As projected, Matthew Savoie of St. Albert was selected first overall by the Winnipeg ICE in the Western Hockey League bantam draft Thursday.
Savoie, 15, compiled 31 goals and 71 points in 31 games with the Northern Alberta Xtreme’s midget prep team in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League. He was named the most valuable player in the midget prep division, despite playing one year above his age group.
Savoie’s last St. Albert minor hockey team was the 2016/17 bantam AAA St. Albert Gregg Distributors Sabres as a second-year peewee.
In March, Savoie verbally committed to play for the University of Denver Pioneers in the 2021/22 season and it's unclear if the five-foot-nine, 165-pound centre, who is already being touted as a top-two pick in the 2022 NHL entry draft, will go the WHL route instead of playing in the NCAA.
Savoie, who was born on Jan. 1, 2004, applied for exceptional status with the WHL to play as a 15-year-old next season but was unsuccessful.
Shane Wright of the Don Mills Flyers was granted early status in the Ontario Hockey League draft last month and is also eligible for the NHL draft in 2020.
At the 2019 Canada Winter Games in Red Deer, Savoie recorded six goals and 13 points in six games in the U16 male tournament while Wright generated six goals and 12 points in six games
If Savoie joins the ICE, he will be eligible to play only five games in the WHL next season.
The last first-overall pick to pass on the WHL was Jonathan Toews in 2003. Toews was taken by the Tri-City Americans, but chose to play for the Shattuck-St. Mary’s high school team in Minnesota before attending the University of North Dakota.
Last month, the ICE brought Savoie and his family to Winnipeg for a tour and general manager Matt Cockell told the Winnipeg Sun, “We’re going to use every minute we have to get as much information as possible as it relates to Matthew and his family and what he wants to do with his development. We think we have a program that’s second to none in our new facility and that will be a great place for him. As a player, we’ve watched him for a couple of years and he’s an elite player, great vision, playmaker. Real good player.”
An interview request by the Gazette with Savoie through the ICE communication’s manager was still being processed at Friday’s press deadline.
The ICE also acquired the WHL rights of Savoie’s brother, Carter, from the Regina Pats in hopes of bringing them together with the relocated Kootenay franchise from Cranbrook, B.C.
Carter, 17, is one of four finalists for the Top Rookie Award in the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The Alberta Junior Hockey League’s rookie of the year led the Sherwood Park Crusaders in scoring with 73 points in 58 games.
The top AJHL rookie scorer with 31 goals and 42 assists was one of only four 2002-born players invited to the Team Canada West selection camp for the 2018 World Junior A Challenge.
Carter, a left winger, is also committed to the University of Denver for the 2021-22 season.
Draft results
St. Albert defenceman Cale Ashcroft was selected by the Saskatoon Blades in round four as the 76th overall pick in the WHL draft.
Ashcroft spent this season with the Northern Alberta Xtreme’s bantam prep team.
In total, 228 players (129 forwards, 77 defencemen and 22 netminders) were drafted and Alberta led all provincial branches with 68 players selected.
Thirteen players were picked from Canadian Sports School Hockey League teams in the first round.
In the first three rounds, 28 CSSHL players were chosen, comprising 42 per cent of the first 66 players.
Overall, a record 85 players from the CSSHL were drafted, which was 37 per cent of all players selected.
Players eligible for the WHL draft were 2004-born players residing in Alberta, B.C., Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Yukon, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
