Oil Caps front office personnel, which includes the likes of Jamie Hodson, director of business and hockey operations as well as GM and head coach Troy Leslie, have been hard at work lately preparing for the upcoming MJHL Bantam Draft, which is slated to take place next week.
“It’s a busy time for the staff as we’re narrowing down our list in lead up to draft day,” Hodson told oilcapshockey.com. “It’s an exciting time for the organization because we’re about to select future members of our club; players who we believe will play a key role in our team’s success in the future.”
The Oil Caps currently have the 10th overall selection in the first round at the annual draft, which this year, will consist of the 11 MJHL clubs selecting 2003 born players from the province over six rounds. The Oil Caps have also auto-protected two players from the Virden region, which will be announced soon prior to the draft.
“Being successful at the draft table is of utmost importance if we’re to have sustained success in this league,” Leslie said. “Draft day is always an important date on the calendar for our organization. We’re looking forward to adding more prospects into our system.”
Since the club’s arrival in Virden back in 2012, Oil Caps management has had the luxury of witnessing several draft picks turn into solid contributors for the organization. The 2015 draft class included several current Oil Caps such as blueliners Garrett Sambrook, a Medora product who was selected in the first round (fifth overall), as well as Oak Bluff’s Marco Creta, who was drafted in the second round (16th overall). Other players drafted by the Oil Caps that year include blueliner Justin Lee from Waskada (also second round) as well as forwards Hunter Cloutier (third round), Rapid City’s Josh Belcher (fourth round) and Jack Einarson (fifth round).
“I remember sitting around the computer watching it online with my family,” Sambrook said, reflecting back on draft day. “It was an amazing feeling getting selected by the hometown team. I’ve never had more fun playing hockey than I did with the Oil Caps this season. It truly is a first-class organization.”
This year, the MJHL has partnered with Hockey Tech, a hockey-related technological, analytical and information service, and will be utilizing their RinkNet Draft Centre tool. Fans can follow along online as the draft picks are made in real time. The Draft Centre will remain available for fans after the draft is over for reference purposes.
Oilcapshockey.com will provide extensive coverage of the draft, including social media updates during the event as well as a detailed recap on all the players that will be selected by Virden.
This year’s draft is scheduled to take place Sunday, June 3. It gets underway at 9 a.m.
It’s that time of year again Oil Caps fans!
Virden Oil Capitals 2018-2019 season tickets are now available!
See below!
