Of the eight skaters selected, four are six feet or taller, and two others come in at 5-foot-11. And these are 15-year-olds we’re talking about, meaning they still have plenty of growing to do in the coming years.
Adding size might not have been the primary focus for the Warriors heading into Thursday’s festivities, but it was something on their mind according to general manager Jason Ripplinger.
“I don’t know if that was the plan going into it, but it was something that had to be addressed a little bit,” Ripplinger said of the five forwards, three defencemen and two goaltenders added on Thursday afternoon. “I don’t want to be a small team, I don’t mind being an average-sized but it’s always nice having those big guys, because when you have players like (Max) Wanner and (Lucas) Brenton, when they get older and we bring in the new guys with that size, it’s hard to play against in a seven-game series.”
It all started with their first selection in Calgary’s Marek Howell, a 6-foot-3, 187-pound defenceman who the Warriors picked 16th overall in the opening round.
“It’s the old cliche, you didn’t think he was going to be there, but other teams are looking for different guys in different positions,” Ripplinger said. “For us, he’s a throwback defenceman, he’s a guy who’s all about being a physical player, the first one in the corner battling to try and get the puck out. And when he gets the puck he makes a great first pass, he’s smart, and he has a great one-timer. So I’m not saying he’s going to be our number one guy running the power play, but at the end of the day he can play minutes out there as well.”
The Warriors got even taller with their second selection in 6-foot-5, 174-pound Lynden Lakovic from Kelowna. One of the tallest players in the draft, Lakovic is a natural power forward with plenty of overall skill.
“He can do it all,” Ripplinger said. “He’s a really good skater for his size, he plays physical and goes into the dirty areas to score goals, he brings a lot of intangibles to our list. He’s the kind of player I didn’t think we had in that department, so he’ll be a welcome addition.”
The run on big guys didn’t stop there, as 6-foot-3, 171-pound rearguard Brady Ness of Edmonton was up next at 35th overall.
“He’s a big strong kid, maybe not as physical as Howell but he has a lot of skill,” Ripplinger said. “And he’s another smart player, and having that long reach makes a difference when defending, so we’re in good shape.”
Edmonton forward Owen Berge (57th overall, 5-foot-11, 172-pounds), Edmonton forward Ethan Hughes (57th overall,, 5-foot-7, 172-pounds), Olds Alta. defenceman Ryan Seeley (104th overall, 5-foot-10, 150-pounds), Edmonton goaltender Joshua Banini (160th overall, 6-foot-2, 195-pounds), Regina forward Jake Britlz (161st overall, 5-foot-9, 165-pounds), Edmonton forward Spencer Masters (192nd overall, 6-foot-2, 174-pounds) and Winnipeg goaltender Dimitri Fortin (204th overall, 6-foot-1, 183-pounds) were also picked throughout the day Thursday.
Among the interesting looks from the list, Ripplinger pointed to the addition of Banini and Fortin in the same draft as a way of fostering competition in the crease and getting the best of goaltending crew in the future.
“It’s not too often you draft two goalies in your draft class, but there were two goalies that we liked and we decided we’re going to let them compete against each other and push (current back-up Jackson) Unger,” Ripplinger said. “And we also have (2019 pick and current BCHL Victoria Grizzly) Kyle Kelsey whose signed and will be here, so I think the goaltending future is looking pretty bright.”
All in all, the entire Draft process was a matter of following the plan that was laid out in the beginning.
“We just kept following the list,” Ripplinger said. “To me, bouncing around doesn’t make sense, so you go with your guts, believe in your list and I think our scouts did a heck of a job.”
The Warriors are back on the ice on Friday night when they travel to Swift Current to face the Broncos.
