A total of four 2005 birth year players with ties to the Anaheim Jr. Ducks were selected in the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) inaugural U.S. Prospects Draft on March 25.

The quartet included current Jr. Ducks goalie Miles Roberts and defenseman Jason Zaccari and former Jr. Ducks defenseman Ze’ev Buium and forward Ty Henricks.

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The four selections give the club a total of 14 picks in WHL drafts since 2016, and that number matched the most the Jr. Ducks have had taken in any given year (2019).

A total of 44 players were selected in the two-round U.S. draft.

Roberts was selected fourth overall in the first round by the Everett Silvertips. He allowed just two goals in five CAHA starts and finished with CAHA bests of a 1.20 goals-against average and a .957 save percentage. He had a 1.82 GAA and a .936 save percentage in Tier 1 Elite Hockey League (T1EHL) play, both figures placing him in the top five.

Zaccari was taken in the second round (29th overall) by the Portland Winterhawks. He had six points in five CAHA games.

Both were standouts on the Jr. Ducks’ Bantam AAA team that went 7-5-0 in the T1EHL and 5-1-0 during the CAHA regular season.

Buium was the final pick of the first round (22nd overall), by the Saskatoon Blades. Henricks was taken one pick before Zaccari, by the Brandon Wheat Kings.

“All four are very good players,” said Jr. Ducks director of player personnel Alex Kim. “They worked hard to get to themselves on the WHL’s radar. This is a great opportunity for them.

“These are some positives during an otherwise very unusual time.”

The draft provides the major junior teams the rights to the respective players but doesn’t guarantee they will play in the WHL.

— Chris Bayee

(June 10, 2020)