The SJHL Draft on June 1 saw the Melfort Mustangs, Nipawin Hawks and La Ronge Ice Wolves load up for the future.
The Mustangs possessed two picks in the first round. They selected forward Tao Flory of the Battlefords U18 AAA Stars fifth overall with a pick acquired from the Weyburn Red Wings. Flory, who is from Saskatoon, had six points and 22 penalty minutes in 41 games in the regular season for Battlefords. Flory was an eighth-round pick of the Brandon Wheat Kings in the 2022 WHL Draft.
The Mustangs stuck close to home taking forward Jaxon Kehrig from Tisdale and the Tisdale Trojans with their own pick at ninth overall. Kehrig had 18 points and 20 penalty minutes in 29 regular season games for the Trojans.
Melfort had the top pick 13th overall in the second round via a trade with the Melville Millionaires, with the pick they chose Trey Marcus from Warman and the Warman Wildcats. Marcus played last season with the U18 AA Warman Wildcats, registering 34 points, in 31 games played.
Melfort’s next pick was Kale Johns from Lumdsden with the 21st overall selection. In 34 games played last season with the Lumsden/Bethune Lions U18 AA produced 39 points.
The Mustangs had multiple picks in the fourth round. They picked forward Blake Girard 41st overall via a pick acquired from the Red Wings. Girard, from Eastend had three points in 19 games for the Trojans. With their own pick at 45 they selected Lincoln Rodgers from Prince Albert and the Prince Albert Vulcans U18 AA, who had 26 points in 32 games. With their last pick at 46, which was originally a Flin Flon pick which was sent to Nipawin and then to Melfort, the Mustangs went back to Prince Albert for goalie Josh Henry from the Prince Albert Vulcans.
In the 2008 portion of the draft the Mustangs selected two players taken in the 2023 WHL Draft. Ninth overall they took forward Ethan Hamilton from Lanigan and the U15AA Humboldt Broncos. Hamilton had 27 points in 21 games last season. Hamilton was a fifth round selection of the Prince George Cougars.
In the second round the Mustangs selected defenseman Eric Grandberg from Saskatoon and the U15 AA Saskatoon Outlaws, Grandberg had 48 points in 30 games. Grandberg was selected in the fifth round by the Prince Albert Raiders in the WHL Draft.
Melfort traded their third-round pick to the Kindersley Klippers.
The Mustangs traded their fifth-round pick to the Yorkton Terriers for Yorkton’s fifth round pick in 2024. They also passed on their sixth-round pick of the 2007 portion of the draft.
With the sixth pick overall the Hawks took forward Will Whitter from Prince Albert and the Prince Albert Mintos, Whitter had 10 points and 14 penalty minutes in 40 regular season games for the Mintos last season.
In the second round the Hawks picked forward Sean Shiels of the Saskatoon Riverkings U18 AA, Shiels had 38 points and 34 penalty minutes in 38 games for the Riverkings.
The Hawks had the 30th and 31st picks in the third round and picked goalie Corben Schnurr of Martensville and the Warman Wildcats. Schnurr had a 1.93 goals-against average in 19 games. With their next pick they selected forward Connor Reiger from Regina and the Regina Rangers U18AA, he had 30 points and 22 penalty minutes in 24 games.
The Hawks had no picks in the fourth round.
In the fifth round they selected forward Ryland Molde from Mortlach and the Prairie Hockey Academy U16 Prep, Molde had 20 points and 28 penalty minutes in 31 games last season.
In the sixth round the Hawks selected forward Nash Kurniski from Prince Albert and Battlefords Stars. Kurniski had four points and 17 penalty minutes in 30 game last season.
In the first round of the 2008 portion of the draft the Hawks took forward Barrett Berger from Saskatoon and the Saskatoon Stallions U15 AA. Berger had 35 points and 22 penalty minutes last season.
In the second round the Hawks took forward Davey Fisher from Saskatoon and the Saskatoon Generals U15 AA, Fisher had 58 points and 30 penalty minutes in 30 games last season.
The Ice Wolves traded their first-round pick to the Humboldt Broncos.
The Hawks also acquired the rights to forward Logan Pickford, last of the Prince Albert Mintos from the Weyburn Red Wings for the rights to forward Lucas Hvidston, from Tisdale who last played for the Yorkton Maulers.
The Ice Wolves first pick in the draft was the 17th overall pick, which they acquired from the Weyburn Red Wings and used to pick Regina’s Logan Mehl, who had 51 points and 16 penalty minutes in 35 games for the Regina Vics U18 AA. Mehl was a ninth-round selection of the Kelowna Rockets in the 2022 WHL Draft.
The Mehl Pick was acquired on draft day from the Weyburn Red Wings for the rights to forward Jacob Visentini, a player development fee, and La Ronge’s 2007 born, 32nd overall pick in 2023 Draft.
The Ice Wolves traded their first-round pick to the Humboldt Broncos.
The Ice Wolves had the 35th overall pick via a trade with the Broncos and selected forward Ty Dauvin from Bruno and the Warman Wildcats, Dauvin had 19 points and six penalty minutes in 41 games.
In the fourth round, the Ice Wolves drafted defenceman Ryder McKinnon of Saskatoon. McKinnon had seven points in 32 games with the Saskatoon Riverkings U18A.
In the fifth the Ice Wolves picked defenseman Thomas Harding. Harding had six points in 32 games with the Saskatoon Sabrecats U18 AA team this past season. Also in the fifth round, La Ronge drafted forward Kale Pratte from Moose Jaw. Pratte recorded. 25 points in 30 games with the Prairie Hockey Academy U16 Prep team.
In the 2008 portion the Ice Wolves picked defenseman Cameron Jacobson from Wakaw and the Humboldt Broncos U15 AA, Jacobson had 41 points in 29 games last season. In the second round they selected forward Rory Dewar. Dewar, from Lanigan, had 26 points in 27 games with the same U15 AA Broncos. Jacobson was a fourth-round pick of the Portland Winterhawks in the 2023 WHL Draft.
