The 2015 WHL Bantam Draft is less than a month away and no less than six members of the back-to-back SBAAHL champion Yorkton UCT Terriers are on the radar of WHL scouts and teams alike.
Forwards Carson Miller, Brett Kemp, Keenan Taphorn and Kaeden Taphorn as well as defencemen Reid Perepeluk and Kaleb Bulych have all garnered serious interest from major junior clubs throughout the season as they’ve all continued to develop in their second bantam campaigns.
One player in particular – forward Brett Kemp – has seen his stock rise significantly from the beginning of the season to the end, with one scout saying that he went from a late round pick into a possible first round choice on Thursday, May 7 in Calgary. “Kemp really has improved his game all year,” suggested an anonymous WHL scout during the Western Canada Bantam ‘AAA’ Championship in Winnipeg at the beginning of the month. “He’s a very smart player and he has a great set of hands. He can finish and he can set up goals and his defensive play, especially on the PK, is impressive.”
Fellow WHL scout Jason Gordon said he was also impressed with Kemp’s game, although he feels that, while Kemp’s defensive ability is strong, his real strength is his offensive ability. “He’s definitely a dynamic scoring forward,” offered Gordon. “He sees the ice very well and when he has an opportunity to score he’s going to finish and he’s been that way since he’s been a young player.
“When the ice opens up for him he’s going to finish and score a lot of goals.”
However Kemp isn’t the only player to have caught Gordon’s eye throughout the 2014/15 season. Both Perepeluk and Bulych have also put themselves into the WHL Draft picture with impressive campaigns. “Definitely with Reid’s (Perepeluk) game he plays a very physical, strong game. He’s playing a man’s game already and sometimes when he’s playing against smaller players the physical play sometimes gets ahead of him. He plays with his heart on his sleeve and his emotion is always at a high level. His physicality translates into success for him on the ice,” said Gordon on Perepeluk, before turning his attention to Bulych. “Kaleb Bulych is arguably one of the smartest defencemen in this Draft right now. He’s gotten taller all year so his size has increased. He sees the ice very well, his head is always up and he can make good offensive decisions.”
But Bulych, Kemp and Perepeluk aren’t the only three Yorkton players that are capable of making good offensive decisions.
Twin brothers Keenan and Kaeden Taphorn, as well as linemate Carson Miller, are a trio of offensive dynamos and are all widely regarded as first round selections. “The twins, they’re tall, smart, strong. They battle and they play hard. I know one has had injury problems this year but they’re both extremely gifted players,” said one WHL scout. “Keenan has great hands. He’s a great passer, very smart and Kaeden has a great shot. He’s also very smart, works hard, battles, he’s quick and he’s a good player.”
As for Miller, many scouts agree that he is the top player in the WHL Draft from the province of Saskatchewan, as proven by his league record 49 goals and 58 assists for 107 points. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go high in the Draft this year,” one scout WHL scout said of Carson Miller. “He’s an elite playmaker with great vision. He’s not the biggest guy in the Draft but I think he could play at the size he is because he’s so good and smart.
“He works hard and doesn’t give up and because of that he’s going to be a good player in the WHL.”
The 2015 WHL Draft will take place on Thursday, May 7 in Calgary.
