(Mat Barrett/northeastNOW Staff)

By Aaron Schulze

Mustangs SJHL Draft 2020

Mustangs take Tisdale’s Zach Bansley in first round of the SJHL Bantam Draft

Jun 5, 2020 | 5:58 PM

The Melfort Mustangs only had five picks in six rounds during the 2020 Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) Bantam Draft on Friday, June 5.

In the first round, 10^th overall, the Mustangs went local, selecting Tisdale local and North East Wolfpack Bantam AA forward Zach Bansley.

According to the Rick Oakes, the Mustangs’ director of player personnel, their staff heard rumblings that Bansley could go as high as fourth or fifth overall in the draft. He was ecstatic to have him fall to number 10.

“It’s always nice to add a local kid to your prospect list,” Oakes said. “[Bansley] brings a lot of positive assets to the table, speed and goal scoring. Two key components in the key of hockey.”

Bansley finished eighth in Saskatchewan Bantam AA scoring with 86 points (39 goals and 47 assists) in 31 games. He was also selected in the eighth round (170^th overall) by the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the 2020 Western Hockey League (WHL) Draft.

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The Mustangs went local one more time in the sixth and final round of the SJHL Draft, taking defenceman Nate Misskey, a Melfort local, 70^th overall.

Misskey scored 30 points (eight goals and 22 assists) in 30 games with Pacific Coast Academy’s Bantam Prep Team on Vancouver Island. The kicker is Misskey was a higher WHL Draft pick, going 64^th overall in the third round to the Victoria Royals.

“There’s definitely some risk to it,” Oakes said. “We wanted to get him on our list and protected in the event that it doesn’t work out in the WHL. We wish him all the best moving forward with Victoria, but it is the game of hockey and you never say never or know how things are going to work out.

“We thought Nate was worth the risk. He plays the game very well, is a solid defender, shoots the puck a ton. If things don’t work out in the WHL, we’d like to be a good Plan B for him going forward.

The complete 2020 Draft Class for the Mustangs is:

• Forward Zach Bansley (Tisdale) – Round One (10^th overall) – 86 points (39 goals and 47 assists) in 31 games for North East Wolfpack Bantam AA
• Defenceman Easton Adrian (Dalmeny) – Round Two (22^nd overall) – 41 points (five goals and 36 assists) in 25 games for Martensville Marauders Bantam AA
• Forward Karson Blanchette (Unity) – Round Three (26^th overall) – 48 points (20 goals and 28 assists) in 26 games for West Central Wheat Kings Bantam AA
• Goaltender Alex Worthington (Waldheim) – Round Five (58^th overall) – 0.903 save percentage and 4.19 goals against average in 20 games for Warman Wildcats Bantam AA
• Defenceman Nate Misskey (Melfort) – Round Six (70^th overall) – 30 points (eight goals and 22 assists) in 30 games for Pacific Coast Academy Bantam Prep

Next for Oakes and the Mustangs is to continue recruiting during the offseason and hope for a date when they can send training camp letters out to their players.