This week the Yarmouth Junior A Mariners will be joining other teams from the MHL for the league’s midget draft taking place in Amherst.
“It gives us the chance to re-stock the cupboards,” says Mariners head coach Laurie Barron. “We’ve got a really good pick, second overall.”
Although that’s not really something to brag about, he says. The team has a high pick because it finished low in the league last year.
“We never want to pick second overall again,” he says, unless the pick is the result of a trade.
Barron says a lot of homework goes into the MHL midget draft. Players are watched throughout the season, and then, he says, you have to see who is going to play in the QMJHL. That major junior draft took place this past weekend.
Interestingly, Barron’s own son Matthew, who played with the Mariners last year, was picked in the Q draft. The Mariners rookie was drafted in the 8th round by the Charlottetown Islanders. So as a coach and a father, Barron will be waiting to see where his son plays.
Being drafted in the Quebec league doesn’t prevent the Mariners from still drafting those players that the Q is eyeing, Barron notes.
“We’ll kind of see who we like and where they went into the Quebec league draft. We’ve been phoning players for the past two or three weeks trying to talk to players and see what their thoughts are if they got drafted or they didn’t get drafted,” he said.
Among the events being held in Amherst this week is a pair of Board of Governors meeting on Thursday night and Friday morning, as well as the General Manager's meeting, also to be held on Thursday night. Several proposals and changes to league protocol will be discussed and voted upon during these meetings.
On Saturday morning at the West Highland Elementary School, the league will hold its annual QMJHL Supplementary Draft. Following this, at 12:45 p.m., the MHL will hand out two of its final three awards for the 2015-16 season – the MHL Community Spirit Award and the newly renamed Roger Meek Executive of the Year Award. This will lead into the beginning of the MHL Draft at 1 p.m.. The Moe Bent Builders Award will be handed out between the 2nd and 3rd rounds of the draft. For the first time, this year's draft will reduced from 10 rounds to eight.
Key decisions made during the MHL's Annual General Meeting as well as live results from the draft will be available online at www.themhl.ca. The Draft will also be live tweeted @THEMHL.
In Yarmouth, Laurie Barron says the Mariners will be looking to bring 40 to 45 players to training camp in August – a mix of returning players, drafted players, traded players and players that catch the team’s interest between now and then.
“The draft is always exciting,” says Barron about the week ahead. “Your picks are educated guesses. I’ve always said if you get three players from the draft who play for you it was a successful draft.”
This week the Yarmouth Junior A Mariners will be joining other teams from the MHL for the league’s midget draft taking place in Amherst.
“It gives us the chance to re-stock the cupboards,” says Mariners head coach Laurie Barron. “We’ve got a really good pick, second overall.”
Although that’s not really something to brag about, he says. The team has a high pick because it finished low in the league last year.
“We never want to pick second overall again,” he says, unless the pick is the result of a trade.
Barron says a lot of homework goes into the MHL midget draft. Players are watched throughout the season, and then, he says, you have to see who is going to play in the QMJHL. That major junior draft took place this past weekend.
Interestingly, Barron’s own son Matthew, who played with the Mariners last year, was picked in the Q draft. The Mariners rookie was drafted in the 8th round by the Charlottetown Islanders. So as a coach and a father, Barron will be waiting to see where his son plays.
Being drafted in the Quebec league doesn’t prevent the Mariners from still drafting those players that the Q is eyeing, Barron notes.
“We’ll kind of see who we like and where they went into the Quebec league draft. We’ve been phoning players for the past two or three weeks trying to talk to players and see what their thoughts are if they got drafted or they didn’t get drafted,” he said.
Among the events being held in Amherst this week is a pair of Board of Governors meeting on Thursday night and Friday morning, as well as the General Manager's meeting, also to be held on Thursday night. Several proposals and changes to league protocol will be discussed and voted upon during these meetings.
On Saturday morning at the West Highland Elementary School, the league will hold its annual QMJHL Supplementary Draft. Following this, at 12:45 p.m., the MHL will hand out two of its final three awards for the 2015-16 season – the MHL Community Spirit Award and the newly renamed Roger Meek Executive of the Year Award. This will lead into the beginning of the MHL Draft at 1 p.m.. The Moe Bent Builders Award will be handed out between the 2nd and 3rd rounds of the draft. For the first time, this year's draft will reduced from 10 rounds to eight.
Key decisions made during the MHL's Annual General Meeting as well as live results from the draft will be available online at www.themhl.ca. The Draft will also be live tweeted @THEMHL.
In Yarmouth, Laurie Barron says the Mariners will be looking to bring 40 to 45 players to training camp in August – a mix of returning players, drafted players, traded players and players that catch the team’s interest between now and then.
“The draft is always exciting,” says Barron about the week ahead. “Your picks are educated guesses. I’ve always said if you get three players from the draft who play for you it was a successful draft.”
