Photo by James Dewar
According to director of player personnel Dan Bonar, the Calgary Hitmen first round pick at the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft brings speed, grit and hard work to the fold.
The Hitmen selected 15-year-old centre Tristen Nielsen 20th overall in the first round of the draft on Thursday at the Deerfoot Inn in Calgary, a forward Bonar said is defined by his work ethic, coupled with a strong offensive upside.
“The offence is nice because it’s a by-product of how he works on the ice,” Bonar said of Nielsen. “You can’t replace hard work. If you’re a leader in that category, good things happen.”
Standing at 5’9”, 168-pounds, the Fort St. John, B.C., Nielsen moved to Calgary with his family two years ago.
Keeping tabs on the draft online at his home, Nielsen was ecstatic to be plucked by the Hitmen.
“We were nervous and we were all just watching,” Nielsen said. “When they said my name we all of went crazy.”
Nielsen’s enthusiasm for throwing on a Hitmen sweater confirmed Bonar’s feeling that his first round selection was eager to play for his adoptive hometown team.
“From what we hear he wants to be a Hitmen,” Bonar added. “He’ll be proud to wear the jersey and be a real leader.”
Nielsen joins the Hitmen prospect pool from the Canadian Sport School Hockey League’s Edge School, a Calgary-based prep academy, which according to their website, provides “a unique learning community, a place for children in Grades 5-12 to pursue academic excellence while striving to reach their full athletic potential.”
As captain of Edge School’s Bantam Prep Division squad, Nielsen tallied 59 goals and 38 assists in 52 games in the CSSHL this past season.
Nielsen joins a growing list of Hitmen from Edge School including current defenceman Jake Bean and goaltending prospect Kyle Dumba, who serve as shining examples of the calibre of player institutions like Edge School are churning out.
“You’re seeing guys that are serious about hockey and want to play,” Bonar said of prep school products like Nielsen. “They get on the ice every day, they travel, and their schedules are almost like a junior hockey team at the age of 14. They are getting ready to be hockey players.”
A testament to his gritty physical play,  Nielsen added to his offensive prowess 133 penalty minutes while posting a rating of plus-31.
“I’m a physical player that’s got good scoring touch,” Nielsen said of what he’s looking to bring to the Hitmen lineup. “I’m also a playmaker and I have lots of speed.”
According to Bonar, Nielsen, who plans to stay with Edge School as he graduates to the Midget, should crack the Hitmen lineup in “a couple of years.”
“Tristen is a dynamic offensive player and tremendous skater who also plays with a physical edge,” added Bonar.  “He’s got some offence to his game, some speed, grit and plays in all three zones. We like the four or five things that he brings for sure.”
Of the 12 players selected on Thursday, the Hitmen drafted one Calgary minor hockey product in defenceman Andrew Viggars who recorded one goal and 15 assists for 16 points in 32 games with the Calgary AAA Bantam Bisons this past season.
In total, the Hitmen selected two Alberta products, three from each of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia and one American.
“We are very excited about our 2015 draft class,” added Bonar.  “We selected some size and skill on defence, a lot of scoring and character in our forward group and for the first time in franchise history, we picked two goalies who we believe have tremendous upside.”
Calgary Hitmen 2015 WHL Bantam Draft Selections (2014-2015 statistics)
F Tristen Nielsen (Fort St. John, B.C.) — Round one, 20th overall
5’9″, 167-pounds
DB (Dan Bonar): “He’s got some offence to his game, speed to his game, grit and plays in all three zones. We like the four or five things that he brings for sure.”
POSITION
TEAM
LEAGUE
GP
G
A
PTS
PIM
Forward
Edge School Bantam Prep
CSSHL
18
18
7
25
49
F Noah Geekie (Strathclair, Man.) — Round two, 42nd overall
6’0″, 148-pounds
DB: “He’s a good skater, a big guy. He’s going to get bigger yet it looks like and he can score goals.”
