A pair of southwest Saskatchewan products helped headline the first round of the SJHL Draft yesterday.

Chaplin's Kasey Gleim was selected 11th overall during the first round amongst the 2009-born skaters by the Melville Millionaires. The forward led the Swift Current Pure Chem U15 AA Broncos in scoring with 60 points in 27 games. He was also selected last month by the Everett Silvertips in the 5th round 108th overall during the WHL Prospects Draft.

Fox Valley's Tyler Hudec went 7th overall in the first round of the 2008-born portion of the draft to the Weyburn Red Wings. The 5-foot-9 defenceman split time between the Swift Current Home Hardware AAA U18 Legionnaires and the Swift Current Southwest Sports Excellence U18 AA Broncos last season.

Shaunavon's Mason Fauser also was picked by the Red Wings amongst the 2008 players in the second round, 13th overall. The 6-foot-1 forward was selected by the Swift Current Broncos in the 2023 WHL Bantam Draft in the fifth round and played a game for them last year. He spent 42 games with the Legionnaires recording 15 goals and 27 points.

Porter Nickason from Elrose went just a few selections later, in the second round 16th overall for 2008-born players, to the Nipawan Hawks. The centreman played 37 games with the Legionnaires last year and had nine points.

Goalie Cade Mitchell was drafted for a second time in two months, this time being selected by the Hawks in the second round 22nd overall in the 2009-born class. Mitchell appeared in 17 games for the Pure Chem U15 AA Broncos and posted a 14-3 record with a .922 save percentage and a 2.34 goals-against average. The Moose Jaw Warriors drafted the Gull Lake product in the seventh round of the WHL Prospect Draft last monh.

The La Ronge Ice Wolves drafted Lafleche's Theron Watteyne in the third round 26th overall of the 2008-born players. The forward played most of the season with the Moose Jaw Warriors U18 AA team but appeared in five games with their AAA squad.

Rounding out the 2008 part of the draft were two Swift Current players Riley Schmeiss and Jacob Penley both going in the fifth round. Schmeiss, a defenceman, skated in 36 games with the Southwest Sports Excellence U18 AA Broncos recording six assists. Penley, a forward, played 31 games with South Alberta Hockey Academy registering 10 points.