We won’t know for a while if Jesse Forsberg is the next Eric Brewer , or if Caleb Belter is the next Quinn Hancock. What do know as of today is that it was smiles all around for General Manager Dallas Thompson and his staff at the 2008 WHL Bantam Draft held in Calgary, Alberta on Thursday May 1, 2008.    

    

Picking 11^th overall, the Cougars tabbed Waldheim Saskatchewan native Jesse Forsberg as their fist pick of the day. A solid 6’0” and 175 pound defenceman, he boasts a big shot and plays with an edge.  Forsberg and his family couldn’t have been more pleased to see the Cougars select him.  “I’m so excited” said Forsberg “I just can’t wait to get going.”  Thompson and his scouting staff have seen Forsberg play at least 50 times this year and felt at ease selecting him first. Forsberg was the captain of his Warman Wildcats who recently competed at the Western Canadian Bantam Championships.    

    

In the 2nd round, 25^th overall the Cougars went for a little more offence as they selected Caleb Belter from Edmonton, Alberta. Belter is listed at 6’1” and 195 pounds. He scored 37 goals and added 31 assists in just 32 games for the Southgate Lions of the AMBHL this past season.  Assistant General Manager Wade Klippenstein was elated to get Caleb in the second round. “We certainly had him much higher than where we were able to get him, it was a total bonus.” In describing Belter’s skill set, Klippenstein said “He’s your typical big power forward with a great skating stride; his numbers really speak for themselves.”    

    

With no 3^rd round pick, the Cougars were forced to wait it out until selecting Shane Pilling in the 4^th Round, 69^th overall. Pilling is a 5’8” 135 pound native of Lethbridge, Alberta. Klippenstein felt that Pilling is a great skating defenceman who may be one of the most mobile defenders available in the draft. Pilling had 6 goals and 20 points in 33 games for the Lethbridge Golden Hawks of the AMBHL.    

    

The 5^th round saw the one and only deal of the day by General Manager Dallas Thompson as he acquired a pick in the same round from the Saskatoon Blades in exchange for future considerations. Thompson immediately used that pick to select Bryton Udy, a goaltender from Calgary Alberta. Udy spent the 07-08 season with the Calgary Bison of the AMBHL.

Zac Larraza was the first American selected by the Cougars in 2008. Don’t let the fact that Larraza went in the 6^th Round 113^th overall fool you. The 6’3” 165 pound native of Scottsdale Arizona deserved to go much higher. A doubt surrounding his desire to play In the WHL was the biggest contribution in his slide to the 6^th round. Thomson felt that Larraza was simply too good of a player to pass up.    

    

In the 8^th Round, Brady Goebel from Stoney Plain, Alberta was selected by Prince George .(157^th overall) Goebel captained the Spruce Grove Timberwolves of the AMBHL in 07-08 and put up some impressive totals with 28 goals and 32 assists for 60 points. The Cougars Edmonton scout watched Goebel play several times and was very keen on him.

Next up for the Cougars could very well be the steal of the 2008 Draft. Max Fiedler from Kelowna was taken in the 9^th Round, 178^th overall. Last year at this time, many observers wondered if Fiedler would challenge to be the first overall pick in the 08 draft. His numbers were stellar for the Notre Dame Argos of the SSMHL where he racked up 24 goals and 29 assists for 53 points in just 23 games.     

    

In the 10^th round the Cougars made a pair of selections. First up was Blaine Thomson, selected 210^th overall. Thomson is a 5’9” 166 pound native of Assiniboia, Saskatchewan. He spent the 07-08 season with the Notre Dame Hounds of the SSMHL where he netted 12 points in 22 games.     

The final pick of the day was Jared Linnell from North Pole, Alaska. Linnell is well known to Cougars Assistant General Manager Wade Klippenstein. “I actually played hockey with his father Derek at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, I know the family really well and Jared is a fantastic young man. We hoped all day long that nobody else would select Jared and fortunately for us, nobody did.” Linnell is a player. The 5’9” 150 pound centre scored 48 points in just 21 regular season games. Add in playoffs and tournaments and Linnell posted very impressive numbers with 77 points in 39 games.

Here is a final breakdown of the 2008 Bantam Draft.

Goaltender           1

Defence               3

Right Wing          2

Centre                 2

Left Wing             1

Total                   9

Alberta                                 4

Saskatchewan                      2

United States                        2

British Columbia                    1