Ty Shumanski solidified himself as a rock for the Battlefords Barons this season, in his first full season with the Bantam AA club. (Dan Hickling/eliteprospects.com)

By Martin Martinson

A dream come true

Local boy drafted to WHL

May 7, 2019 | 12:00 PM

One can only begin to imagine the well of emotion that must have hit 15-year-old, Hafford product Ty Shumanski when he found out he was drafted by Portland of the WHL.

“It makes me feel proud and excited that they noticed all my hard work,” he said of the accomplishment. “It is an honor to be selected by an outstanding organization like Portland, and I can’t wait to go to camp and check out the arena and meet everyone.”

A goalie with the Battlefords Barons of the SBAAHL, Shumanski was drafted by the Portland Winterhawks in the seventh round, #148 overall in the recent WHL Bantam Draft.

Shumanski, who received the news while at school, said he was actually in class when he found out from a friend that he had, in fact, been selected.

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“I was in class and my phone started to go off with the news that I was drafted,” Shumanski told battlefordsNOW. “The teacher took my phone away because I was replying to my [messages], so for the rest of the class you could hear my phone consistently dinging in the teacher’s desk.”

The younger brother of Battlefords North Stars’ defenceman, Austin Shumanski, he is coming off a 2018-19 season that saw the goaltender post a sparkling 2.93 goals-against average and .913 save percentage in his first season of Bantam AA play.

Shumanski’s season was highlighted this year by a performance at the annual Graham Tuer Bantam Challenge in Regina in November that saw the young netminder stop 77 of the 82 total shots he faced in the tournament. He earned himself Top Goaltender recognition, as well as being named to the post-tournament all-star team.

Shumanski’s sparkling .939 save percentage and 1.67 goals-against average in his three appearances at the tournament were tops amongst goalies from the province.

If you ask Shumanski, he’ll tell you there was never any doubt he would end up between the pipes.

“I’ve always wanted to be a goalie,” he said.

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1