Ethan Mittelsteadt is an anomaly among the 11 Island players selected this week in the 2020 Western Hockey League bantam draft.
In an era when most elite bantams play in hockey academies — all but one of the Victoria Royals’ eight 2020 draft picks is playing at an academy — the Victoria Minor Hockey Association Tier 1 Admirals defenceman is one of the few players taken from a community minor hockey league.
“We’re really excited about that,” said Nicki Reich, vice-president of the Victoria Minor Hockey Association.
“Academy programs have their place and develop elite talent. But it’s great to see scouts still looking at community programs. We’ve worked hard to create a quality program.”
Mittelsteadt was heavily recruited by academies but decided to stay with his local association.
“It really upped my confidence and I believe it helped showcase me more for the scouts,” he said.
And at a time when most elite bantam players are solely focused on hockey, Mittelsteadt is an all-rounder also excelling with the U-15 city-champion Victoria Weapons basketball team, Victoria Mariners baseball team and Royal Oak Middle School volleyball squad.
“I love all the sports I play, especially the fast pace of basketball and strategy of baseball,” he said.
“I want to play all the sports for as long as I can. But eventually it’s going to have to get to the point where you have to pick just one.”
It’s becoming clear what that one will be.
Few other WHL draftees can claim to have been selected by a team a family member also played for. Mittelsteadt was chosen 95th overall by the Seattle Thunderbirds in the fifth round. Uncle Joey Mittelsteadt knew the old Memorial Arena on Blanshard Street well as a visiting player and was a Thunderbirds rookie in 1986-87 and became a five-season WHLer who also played for the Portland Winterhawks and Kamloops Blazers before a nine-season minor pro and overseas career took him through the AHL, ECHL and British League.
“It’s cool to have a family connection to the WHL,” said the younger Mittelsteadt.
The five-foot-nine blueliner is an outlier in so many ways, including that he was one of the youngest players taken in the 2020 WHL bantam draft. Mittelsteadt, who doesn’t turn 15 until Dec. 18, was the fifth overall Islander selected.
The highest Island player of the 11 selected was forward Ty Halaburda of Langford, who went 32nd overall to the Vancouver Giants. Forward Matthew Wood of Nanaimo, the second Islander taken, went 41st overall in the second round to the Regina Pats. Defenceman Nate Misskey from the Pacific Coast Hockey Academy of Langford went 64th overall in the third round to the hometown Victoria Royals. Defenceman Dayton Arneson of Victoria via Campbell River went 78th overall in the fourth round to the Calgary Hitmen.
The other Island players taken were blueliner Dylan Compton of Victoria 102nd overall in the fifth round to the Prince George Cougars, goaltender Joey Rocha of Nanaimo 109th overall to the Swift Current Broncos, goalie Liam Hallett of Victoria 114th in the sixth round to Prince George, forward Owen Beckner of Victoria 137th in the seventh round to Regina, defenceman Caden Tremblay of Port Alberni 163rd in the eighth round to the Medicine Hat Tigers and forward Randy McLaughlin of Nanaimo 164th to the Giants.
“I have played against all the Island players selected and we all know each other because we came up together,” said Mittelsteadt.
With arenas closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all 11 Island draftees are finding ways to stay fit off ice for WHL rookie camps that may or may not take place beginning in late August.
“I’m shooting at the net in our driveway and have weights in the garage,” said Mittelsteadt.
He has plenty of company doing that in this unusual time.
