Yorkton Terriers AA Bantam centre Kylan Shea has set his sights on the upcoming Western Hockey League Bantam Draft, which is held this April in Calgary.
"I really hope a WHL team picks me," says Shea. "I really want to play in that league one day."
Despite no WHL scouts talking to Shea or his family yet , he has garnered interest around the major junior league.
"I'm positive he will be drafted," says a WHL scout, who asked to remain nameless. "He is a great skater and has size. I've heard other scouts talk about him in the sixth-round range."
Shea has a lot of supporters in the Yorkton area, including Terriers head coach Damon Kustra.
"I think guys that skate well and have good size have a chance at getting to that level (WHL)," says the coach. "I think Kylan falls into that category, so he could get there."
Hockey is practically a full-time job for Shea. He plays for the Saskatoon Junior Blades in the summer and is currently lacing the skates up for the Terriers in the winter.
"It keeps me busy," says Shea. "I enjoy playing in the winter and I don't want to stop, so I play in the summer, too."
While playing with the Junior Blades, the bantam draft became a hot topic in the dressing room.
"A lot of players I played with in Saskatoon talk about the bantam draft," he said. "We are kind of in competition to get drafted. We all want to play in the WHL."
The 6-foot, 170-pounder started off slow, but has been catching steam as of late with the Terriers. He scored twice against the Swift Current Kabos Raiders on Dec. 22.
"I would have liked to have a better start, but now I'm starting to take off," says Shea, who has netted seven goals and 13 points in 16 games.
It's a long way to the top in hockey. Every year roughly 230 youngsters are drafted into the WHL, but only a small percentage of them go on to play in the league.
Shea, 14, is fully aware it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to play in Western Canada's best junior league.
"It's very hard to make those (WHL) teams," he said. "I'm just going to continue to work and get better and hopefully one day I can play in that league."
