WHL BANTAM DRAFT
For Joel Sexsmith, Seth
Jarvis, Ty Thorpe, Anthony
Kehrer, Jakob Brook and
Evan Herman, the 2016-17
hockey season has been
over for more than a month.
Still, as part of the RHA
Nationals Bantam Prep
program, they still have
regular workouts every day
in an effort to become better
players and better
teammates. However,
they’ve also had something
on their minds. Although,
they try to ignore it, the
Western Hockey League’s
Annual Bantam Draft took
place on May 4. They were
all selected within the first
three rounds, but the good
news didn’t come without
a little pre-draft anxiety.
RHA Nationals
Dominate WHL
Bantam Draft
By Scott Taylor
Photos by Bruce Fedyck
58 GAME ON
2017 CHAMPIONS EDITION
F
TY THORPE
or defenseman Joel Sexsmith, the 2017 Western Hockey League Draft was some-
thing he tried to ignore, but couldn’t.
On May 4, Sexsmith, who came from Edmonton to be part of the RHA Nationals first
Bantam Prep Program, was selected ninth overall by the Swift Current Broncos in the first
round of the 2017 Western Hockey League’s 14-year-old (2002) Bantam Draft.
He was one of two RHA Nationals players to be selected in the opening round. Winnipeg’s
Seth Jarvis was taken with the 11th pick by Portland. Meanwhile, Brandon’s Dameon Hunt, was
the only other Manitoban taken in the first round. Hunt, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound defenseman
from the Brandon Wheat Kings Bantams was taken with the 15th pick by Moose Jaw.