St. Albert Sabres U15 AAA centre and right winger Luke Ruptash was picked 16th overall by the Medicine Hat Tigers in Thursday's WHL Bantam Draft.
Ruptash, who's teammate Ossie McIntyre was picked 7th overall by the Spokane Chiefs, had 57 points in 29 regular season games in the U15 Alberta Elite Hockey League this past season, while also helping his team win a provincial championship and a bronze at the John Reid Memorial Tournament.
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Bobby Fox, the Tigers director of player personnel, told the WHL Bantam Draft show hosts that Ruptash's competitiveness was a key reason why the team drafted him.
“Physical, has a mean-streak, but he's also offensively gifted,” Fox said. “He plays really hard, he'll cut that crease, he'll go to the paint, and he has a knack around the net.”
“He fits right in with our skilled forwards, and he brings, again, an element of hardness to it that's going to compliment any one of our lines.”