A number of local players were selected in the Maritime Junior Hockey League Entry Draft over the weekend. In all, 120 of the best young hockey players in the region were selected by the league’s 12 teams over the course of 10 rounds.
With the first overall pick, the Miramichi Timberwolves chose Port Hawkesbury native Ryan
Hayes, a 16-year-old defenceman from the Under 18 Cape Breton West Islanders.
Other local players picked in the first round included Cape Breton West defenceman Keir Jordan of River Denys by the Pictou County Weeks Crushers, and Weeks Majors Under 18 forward Lane Lochead (La-Head) of Alma by the Truro Bearcats.
In the second round, Cape Breton West Islanders forward Kevin Walker of Antigonish was taken by Truro while another another Antigonish forward Tully Peter Grant of the Notre Dame Hounds Under 16 Prep team was picked by the South Shore Lumberjacks.
In the third round, Havre Boucher’s Rory Wood, a forward with the Islanders was taken by the Yarmouth Mariners. Pictou County Weeks Crushers selected some home grown talent in the fifth round, taking New Glasgow’s Cory MacGillivray, a defenceman with the Weeks Majors.
Ray MacKinnon of North Grant, a defencemen with the Islanders was picked in the sixth round by Miramichi, while Pictou County chose Leyton Stewart of Antigonish, a defenceman with Cape Breton West. Guysborough’s Jacob Cook, a forward with Cape Breton West was taken by Edmunston in the seventh round.
A couple of Islanders teammates and Antigonish natives were taken in the eight round, Goaltender Jack Milner by Truro and forward Bryce Thompson by Grand Falls.
Islanders Goaltender Adam Tkacz of Antigonish was chosen in the ninth round by Pictou County and forward Ben Wallace of New Glasgow, a forward with the Weeks Majors was picked by the Valley Wildcats.