The Virden Oil Capitals are extremely pleased with their 2019 draft class. The Oil Caps started out the weekend by making a trade to acquire the 2ndoverall pick from the OCN Blizzard. They then used that pick to select coveted forward, Carson Buydens from Gladstone. Buydens attended Oil Caps spring camp after having a phenomenal year with the Central Plains Capitals AAA Bantam team amassing 25 goals and 21 assists for a total of 46 points. The Oil Caps scouting staff felt that Buydens was the most complete player in the draft and will be a major contributor to the organization in the future.
In the second round, 18thoverall, the Oil Caps selected Winnipeg forward Dakota MacIntosh of the Winnipeg Warriors. MacIntosh led the East division of the Winnipeg AAA Bantam League in points with 32 goals and 30 assists for a total of 62 points. He is a big body with a knack to score goals. His offensive IQ is very high and he has the potential to be a top scorer in the league.
The Oil Capitals then selected Southwest Cougars defenceman Garrett MacDonald of Killarney in the third round, 29thoverall. A big body that gets around the rink well, defends hard and makes a good first pass. MacDonald played last year with the Southwest Cougars and compiled 7 goals, 10 assists for a total of 17 points. He is a shutdown defenseman and a great kid that puts in the time on and off the ice to get better.
In the fourth round the Caps selected forward Ian Snooks from Thompson 40thoverall. A gritty forward that can score, Snooks played for the Norman Wolves and scored 29 times and added another 20 assists for a total of 49 points. He is an exciting player to watch and consistently competes hard.
The Oil Capitals had 2 selections in the fifth round and used the first one to select a defenseman from the Winnipeg Warriors, Matt Renville, 48thoverall. Renville, from Winnipeg is a hardworking puck moving defenseman that has high character and will compete hard every night. He had 3 goals and 6 assists for a total of 9 points.
With the second selection in the fifth round the Caps selected Nathan Lenoski, a hardworking, skilled forward from the Winnipeg Hawks. Lenoski who is also from Winnipeg, was a leader on his team while contributing 13 goals and 20 assists for a total of 33 points.
With the final pick, the Oil Caps were thrilled to take defenseman Ethan Guthrie from Brandon. Guthrie is a hard-nosed defender that works hard on and off the ice. He had a great year with the Brandon Wheat Kings AAA Bantam team where he scored 4 goals and added 26 assists for a total of 30 points, almost a point per game.
Brian Elder, the Oil Caps head scout was pleased with the day, “I would like to thank our scouting staff and welcome the players we selected today. We feel we had a great draft. We addressed some needs in the fact we got grittier and harder to play against but also added some real offensive skill to our prospect list”, stated Elder.
GM and Head Coach Tyson Ramsey had this to say, “We are very happy with our selections in this year’s draft. Our scouting staff, led by Brian Elder and Scott Coates, put together a solid list and we felt that we added some real good players both up front and on the back end. Obviously to move up to 2ndoverall and be able to take a player like Carson Buydens was huge for our group but we felt with every selection we had some great players to choose from. It was an exciting day for our group and we can’t wait to have these guys come to camp in August”.
Snag your 2019-20 Oil Capitals Season Tickets today!
Adult – $225
Senior – $185
Youth – $110
Family (2 Adults & 2 Youth) – $590