By Craig Beauchemin

AAA Stars’ Reid drafted by WHL Victoria in second round

May 5, 2016 | 3:30 PM

Battlefords AAA Stars defenceman Luke Reid was drafted by the Victoria Royals in the second round of the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft Thursday morning. It was Victoria’s first pick of the draft, as they traded their first round selection to Edmonton in exchange for the 26th pick plus extras, using the early second round pick to take the young defenceman.

The pick used to select Reid would have been the 27th overall pick, but due to Portland having to forfeit their first round pick, it was the 26th pick.

“I think it’s a great organization, I’m excited to go there and no complaints from me,” Reid said, adding he has never been to Vancouver Island.

The Royals finished first overall in the WHL standings this past season, before falling in the second round to the Kelowna Rockets in overtime of game seven. Reid said he had no expectations on where in the draft he might get selected, and was hoping to be drafted by a good team.

Reid was a bit of a unique case for this year’s draft, as he was playing midget AAA this season instead of bantam, which is where most WHL-drafted prospects play.

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“I think it was a great decision because I just matured so much as a hockey player. I had a great coaching staff, my family really supported me and I made a lot of friends there.”

Instead of a second season with the Sask Valley Vipers bantam team, Reid suited up in all but one game for the Stars this season scoring six goals and adding nine assists in 43 regular season games. Reid was only one of two bantam-aged players in the Saskatchewan midget league this season, the other being Kaedan Korczak of Yorkton, who was drafted 11th overall by Kelowna.

“He stepped in at 13 years old and didn’t shy from the puck. He was calmer than some of the veterans,” Stars manager Shawn Robinson said with a laugh. “He’s earned it, he’s a real talent. I thought he might go a little sooner, but (the Royals) got a bargain.”

Robinson says Reid’s age wasn’t a factor in the decision to bring him into the program, saying they take the best players they can get.

Because the WHL drafts players at age 15, if Reid commits to the Royals he will be eligible to play up to five regular season games with them next year. Once the Stars season comes to an end, he would be able to join the Royals full time.

Reid won’t be the only WHL drafted player on the Stars next season. Goaltender Lance Alm was a fourth-round selection of the Edmonton Oil Kings in the 2015 draft, and newly-committed forward Adam Beckman was a fifth-round selection of the Spokane Chiefs this year.

The highest drafted Saskatchewan-born player in this year’s draft was Logan Barlage of Humboldt, who went fourth overall to the Swift Current Broncos.

Email: cjnbsports@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @craig_beauch