A number of young prospects were added to the pipeline for the Portage Terriers as the 2017 Manitoba Junior Hockey League Draft took place Sunday in Winnipeg.

The Terriers acquired the list rights of seven new players through the priority draft and auto-protection process, and selected Winnipeg forward Kale Price with their top pick, 16th overall in the second round. A left-handed shot, Price had 58 points (16-42—58) in 32 games with the Winnipeg Hawks during the 2016-17 Winnipeg Bantam AAA League (WBAAA) season.

“He's a 200-foot player who plays well in all zones. He's got good hands and reads the ice very, very well,” said Terriers director of player personnel Frank Harding. “And he competes hard.”

The Terriers selected another Winnipeg forward with their next pick, calling Reese Belton's name in the second round, 18th overall. The right-handed shot had 53 points (30-23—53) in 31 games with the Winnipeg Monarchs during the 2016-17 WBAAA season. Belton was also selected in the fifth round of the 2017 Western Hockey League draft by the Kamloops Blazers.

“We're not sure how far away he is but he's certainly a good prospect,” Harding explained. “He's another guy that plays well in all three zones and he can put the puck in the net; He was one of the top scorers in the (WBAAA)”

The Terriers' three remaining selections included Pembina Valley defenceman Jacob Carels in the third round, 29th overall; Stonewall goaltender Christopher Fines was picked in the fifth round, 51st overall; And Brandon forward Matthew Ramsey was the team's final selection in the sixth round, 62nd overall.

Carels, from Bruxelles, Man., produced 25 points (4-21—25) in 36 games from the Pembina Valley Hawks blueline in the 2016-17 WBAAA season. Fines made 28 starts with the Interlake Lightning and posted a 5.93 GAA and .843 save percentage. And Ramsey recorded 35 points (10-25—35) in 36 games with the Southwest Cougars.

“These guys are all just prospects and we'll see down the line how they all turn out,” Harding said of the draft crop. “It's going to be up to them. If they work hard at their game and keep playing well they've got a good chance. And we hope they do that.”

AUTO-PROTECTED PLAYERS

The Terriers chose to protect the MJHL list rights of two Portage la Prairie defencemen, Kyle Van Deynze and Kian Calder. Both played for the Central Plains Capitals in the WBAAA league during the 2016-17 season. Van Deynze recorded 22 points (5-17—22) and had 30 penalty minutes in 34 games. Calder had 46 points (21-25—46) and 52 penalty minutes in 33 games.

“They're very good prospects. Kyle is a very solid player in his own zone and Kian is a more skilled guy who puts up quite a good number of points for a defenceman,” Harding said.

SUMMARY OF SWAPS

Portage had no first round pick as it was traded to the Waywayseecappo Wolverines as part of the October 2016 deal that saw forwards Brandon Stanley and Brendan Martin moved for forward Ty Enns and the list rights of forward Kolton Shindle.

The Terriers' first pick in the second round -- that it used to selected Price -- came via the Virden Oil Capitals as part of the December 2016 trade that saw Turner Santin re-acquired by the team while forwards Kirklan Lycar and Kelby Picard were moved out.

SELECTIONS FROM THE REGION

Oakville's Evan Herman and Cody Blight were other players from the area selected in the draft. Herman was picked in the first round, ninth overall by OCN, while Blight went to Selkirk in the fifth round.