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Okanagan Hockey Academy has players selected to WHL clubs

Eleven players, including five from Penticton, drafted by WHL
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The Okanagan Hockey Academy had 11 players selected, six from OHA Edmonton and five from OHA Penticton, during the Western Hockey League bantam on May 4. Mark Brett/Western News

Eleven Okanagan Hockey Academy players were selected by Western Hockey League clubs on May 4.

Kaiden Guhle became the first ever OHA student-athlete selected first overall, as the OHA Edmonton defenceman was chosen by the Prince Albert Raiders. A total of six OHA Edmonton athletes were selected, while five came from OHA Penticton. With five selected, OHA Penticton has now seen 48 students taken in the WHL Bantam Draft since 2012, including 37 over the past four years.

“I think it just shows that the model is working,” said Okanagan Hockey Group president and director Andy Oakes.

Oakes is happy with the number of players that were selected and said the draft is an “interesting beast.

“It’s a lot of pressure and a lot of anxiety and stress on the players and families,” said Oakes. “There is a lot of good players that every year go undrafted and still make their way and have great hockey careers. For us, we do take the draft with a grain of salt.”

The top player chosen from OHA Penticton was Ryan Popowich of Surrey, going 119th to the Spokane Chiefs. He was followed by Courtenay’s Kyle Crewe, who went 144th to the Tri-City Americans, Scott Gilowski of Vernon went 153rd to the Prince George Cougars, Jalen Luypen of Kelowna went to the Edmonton Oil Kings at 180th and Wyatt Marlow of Cranbrook went to the Swift Current Broncos at 211.

Following Guhle, the following players from OHA Edmonton were selected: Peyton McKenzie of Sherwood Park, Alta., 59th to the Moose Jaw Warriors; Cole Dubinsky of Androssan, Alta., 79th to the Regina Pats; Owen Pederson of Stony Plain, 89th to the Kootenay Ice; Jace Isley of Grand Prairie 107th to the Red Deer Rebels and Bode Hagan of Alsike, Alta., 162nd to the Brandon Wheat Kings.