Humboldt Minor Hockey is basking in the glory of having five players selected in the WHL and SJHL Bantam Drafts this year.

In May, Logan Barlage, Cael Zimmerman and Blake Allan were scooped up in the WHL Draft. More recently, on June 2, Lucas Ochitwa and Max Gudnason were added to the list of players selected by junior franchises.

Their head coach this past season, Mike Barlage, says they are quite pleased to see so many get selected.

"Me and the other coaches are really proud of the players. They're really good guys and they work hard off the ice. It was good to see them get some recognition for the seasons they had."

Ochitwa was a selection of the Melfort Mustangs, who took the Wadena born defenseman with the 11th overall pick. Gudnason went to the Melville Millionaires in the fifth round, 49th overall.

Zimmerman and Allan had their rights picked in the SJHL as well. Zimmerman was taken by the Humboldt Broncos at the 50th spot, while Allan went to the Battlefords North Stars at 60th overall.

Barlage was ineligible for the draft, as his rights are already protected by the Broncos due to being from Humboldt.

Expected to have a strong season, the Bantam AA's came through, finishing first in their division before falling in the playoffs. Barlage says that a lot of that success was due to everyone buying in to a team atmosphere.

"As the guys get older, they realize that what scouts are looking for is good team players and making the players around them better," he noted. "Just being good players in general helps out a lot, and helped our team have success and that sort of helps them out individually."

Barlage, who also sits on the minor hockey board, says that the programs in Humboldt are really thriving on the ice.

"We're really happy with the seasons our teams have had the last four or five years," he explained. "Part of the reason for so much success is the effort everyone puts in. We have a good focus on skill development and making players better."

This was the second year the Bantam Draft has been held in the SJHL.


You can hear more from Barlage below.