A Westlock minor hockey product is inching his way closer to a pro career after he was drafted 205th overall last week in the Western Hockey League bantam draft.
The Tri-City Americans chose Shawn St. Arnaud in the 10th round of the draft which was held May 2 in Red Deer.
“It’s awesome. They’re a great team and I feel that I can definitely help them out in the next couple of years,” said the 15 year old on the phone from Philadelphia, Pa., where he was preparing for the World Selects Invitational.
The annual tournament showcases some of the best under 15-year-old hockey players in the world, with more than 40 teams, including St. Arnaud’s Pacific Selects, gathering to decide a world champion.
“It’s 2,000 players from around the world. It’s only by invitation and we’re hoping to win the tournament,” he said. “It’s awesome, I get to play against people from Russia and all around the world and it’s going to be the highest level of hockey I’ve ever played.”
St. Arnaud played minor hockey in Westlock from novice until he was a first-year pee wee before enrolling in the Okanagan Hockey Academy for bantam prep. His father Shawn coached the pee wee 1 Warriors team that went to provincials this year and his brother Cole played on the team.
St. Arnaud will attend the Americans’ training camp in August in the hopes of making an impression on the team before he turns 16 so he can potentially play in the league in the 2020-21 season.
Between the news from the draft and his invitation to the world championship, the past week has been a whirlwind, but St. Arnaud doesn’t forget where he comes from.
“Everyone is congratulating me, they’re all pretty exciting. They all think it’s pretty awesome that a guy from Westlock got drafted again this year,” said St. Arnaud.
“I definitely want to thank my coach from Westlock, Nelson Jespersen, he was a good coach, and my Sturgeon ‘AA’ coach and my OHA bantam prep coach. They pushed me as hard as they could and made me a better hockey player, teaching me the little things that make you a better hockey player and shape how you see the game and how it’s played.”
