WHL & OHL draft "Next Ones" May 06, 2013

After Travis Konecny was taken first overall in the OHL draft by the Ottawa 67’s, it was Tyler Benson’s turn to shine, the 15-year-old AMBHL phenom following in the footsteps of previous no.1 overall WHL picks, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jonathan Toews.

It was an incredible season for the Edmonton, Alberta native. Not only did he rack up mind-boggling stats (146 points in 33 games), he also led his team to Alberta and Western Canadian AAA Championships.  His exploits did not go unnoticed, and the Vancouver Giants were more than happy to take him with the first overall pick in the WHL Bantam Draft.

Find out more about the WHL’s top pick in the Vancouver Sun’s post here. 

The second pick overall also came from the AMBHL, in the form of 52-goal scorer Sam Steel. Chosen by the Regina Pats, the product of Sherwood Park, Alberta was second only to Benson in points (104).

For more on Sam Steel’s rise to the top, click on the Leader-Post’s article here.  

The OHL Draft, which occurred early in the month of April, featured the selection of 1^st pick overall Travis Konecny, followed by 2^nd pick Dylan Strome.  For an overview of these up-and-coming stars, check out the Mckeen’s draft blog here.