Newly branded MHL carries out midget draft, hands out awards

The MHL draft took place today in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. With a new logo and a new look, all 11 teams enthusiastically chose midget players from a very deep 2010 draft pool.

The first round selections were as follows. With the first overall choice, the Campbellton Tigers selected forward Rankin Campbell from the Miramichi Rivermen. Campbell had 46 points in 34 games last season with the Rivermen. The second pick was taken by the Weeks Crushers and they selected Brandon Boutlier of the Halifax Titans. Boutlier earned 39 points in 32 games in 2009/10. Kyle Campbell from the Titans was the third selection taken by the Yarmouth Mariners. Campbell, the Titans’ leading scorer turned in 47 points in 35 games for the Titans. The fourth selection was right winger Jordan McInnis of the Charlottetown Islanders. McInnis was the Islanders’ leading scorer with 36 points in 34 games.

The fifth overall pick was taken by Bridgewater and it was Andrew Graham of the Titans. Graham turned in 41 points in 33 games last season. Sixth overall belonged to the Metro Marauders and they selected Defenseman Kyle Kavanaugh of the Cape Breton Tradesmen. Seventh overall belonged to the Dieppe Commandos and they chose defenseman Joslin Gallant of the Moncton Flyers. Summerside selected Craig MacLaughlan of the Charlottetown Islanders for the eight pick and Miramichi chose Brett Barnhill of the Fredericton Canadiens as the ninth selection. Tenth overall was defenseman Ryan Moore of the Cape Breton Tradesmen. The final selection of the first round was defenseman Braydon Wood of Rothesay Netherwood and he now belongs to the MHL Champion Woodstock Slammers. For all draft picks by round, click here.

In addition to the draft, the league handed out three awards. Executive of the Year went to the Dieppe Commandos. The Commandos, coming off of a Fred Page Cup hosting year in 2008/09 managed to ice a quality young club and find continued success in a still new market.

“We are very excited about receiving this honour”, said Commandos Director of Operations Jean-Francois Damphousse. “We’ve been working extremely hard on our program in Dieppe and we feel we have made great strides. We believe we are on a quality path for success. We need to thank the many volunteers that have been working for us as we simply couldn’t have survived without their support. Finally, we need to thank the city of Dieppe for their continued partnership.”

No big surprises for Coach of the Year as Jason Tatarnic took home the honour. Under Tatarnic, the Slammers set new league highs for points with 92 in 50 games and had 26 consecutive wins. They also went 32 games without a regulation time loss and went on to win the Kent Cup. Tatarnic recently accepted a position with the Notre Dame Hounds.

“It is an honour to be selected as the coach of the year and this award reflects the hard work and dedication that the entire organization put in from the players to all the staff”, said Tatarnic. “I would like to thank Andrew McCain and Danny Braun for their support over the years. The Slammers run a first class organization in every capacity.”

In addition, a new award was handed out called the MHL Builders award. The Builders Award was created new this season to recognize league members who have made exceptional contributions toward the growth and overall well-being of the MHL. The first Builders Award went to two individuals this season: Vice President Cecil Taylor and MHL Board of Governors Chair John Lynn.

Taylor has provided incredible contributions and assistance over his many years of service and continues to bring a vast wealth of experience and knowledge to the table.

John Lynn, who is now in his third year as Board Chair, has provided immense leadership bringing the league forward and was instrumental in the league’s new branding strategy.