The Western Hockey League’s bantam draft will be selecting players Wednesday morning, and we’re looking at some of the best bantam drafts in Moose Jaw Warriors history.

Friday, we’re at number five, and looking at the 2011 draft. The Warriors didn’t have the highest selection, and despite a lot of players being gone by the time the Warriors chose, they chose wisely with Calgary born forward Brayden Point.

Point made an impact in the end of the 2011-12 regualar season and then scored an impressive seven playoff goals in 14 games as the Warriors went to the eastern conference final in his 15-year-old season.

After making Canada’s World Junior team twice, Point finished his four years in Moose Jaw with the third highest goals, assists and points in Warriors history, and in 2018-19, scored 92 points in 79 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Warriors 16th and 33rd overall picks in the draft, Miles Warkentine and Josh Uhrich, also played for the team in supporting roles as they moved into Mosaic Place, as did eighth round pick Ben Duperreault.

Duperrault ended up leading the SJHL in scoring with the Notre Dame Hounds as a 20-year-old before heading to the University of Regina Cougars, where he’s played for the last three seasons.

The criteria for the list includes quality of players picked where they were, whether or not they reached success with the WHL or with other junior, college or pro teams. Special consideration is made to draft day deals that have a significant impact on the higher end of the draft.

Bantam drafts before 1994 had far fewer players chosen than today – so a team with several good players in one draft will always be better than the one to three players chosen in the bantam draft’s infancy – and it’s too early to pass any judgment on the quality of drafts after 2015. The players selected in 2016 just completed their 18 year old seasons and there may be some late bloomers in that draft and 2017.  

Seventh best: 2001

Sixth best: 2015

Fifth best: 2011