Caswell lone Manitoban selected at NHL draft
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It was a tough day for Manitobans looking to be drafted by NHL teams June 29.
Across seven rounds, only Brandon’s Clarke Caswell was selected. The Seattle Kraken actually traded up to take the winger in the fifth round with the 141st pick.
The Kraken traded a sixth and seventh round pick from this year’s draft to Florida for the rights to take Caswell, marking the only time a player from Manitoba was taken this year.
Those low numbers came despite four other players making it onto the 2024 NHL Central Scouting final rankings for the year.
Steinbach’s Luke Mistelbacher, who is Caswell’s teammate on the Western Hockey League’s Swift Current Broncos, was ranked 119th for North American Skaters, but didn’t hear his name called throughout the NHL draft, which was hosted in Las Vegas this year.
Mistelbacher had a breakout season for Swift Current, thriving alongside high profile players as the Broncos loaded up at the trade deadline this year. The winger had 53 points, scoring at a roughly a point-per-game pace after the team added 2022 first rounder Conor Geekie. Those numbers included a strong showing in the WHL playoffs.
Only three players from Steinbach have been selected in the NHL draft, as Ian White (2002), Paul Dyck (1991) and Ralph Krentz (1974) have all been picked through the years.
This isn’t the first time Mistelbacher will have to fight from being undrafted. He was passed over by every WHL club in their draft as a 15-year-old, only to battle his way onto the Swift Current roster as an undrafted player following a breakout season with the Eastman Selects.
Boissevain’s Josh Fluker (ranked 216th for North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting) and Winnipeg’s Gavin Hodnett (ranked 223rd) were also passed over by NHL clubs.
Goaltender Dawson Cowan, who is from Warren, was the fifth ranked North American goaltender, but also wasn’t selected at the draft. Third-ranked Lukas Matecha was also not taken in the draft. Only 10 goalies who played in North America last season were selected this year.