Raiders GM Curtis Hunt shakes hands with their first selection in the recent prospects draft, Cole Peardon. (Submitted Photo/Prince Albert Raiders)

By Rob Mahon

First Rounder Signs

Raiders sign first round pick Peardon

Dec 13, 2021 | 3:31 PM

It didn’t take long for the Prince Albert Raiders to officially bring their first selection in last week’s prospects draft into the fold. After selecting him 13^th overall, the Raiders have signed forward Cole Peardon to a standard WHL player agreement.

Peardon, a 2006-born forward with the Saskatoon Blazers in the U18 AAA ranks, was the team’s first of back-to-back selections. He’s posted 19 points in 21 games so far this season.

“We’re very excited. He’s a big, strong power forward and plays a 200-foot game,” said Raiders director of Player Personnel Bruno Zarrillo during the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft. “He fits right in [with] the kind of team we want to build here, and make a regroup for the future and try to win more championships.”

For the Raiders, building a team of good players and good people has always been the primary objective. It didn’t take long before GM Curtis Hunt, after meeting Peardon and his family, knew the young man would fit right in.”

“We met the family yesterday and we’d talked on the phone previously,” said Hunt. “I went and saw him play yesterday; he scored two and took a couple of penalties for playing heavy and physical. We certainly don’t mind that in Raider country. A great kid, a great family, great small-town values, something we really cherish here in Prince Albert.”

Politics

Liberal leadership race crystallizes as candidates make opening pitches

5h ago

Middle east conflict

Ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to begin Sunday

8h ago

BODY-WORN CAMERAS

RCMP body cameras aim to build trust, but expert says can be "problematic"

Jan 17, 2025

Because this year’s prospect draft involved selecting players already part way through their first year of U18 or U16 hockey, players are technically eligible to join the team as call-ups, something one player from the draft class has already done (10^th overall pick Miguel Marques in Lethbridge). Hunt said that’s not the plan for Peardon at the moment, though he did get a chance to practice with the Raiders.

“We have extra bodies here, we have guys who are here every day that work hard every day,” Hunt said. “I just don’t think it’s fair to bring in a younger player. If we were in a situation with injuries or we were short, certainly, he would be considered as one of our APs and we’d have a look at that at that point in time.”

Peardon will keep on playing with his Blazers squad for now, though he will come up to practice with the Raiders from time to time, something the team also did with former Blazer Nolan Allan. He’ll get a chance to get used to the Raiders and vice-versa, as they have high hopes for his future.

“One simple word: complete,” said Hunt. “He’s a big centreman, he can get up and down the ice very well, he can play in his own zone very well. He kills penalties at 15 in a real tough (U18) league. He’ll play on the power play, take your key faceoff. I think he’s a really complete player.”

Hunt added the draft happening later this year, with players spreading out to different leagues and sometimes playing on more than one team, did provide an extra challenge for scouts. It also means that Peardon and his fellow draftees are eligible to get into the WHL next season.

—-

rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP