The Kelowna Rockets may have started a little later than anyone else. But they still were busy today.
The Rockets picked 10 players in today’s WHL Bantam Draft. They did not make their first pick until the third round, 61st overall. They selected defenceman Gabriel Guilbault from the BWC Academy U18 Prep.
The Burnaby native is a right handed shooting in 6’2 103 pounds has five assists and 11 games this season. He had 42 points (19G, 23A) in 30 games in 2019-2020 where he won the Bantam Varsity MVP.
DraftGeek scout Andre Georgiadis wrote this about Guilbault on October 17, 2020:
“Undoubtedly one of the best skating defensemen out there. He has size and knows when and how to use it, he hits when it’s the right time to do it and stays calm in a pressure situation.”
Guilbault represented BC in the WHL Cup this year. He had two assists.
The Rockets did not make their second selection until the sixth round, 127th overall. It was Logan Peskett from the West Vancouver U18 Prep. The North Vancouver native has three goals and three assists in ten games this season.
This was the first draft for Rockets head scout Terry Paul. Paul took over from long time scout Lorne Frey. Of their 10 picks, the Rockets selected 1 goaltender, 4 defenceman, and 5 forwards. 3 players are from Alberta, 3 from Saskatchewan, 2 from BC, and 2 from Manitoba.
The draft was moved from May to December to allow teams to evaluate players because of COVID-19. The 2022 Draft is scheduled for Thursday May 19,2022.
For a complete list of Rockets picks, click https://kelownarockets.com/article/rockets-make-ten-selections-in-the-2021-whl-prospects-draft