PHOTO COURTESY LINT GORDON-CARROLL TWITTER
Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll was selected ninth overall by the Medicine Hat Tigers in Wednesdays' WHL U.S. priority draft.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Medicine Hat Tigers deepened their prospect pool with talent from south of the border Wednesday.
The Tigers selected two forwards in the Western Hockey League’s U.S. priority draft. With the ninth overall selection in the draft, the Tigers picked Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll from the Chicago Mission 14U AAA. With their next selection, 22 picks later, the Tigers picked Noah Davidson of the Los Angeles Jr. Kings 14U AAA.
Medicine Hat director of player personnel Bobby Fox says they are excited coming away from the draft with both selections.
“They both have power elements to their games, they’re both excellent skaters and they both have a lot of offence upside,” Fox said.
Gordon-Carroll, the 14-year-old product of Salt Lake City, Utah, had eight goals and 20 points in 15 games for the Mission this season. Fox says he’s an exciting player for the organization who is tough to knock off the puck.
“Just his size, speed and strength, he’s fast,” Fox said. “Not only does he have great puck skills and an ability to challenge defenders one-on-one and good, good skill level. He’s hard on guys and he wins battles.”
Davidson, the 14-year-old California product, had 60 goals and 107 points in 51 games for the Jr. Kings this season.
“This guy can shoot the puck, he gets the puck away quickly,” Fox said. “Again he’s another power forward, good size strength he keeps moving his feet, he bows through checks, he has a strong will to get to the net and definitely a nose for the net. He can shoot the puck and he shoots to score.”
Each WHL team had two selections in the priority draft that is in its fourth year of operation in the league. Fox says both Gordon-Carrell and Davidson were players they really wanted and who had high ratings of what they want in Tigers players.
“They’re at the top, we really went after guys who could make an impact on our future roster here and both of these guys definitely have high Tiger ratings and they’re definitely impact guys,” Fox said.
The next step for the Tigers and all clubs is to showcase their organizations to the newly selected U.S. players and illustrate why their franchise is the right choice for them. Fox says they’ve spoken with both players and will figure out an opportunity to showcase what Medicine Hat and the Tigers can offer.
“The next step is, with the U.S. schedule sometimes it isn’t conducive with Western League camp, so we have to figure out a way to get them up here and we’re willing to bring them up here at any date to introduce them to our city and our facilities,” Fox said.
Before then the focus shifts to today’s WHL prospects draft, which gets underway this morning at 10 a.m. The Tigers, one year removed from selecting Gavin McKenna first overall, hold the ninth overall pick in the first round.
The Prince Albert Raiders will be the busiest team in the first round, as they have three picks in the top-10, first, second and seventh. The first overall pick originally belonged to the Edmonton Oil Kings but was traded to Prince Albert in the Kaiden Guhle trade last season. The second overall pick is their own and the seventh overall selection, originally the Kelowna Rockets, came from the Nolan Allan trade to the Seattle Thunderbirds this season.
Fox says there was a good nervous energy as they look toward the upcoming draft.
“It’s exciting for the scouting staff and (Wednesday) is almost like Christmas Eve right now for a lot of guys,” Fox said. “We’re expecting to get some really good players and hopefully stack a couple age groups together to really contend.”
