Brock Cripps is the latest blue chip prospect for the Prince Albert Raiders. (Bold Photos)

By Nolan Kowal

Draft class

Raiders continue to add to deep prospect pool with 2024 draft class

May 11, 2024 | 8:00 AM

The future continues to be bright for the Prince Albert Raiders after the team made 11 selections during the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft on Thursday.

Raiders Director of Player Personnel Bruno Zarrillo said this year’s draft class will complement the team’s other young prospects.

“It’s always exciting when you get the opportunity to select where we got to select from past trades that are continuing to pay dividends and Curtis [Hunt] setting the table for us,” Zarillo said. “There were a lot of good players [in the draft]. Especially defencemen…there were a lot of defencemen.”

One of those defencemen is Brock Cripps, who the Raiders selected second overall.

“Just his on-ice presence…like he just never, never panics,” Zarrillo said. “You can sit and watch his decision making, and he just rarely makes a bad decision with the puck. His plays usually create something bigger and better, and rarely do they end up in a negative situation.”

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Cripps is another right-handed shooting defenceman, just like Daxon Rudolph, who the Raiders drafted first overall one year ago.

“I think we’re going to be able to play a style of hockey that’s exciting to watch and that is very modern day where the defence are active and can really create offence,” he said. “It’s going to be very fun to watch for me and for the people of Prince Albert for sure.”

“When you watch the final four teams in the playoffs right now, it’s the skill level,” Zarrillo added. “And that’s what we’re after, to build a team with skill and that can make quality plays, and I think we have it in the guys that we selected.”

The Green and Gold also traded up to pick forward Ben Harvey fourth overall.

“Number one he’s a leader, he’s a quality person. He’s a solid centreman that can play in any situation and he’ll be able to play against all the top players around the league because he’s physically strong enough and responsible enough to succeed at that challenge,” Zarrillo said.

The Raiders also drafted two local kids: Connor Howe, the younger brother of Tanner Howe, and Declan Borthwick.

“I always think local is important, but you can’t take local if it doesn’t have the talent that goes with it, and I think both these kids show a promising future…they’re both climbing in the game,” Zarrillo said.

Zarrillo said the biggest thing when trying to develop young talent is patience.

“It’s exciting and it takes time…that’s the biggest thing is we have to be patient, we have to be forgiving of mistakes and allowing kids to grow,” he said. “And I think this draft really complements the last one with the kind of players we took.”

“The hardest thing for me is the patience, and I think this coming season we’re going to start to see some light I think of some of these young kids and what they can bring.”

The Raiders also selected two players in the 2024 WHL U.S. Priority Draft on Wednesday, as the club grabbed forward Gavin Burcar and defenceman Diego Gutierrez.

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nolan.kowal@pattisonmedia.com