MONDAY CAT COUNTRY COMMENTARY
(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary at 9:50 AM and 5:20 PM on Cat Country 98 FM)
I’M GOING TO TRY TO KEEP THIS COMMENTARY COVID-FREE FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.
SO FRIDAY WAS A LIFE-CHANGING DAY FOR THE 69 PLAYERS WHO WERE SELECTED IN THE 2020 SJHL DRAFT. THE NUMBER-ONE OVERALL PICK WAS FORWARD BLAZE GUTZKE OF FRANCIS, SASK WHO WENT TO THE MELVILLE MILLIONAIRES.
HE AND HIS FAMILY WERE IN ATTENDANCE AT HORIZON CREDIT UNION CENTRE IN MELVILLE FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT AND IT WAS FANTASTIC.
OF THE NEXT 68 PLAYERS TAKEN FRIDAY AFTERNOON, IF YOU CAN BELIEVE, 22 OF THEM ARE FROM SASKATOON. AMAZING. IN ALL, 34 COMMUNITIES WERE REPRESENTED INCLUDING AVONLEA, CANDIAC, EBENEZER, TOMPKINS, ESTERHAZY, LUMSDEN AND MCTAGGART.
IT WAS A WONDERFUL AFTERNOON OF BROADCASTING THE DRAFT FOR 3 HOURS ON SASKTEL MAX TV WITH SJHL GM’S MAKING THEIR PICKS REMOTELY – FROM THEIR ARENA OFFICES – FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS.
ON FRIDAY MORNING WE PREDICTED SASKATOON’S LUKE FORTE WOULD BE THE NUMBER-ONE OVERALL PICK BUT HE SLID TO THE THIRD ROUND, BEING SELECTED 33RD OVERALL BY THE YORKTON TERRIERS.
AND THEREIN LIES THE TRICKINESS OF THE SJHL DRAFT. AS EDMONTON OIL KINGS SCOUT SHAWN STIEB TOLD ME SUNDAY AT A CO-OP GROCERY STORE IN REGINA, THE SJHL DRAFT MAY BE THE HARDEST THERE IS IN HOCKEY BECAUSE YOU WANT TO PICK THE BEST PLAYERS POSSIBLE, THAT YOU DON’T THINK WILL GO ON TO PLAY IN THE WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE.
IT SOUNDS LIKE A WHOLE LOT LIKE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE NFL AND CFL DRAFTS.
I’VE ALWAYS SAID I’M NOT INTERESTED IN DRAFTS. BUT I THINK I’M CHANGING MY MIND.
THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY ON CAT COUNTRY 98.
