HOCKEYNOW March 28, 2015 | British Columbia 111911British Columbia | March 28, 2015 HOCKEYNOW10 11

MINOR HOCKEY

SMITH, BURZAN, LEPPARD AND POPOWICH AMONG B.C.'S BEST HEADING INTO THE 2015 WHL BANTAM DRAFT

STORY | Adam Williams

[I]f the 2015 Western Hockey League bantam draft started tomorrow and the Kelowna Rockets had the

first pick, Lorne Frey would be calling Ty Smith.

Frey, the assistant general manager and director of player personnel for the Rockets, told HockeyNow that, for his money, the Delta Hockey Academy defenceman is a no-brainer with the draft's top selection.

"He is just a complete, overall very good hockey player," Frey said of the 14-year-old, who leads the Wild prep team with 28 points, including nine goals, through 16 games played in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League.

"He does everything well. He looks guys off, skates exceptionally well, plays hard, smart, very intelligent and consistent.”

While Smith is playing in British Columbia, he's actually a product of Alberta, having grown up in Lloydminster, Alta.

Looking for the best B.C.-born player in the draft, there are plenty of options, but Luca Burzan is likely at the top of many lists around the Western Hockey League.

The 15-year-old Surrey native has certainly made a name for himself with the North Shore Winter Club Winterhawks this season.

"Luca Burzan, as an example, is a real all-around, top-end player," Frey said. "He's an excellent skater, he's got excellent puck skills and he plays hard, he competes hard."

But the 6-foot, 165-pound forward still has some work to do.

"He may have a chance to be a franchise-type player, but the issue is going to be that he has to continue to grow and develop and, I think, develop that consistency in his game," Frey said.

"There's been times when he has been really good and there's been other times when he has been not so good."

In Frey’s opinion, forward Jackson Leppard, also of the North Shore Winter Club, and Tyler Popowich of the Okanagan Hockey Academy should both be among the top draft selections as players with good size and skill, but he noted that they both still need to work on their games. They may even be franchise players if their development heads down the right track.

Ethan Cap (NSWC), Mitchell Prowse (OHA), Tyler Ho (NSWC) and Ryan Chyzowski (Kamloops Junior Blazers) all received recognition from Frey as well.

"Again, I think there's a lot of really good players. I think there’s real good players, in basically all positions," Frey said looking at the draft class as a whole.

"I don't know if there's a franchise player in that group yet.

Ty Smith of the Delta Hockey Academy is expected to be among the top prospects in this year's WHL bantam draft.

2015 another year with good talent across the board but, maybe, no franchise players

There may be several that may emerge as so. I certainly don't see a Nolan Patrick (Brandon Wheat Kings) or a Sam Steel (Regina Pats), or guys like that."

Across the provinces, B.C. shapes up well against the rest of the West, Frey said, with the westernmost province and its easternmost counterpart, Manitoba, both boasting strong classes in 2015. Saskatchewan and Alberta, on the other hand, aren't as strong as in previous years.

But, after looking at the entire class and across the country, Frey still came back to a 5-foot-10, 155-pound, 14-year-old lacing up his skates in Delta.

"I don't think you can win without good defencemen and he's quality-one," Frey said of Smith. "Guys like him don't come along too often.

"To me, it would be a no-brainer. He would be the guy right now, from what I've seen. He would be the guy that I'd be taking."

OKANAGAN HOCKEY ACADEMY SHOWS WELL IN CSSHL PLAYOFFSThe Okanagan Hockey Academy medaled in three of four divisions at the Canadian Sport School Hockey League championships earlier this month, skating away with two gold medals and one silver medal.

In the Prep Division, it was the academy's White team that captured gold, defeating the Yale Hockey Academy 6-0 in the final. Hayden Dick, Taylor Ward, Michael Rasmussen, Jordan Bellerive and Brendan Semchuk all had two points apiece, while Nolan Hildebrand picked up the shutout victory, stopping 18 of 18 shots.

"I couldn’t be more proud of our kids,” said Malcolm Cameron, head coach of OHA's Prep team.

He said it was especially gratifying to see the academy's team win as one of the youngest in the Prep Division.

"To see our guys stick to a gameplan and how focused they were on what we needed to do to win was very impressive.”

The Delta Hockey Academy captured bronze, winning its game against the Edge School for Athletes 6-5 in a shootout.

OHA also picked up a gold medal in the Bantam Prep Division, downing the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy 5-1. Delta again captured a bronze medal, defeating Edge 9-3.

In the Bantam Varsity Division, it was Delta Hockey Academy's turn to take the crown as the Wild defeated OHA 3-1. POE was third with a 7-0 victory in the bronze-medal game against Edge.

Finally, in the Elite 15s Division, Yale posted a 3-2 victory over the Burnaby Winter Club.

The Edge School for Athletes finally found the podium with a 4-3 shootout win over POE in the bronze-medal game.

"I think the academy itself did a great job," Cameron said, reflecting on OHA's performance as a whole.

"I think it was a really solid weekend for the company and that's a real testament to the players and all the coaches for their hard work on the season."

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