Terriers head scout very pleased with draft results

The Portage Terriers are happy with how the 2022 MJHL Draft went for them.

The Dogs selected five 2006-born prospects in the eight-round draft on Saturday. Head scout Angus Moar says the team got many of the players they wanted and is very satisfied with the results.

He notes with the new draft format, these players now have the opportunity to play for Portage much quicker if they're ready.

"It's a little different this year because a kid we draft can step right in and play next year, whereas, in previous years, you had to sit for a year before you could play Junior A," Moar explains. "It'll be interesting to see how many of the kids we drafted will be in the lineup for the team next year."

Moar notes despite the change in the age of the players being selected, the Terriers' draft process stayed relatively the same. He says they typically will go with the best player available.

The Terriers had the fifth overall selection in the first round of the draft and decided to bolster the blue line. Jordan Murray was the player they went with and Moar says, while they're familiar with the family (brother Owen Murray played for the Terriers from 2018-2020), this would've been their pick, regardless.

"We knew what kind of kid we were getting, and we knew what kind of talent we were getting. So, we were pleased to have him there when we picked in the first round," Moar continues. "He's a good player in his own right, and we would've had the same kid rated right where he was, even if he wasn't Owen's brother."

The Dogs' covered all areas of the ice on Saturday, as they went with another defenceman with their second pick (Cody Allen), added some goalie depth (Kai Bennett), and grabbed a pair of forwards in the back half of the draft (Cole Cairns and Hayden Kaczorowski). The scout says it's a bonus when you're able to make that happen.

"It's something you think about, and it's something you'd always like to do," says Moar. "You still want the best player available, whether he's a forward, defenceman, or goalie."

Moar adds the team was very excited post-draft, noting they're really optimistic for what's to come in the 2022-23 campaign.