The 2017 WHL bantam draft took part last Thursday and not surprisingly, it turned out to be a good draft for Yorkton hockey players.
Four athletes were chosen from Yorkton: Ryder Korczak, Jackson Berezowski, Massen Ziola and Austin Dycer. All four players played on the Yorkton Xerox Terriers Bantam AA team this past season.
With four athletes selected, Yorkton was second in number of players chosen. Saskatoon led the way with nine selected players. Regina and Swift Current both had three players selected.
Korczak
The first Yorkton product selected was Ryder Korczak who went in the second round, 29th overall, to the Calgary Hitmen.
It wasn’t surprising that Korczak was drafted. The forward had 83 points stemming from 27 goals and 56 assists in his regular season, which put him third in points in the entire Saskatchewan Bantam AA Hockey League.
Though he wasn’t necessarily surprised to be drafted, Korczak said he thought he’d go later in the draft – maybe in the third round.
The Yorkton product said he was at home with his mom and his brother when he saw his name pop up.
“All I felt was a rush to my head. It was a special feeling,” he said.
Korczak’s older brother, Kaedan, has seen similar success in his hockey career. The assistant captain of last year’s Yorkton RawTec Maulers team was drafted by the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL and spent time with them during their playoff run this season.
Ryder said the only pressure he gets to follow in his brother’s footsteps is from Kaedan.
“It’s like a competition between us. But, it’s a friendly competition,” said Ryder.
While playing his last season of bantam, Korczak said knowing the draft was in the near future did sometimes act as a motivator to play well.
“But for the most part, you play for the team. As you do that you get better and better,” he offered.
Now he’s looking toward the future and he’s excited for what will come in the next few years of his hockey career. Since being drafted, he’s looked a little closer at the Calgary Hitmen.
“They play in the Saddledome, which is pretty cool,” he said. “They produce great players, too.”
For the time being, Korczak will get ready for his first season with the Maulers. He said his hopes for the midget AAA team are to be a leader, play in one of the top lines and of course, try to rack up a few points for the team.
Berezowski
The second Yorkton athlete to be selected was Jackson Berezowski. He also went in the second round, 44th overall by the Everett Silvertips.
Berezowski was the captain of the Xerox Terriers, and led the league in points. He had 87 points from 41 goals and 46 assists.
Similar to Korczak, Berezowski said the draft did pop into his mind during the season.
“It’s always there in the back of the mind, but you try to push it off and focus on the season and try to do the best in the games,” he said.
The leading scorer said seeing his name in the draft was something he won’t forget.
“It was very exciting,” said Berezowski. “It’s kind of cool when your name pops up on that list of elite players.”
He also added that he didn’t expect to go in the second round. He thought it’d be later.
With his upcoming season with the Maulers, he said he’s hoping to make a positive impression on the organization.
“Hopefully Everett can take a look at me there, and hopefully I’ll get the call up,” Berezowski added.
Ziola, Dycer
In the seventh round, forward Massen Ziola went 145 overall to the Swift Current Broncos. Ziola was third on his team with 55 points from 24 goals and 31 assissts.
In the eighth round, d-man Austin Dycer went 175 overall to the Medicine Hat Tigers. In the regular season, Dycer had 28 points from 10 goals and 18 assists on the Xerox Terriers. Dycer has already committed to playing with the Yorkton Maulers next season.
