle Tyler Dodgson LD Winnipeg Warriors B1AAA Winnipeg
9 177 Swift Current Owen Pickering LD Eastman Selects B1AAA St. Adolphe
9 178 Moose Jaw Luke Robson F Southwest Cougars B1AAA Carberry
9 192 Moose Jaw Dakota MacIntosh C Winnipeg Warriors B1AAA Winnipeg
10 214 Moose Jaw Darien Schaan RD H.A. Nationals Bntm Prep Portage La Prairie
12 262 Everett Ryder Ringor F OHA Mavericks U14 BAAA Winnipeg
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