POSITION
TEAM
LEAGUE
GP
G
A
PTS
PIM
Forward
Yellowhead Chiefs
B1AAA
31
18
24
42
20
F Zach Huber (Millarville, Alta.) — Round four, 74th overall
5’9″, 158-pounds
DB: “He was captain of the Alberta Bantam Championship team. He scored a pile of goals this year. He competes hard. Similar to our first pick (Nielsen), it’s nice to get a couple captains, leaders and guys that can fill the net.”
POSITION
TEAM
LEAGUE
GP
G
A
PTS
PIM
Forward
Rocky Mountain Raiders
BAAA
33
44
26
70
66
G Jake Davidson (Osler, SK) — Round four, 77th overall
5’10”, 165-pounds
DB: “He’s the best goalie that was available in Saskatchewan and that’s encouraging. There’s no availability from Europe (goalies) anymore and that’s definitely something you have to build through the draft and keep your eyes open for.”
POSITION
TEAM
LEAGUE
GP
GA
W
L
T
Goaltender
Sask Valley Vipers
BAA
17
37
10
4
2
D Layne Toder (Elkhorn, Man.) — Round four, 85th overall
5’10”, 155-pounds
DB: “He’s a defenceman out of Travis and Taylor Sanheim’s (current Hitmen) hometown. They speak very highly of him and the family.”
POSITION
TEAM
LEAGUE
GP
G
A
PTS
PIM
Defence
Yellowhead Chiefs
B1AAA
31
6
15
21
42
D Brevin Gervais (Prince George, B.C.) — Round four, 86th overall
6’0″, 165-pounds
DB: “From Northern B.C., Matt Thomas our scout up there knows the family well, there’s a track record there. He speaks highly of the kid who was the captain of his team in Prince George.”
POSITION
TEAM
LEAGUE
GP
G
A
PTS
PIM
Defence
Prince George Cougars
BT1
42
7
18
25
74
D Andrea Esposito (Winnipeg, Man.) — Round five, 108th overall
6’3″, 174-pounds
DB: “Big kid. Great defenceman. I talked to his summer coach who really liked him and recommended him to me. He’s a big guy who could be a good shutdown defenceman for us.”
POSITION
TEAM
LEAGUE
GP
G
A
PTS
PIM
Defence
Winnipeg Monarchs
B1AAA
29
5
19
24
16
F Justyn Gurney (Delta, B.C.) — Round six, 117th overall
5’11”, 170-pounds
DB: “He’s a guy that is thin right now and is still growing. He’s got some speed and skill to his game and when he gets bigger he’ll get more strength and add some physicality to him.”
POSITION
TEAM
LEAGUE
GP
G
A
PTS
PIM
Forward
BWC Bruins
BANTA1
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
G Cody Leveque (Carnduff, SK) — Round six, 130th overall
6’2″, 165-pounds
DB: “He’s got a ways to go, but he certainly has potential and is really, really good.”
POSITION
TEAM
LEAGUE
GP
GA
W
L
T
Goaltender
Estevan Bruins
BAA
19
53
12
6
0
F Noah Prokop (Littleton, Colorado) — Round seven, 152nd overall
5’11”, 160-pounds
DB: “Last year he was touted as one of the best players in Colorado. They have alot of good Bantams in Colorado and he is certainly a top forward.”
POSITION
TEAM
LEAGUE
GP
G
A
PTS
PIM
Forward
Colorado Thunderbirds
MJB
15
4
14
18
38
D Andrew Viggars (Calgary, Alta.) — Round eight, 174th overall
6’0″, 166-pounds
DB: “Big Calgary kid. I watched him all year and I spoke to his manager at the Alberta Cup and he spoke very highly of him.”
POSITION
TEAM
LEAGUE
GP
G
A
PTS
PIM
Defence
Calgary Bisons
BAAA
32
1
15
16
26
F Hunter Lamb (Swift Current, SK) — Round nine, 196th overall
5’8″, 135-pounds
DB: “He played with a lot of the top picks in the draft today and held his own. He’ll have a very good Midget career. He has the potential to play for the Calgary Hitmen.”
POSITION
TEAM
LEAGUE
GP
G
A
PTS
PIM
Forward
Swift Curent Raiders
BAA
31
15
18
33
34