Bruins sign six from 2007 draft

By Eric J. Welsh,
The Progress

Sep 04 2007

Kevin Sundher (right) has been the most noticeable member of the 2007 bantam draft class on the ice thanks to his puck handling skills and elite skating. But the Bruins have inked five other players from that draft — Tyler Stahl, Carter Berg, Blair Wentworth, Chris Collins and Dylen McKinley. KARI MEDIG/ PROGRESS

In all his years in hockey, Darrell May cannot remember a junior team signing six players from one draft class. Three? Sure. Four? Maybe. Five? That’s stretching it. Six? Unheard of.

“When you go into a bantam draft you’re hoping to get three or four players you think can play in the league eventually,” said the Bruins general manager. “We are really excited about the potential of our 1992-born players, and having six of them commit to our program is outstanding.”

The six to sign are first round pick Kevin Sundher (seventh overall), second round pick Carter Berg (26th), third round pick Dylen McKinlay (48th), fourth round picks Tyler Stahl (70th) and Chris Collins (77th) and seventh round pick Blair Wentworth (148th).

“It doesn’t guarantee them jobs next year,” May said. “But I can see a situation where maybe four 16-year-olds are challenging for spots next season. I certainly see us having a very strong young group in two or three seasons.”

The players who have signed effectively turn down the opportunity to go the NCAA route, committing themselves to the Western Hockey League.

It’s flattering to the Bruins organization that six prospects are willing to make that decision so quickly.

“It’s good to know they were impressed with what they saw here and they want to play in Chilliwack,” May observed. “Obviously Prospera Centre is outstanding for junior hockey. And I think they were impressed by the people they met — their interaction with the coaches and their teammates.”

May said the team sells prospects on its commitment to education, and the community of Chilliwack sells itself as a nice place to live and play hockey.

“It’s a good size city that still has a smaller feel than markets like Vancouver, Seattle and Portland,” May noted. “When parents send their son to play hockey they want to be comfortable with where they’re sending him. We present them with everything that Chilliwack has to offer.”

The number of man-hours involved in scouting a bantam draft is hard to quantify. May estimates thousands of hours and hundreds of games between himself and his nine-man scouting staff.

Head coach Jim Hiller knows the work that goes into it, and he is thrilled to reap the on-ice benefits as a number of young players battling for jobs next year.

If they can do the job, he doesn’t care if they’re 16, 17, 18,19 or 20 years old.

“I see eight or nine from that draft who are probably going to end up playing for us,” he said. “But six jumped out right away as guys who have the potential to not just be good WHL players, but elite WHL players.”

With years and years of playing and coaching experience, Hiller knows a player when he sees one. He said each of the six prospects showed him good things in training camp — a big reason why all but Wentworth are still with the team as the Bruins embark on their pre-season schedule.

“It’s like reading a story and there’s a sentence or paragraph that just makes sense,” Hiller explained. “It’s the same with these guys. You see them and you say to yourself, ‘Wow. This kid is special.’”

Sundher has received most of the pre-season hype, and justifiably so. Carter Berg and Dylen McKinlay have done nothing to diminish their early round status, and Collins has gone far beyond expectations.

But Stahl and Wentworth have flown under the radar.

“Stahl is soft spoken off the ice,” Hiller said. “But you put him on the ice and he’ll always be in the middle of the play. He’s very physical and he has some great offensive skills. He looks to be the full package.”

Wentworth may be the most physically mature of the six, which bodes well for him as he goes up against bigger WHL players.

“These guys range from 150 to 160 pounds,” Hiller said. “He was close to 185 pounds with a hockey player’s build. When he decided to hit he hit people like a truck. It’s exciting to work with guys like that who have so much potential.”

If the 2007 draft class does indeed meet its lofty early expectations, then the Bruins will be following the developmental path of a WHL powerhouse.

Since coming into existence in 2003 the Everett Silvertips have developed a knack for player development, constantly replacing out-going veterans with talented youngsters.

Conventional wisdom says every major junior team will go through a cycle — building, contending and rebuilding.

But May believes it’s possible for Chilliwack to be the next Everett, re-tooling on the fly and vying for a WHL title every spring.

“That’s the plan,” May said. “Everett has been exceptional and one year I think they had eight 16 year olds in their lineup, which is almost unheard of. But I think we’re close to that.”

The Bruins did not sign goaltender Luke Siemens (7th round, 136th), Troy Murray (eighth round, 158th), Dylan McNab (ninth round, 179th) or Josh Roach (ninth round, 198th).

But May said all four remain on the team’s prospect radar and could push for a decision at next year’s camp.