Quartet of T-Birds go in WHL Bantam Draft W


By Adam Dunivan


hile the decisions to be weighed eventually will come to a head for four members of the Colorado


Thunderbirds’ 14U AAA team, the luxury of having options for the future is simply immeasurable. Currently about to finish off just their freshmen


years in high school, a gigantic door has already opened for forwards Zachary Goberis and Alex Overhardt and defensemen Christos Zinis and Logan Fauber. On May 3, all four players saw their names come


off the board in the Western Hockey League (WHL) Bantam Draft. Angelo Ricci, director of hockey operations for


the Thunderbirds, couldn’t be happier for the quartet, all of whom he says are deserving of their selections. “It speaks volumes about the culture of the Thun-


derbirds program, which has been created and cul- tivated over the years,” said Ricci, noting that three former Thunderbirds - forward Dominic Turgeon (Portland Winterhawks), defenseman Seth Jones (Portland) and goaltender Danny Mumaugh (Se- attle Thunderbirds) - recently signed with WHL teams. And all four have something in common besides


playing for the T-Birds; each of them has intentions of playing high-level junior hockey in some capacity, too.


In a draft dominated by Canadian-born players


- perhaps not surprisingly - Goberis was in fact one of the earliest American-born players taken, as the Lethbridge Hurricanes chose him with the 87th over-


all pick. The Hurricanes then used


their 10th-round pick on Faub- er, who was thrilled to see three of his teammates also chosen. “I did expect that many to be


drafted off our team because I believe we had that kind of skill level,” said Fauber. “It’s definite- ly exciting to see that many play- ers from one team get drafted. “I know Zach has a lot of in-


terest in the WHL, and we both like the WHL, so getting drafted by the same team is an oppor- tunity to maybe play with each other again down the road.” Goberis does have his sights


set on “The Dub,” and, in a lot of ways, the whole draft-day pro- cess was much like he’s seen on television. “About 15 minutes prior to


Jaw Warriors, and he’s already slated to attend a couple of their prospect camps. “I was hopeful, but wasn’t


exactly sure I’d get drafted,” he said. “I’m ecstatic.” Portland took Overhardt in


the 11th round. “I’m really looking forward


to seeing where I stand with all the Canadian players and stuff like that, what I need to work on to be able to compete with that skill level,” Overhardt said. The WHL is a leader in the


development of future NHL players, but those who compete in the Major Junior league for- feit their NCAA eligibility. Other high-level junior op-


that pick, my family advisor called me and told me Leth- bridge had traded for it and they were most likely go- ing to take me,” Goberis said, adding that it was one of the greatest things to happen so far in his young life. “Before we could update the Web site to see the pick, the assistant GM (for Lethbridge) called me to congratulate me for being drafted. “It’s really exciting.” Zinis was taken in the eighth round by the Moose


Thunderbirds 14U AAA defenseman Christos Zinis was taken in the eighth round of this month’s WHL Bantam Draft by the Moose Jaw Warriors.


tions the four Thunderbirds will consider in the coming years in- clude the United States Hock- ey League (Tier I) and North American Hockey League (Tier


II Junior A) - two top junior circuits that protect a player’s NCAA status - among others. “Each player has their own path and the course


for each will be different,” said Ricci. “As a program, we try to educate each family on the process so they can make an educated decision.” For more information on the WHL Bantam Draft, visit WHL.ca.


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