Tigers take seven in WHL Prospects Draft

By James Tubb on December 9, 2021.

SUBMITTED PHOTO WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE Delta Hockey Academy centre Tomas Mrsic selected eighth overall by the Medicine Hat Tigers in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft.

The Medicine Had Tigers have taken centre Tomas Mrsic eighth overall in the 2021 WHL Prospect Draft.

The Surrey, B.C product plays for the Delta Hockey Academy U17 Prep. This season, the 5’10 forward has 27 goals and 58 points in 16 games.

Medicine Hat Tigers Director of Player Personnel Bobby Fox said on the WHL’s Draft broadcast that Mrsic will bring skill through the middle of the ice for the Tigers.

“He’s a guy who can play at both ends of the ice but at the same time we think he’s a dynamic offensive guy,” Fox said on the broadcast. “He has great vision and he can really shoot the puck.”

“He’s going to be a really good player in this league and we are looking forward to getting him into the Hat,” Fox said.

Second Round

With the 37th pick, the Tigers selected Diego Buttazzoni from the Burnaby Winter Club U18 prep.

The Langley, B.C. product has put up seven goals and 21 points in 11 games so far this season.

Two picks later, the Tabbies drafted goaltender Ethan McCallum 39th overall from the Notre Dame U16 Hounds. In 11 games this season, the Brandon, MB product has a 2-7-1 record with a 3.26 goals against average and a .927 save percentage.

McCallum was named to the tournament all-star team at the 2021 WHL Cup with a 3.01 goals against and a .904 save percentage in three games with Team Manitoba.

Third Round

The Tigers double dipped with the Delta Hockey Acamdemy as they drafted forward Cayden Lindstrom with the 54th pick.

Lindstrom, a Fort St. John, B.C. product, has 14 goals and 34 points in 16 games this season with the U17 Delta prep squad. The six-foot-five Lindstrom plays on the same team as Mrsic, the Tigers eighth overall pick in the draft.

Six picks later, the Tabbies added some defensive help by drafting blueliner Nate Corbet with the 60th overall pick. The Calgary product has split time this season with the Calgary Flames U18 AAA club and the U16AAA team.

At the U18 level, the 15-year-old has five assists in six games. While playing against his own age, the left shot d-man has two goals and 12 points in 14 games at the U16 level.

Fourth Round

With the 76th overall pick in the draft, the orange and black selected defenceman Simon Martin from the Tisdale Trojans U18AAA club.

The 15-year-old Lumsden, SK product has one goal and five points in 20 games playing at the U18 level with the Trojans this season.

Fifth Round

The Tigers added NHL familiarity in the fifth round by selecting forward Nolan Dupont with the 110 overall pick. The Calgary product is the son of Micki Dupont who played 23 games in the NHL over four seasons.

The 15-year-old Dupont has eight goals and 17 points in 14 games with the Edge School U16 Prep club.

Sixth Round

Medicine Hat traded their sixth round pick, the 122nd, to Lethbridge in exchange for a sixth round pick in 2022.

Seventh Round

The Tigers traded their seventh round pick to the Seattle Thunderbirds. Trade details have yet to be made public.

Medicine Hat did not have a pick in the eighth round and the Tigers passed on their remaining picks in the draft.

Eighth Round

The first Medicine Hat product was selected in the eighth round by the Everett Silvertips.

The Silvertips took Lethbridge AAA Hurricanes goalie Beck Boiteau with their 163rd overall pick.

Boiteau, a hatter, spent two seasons with the local SEAC U15 AAA Tigers and has a 2.36 goals against average, an .894 save percentage and one shutout this year with the AAA Hurricanes.