Sundre native Dominic Schmiemann cast too large of a shadow for the Swift Current Broncos to ignore.
And, of course, the Broncos couldn’t ignore the skills and overall game the six-foot-three, 170-pound defenceman brings to the table.
Schmiemann was the first Central Alberta product selected in Thursday’s WHL bantam draft, 12th overall. The six-foot-three, 170-pound Notre Dame rearguard scored three goals and added 12 assists in 30 games last winter, and also recorded 76 minutes in penalties.
Red Deer netminder Dawson Weatherill was selected by the Red Deer Rebels in the second round and major bantam Rebels White teammate Jeremy Klessens went to the Brandon Wheat Kings in the fourth round, 76th overall.
Klessens, from Red Deer County, is a five-foot-10, 180-pound centre who scored 27 goals and collected 45 points in 31 games with the Rebels White.
Meanwhile, the Kootenay Ice nabbed Brent Trentham of Three Hills in the eighth round, 165th overall. The five-foot-11, 165-pound winger produced 52 points (21-31) in 31 games with the Airdrie Xtreme.
Two Red Deer Rebels White defencemen were taken in the 10th round, with six-foot, 150-pound Tyrell McCubbing going 200th overall to the Kamloops Blazers and six-one, 156-pound Adam Sandstrom selected 211th overall by the Regina Pats.
McCubbing had 20 points (7-13) in 33 games and Sandstrom produced 18 points (4-14) in 33 outings.
l Jonathan Smart, a defenceman from the Okanagan Hockey Academy, was taken by the Kelowna Rockets with the final pick — 22nd overall — of the first round. Smart is the son of Red Deer minor hockey graduate Jason Smart and the grandson of Red Deer resident and Vancouver Giants scout Russ Smart.
Meanwhile, forward Riley Sutter of Calgary, the nephew of Rebels GM/head coach Brent Sutter — and the son of Ron Sutter — was picked by the Everett Silvertips in the sixth round, and defenceman Jake Hobson of Prince Albert — the son of former Rebels head coach Doug Hobson — was selected by the Portland Winterhawks in round three, 65th overall.
l As expected, Winnipeg forward Stelio Mattheos went first overall to the Brandon Wheat Kings (from the Saskatoon Blades via a trade) and the Lethbridge Hurricanes took Vancouver forward Jordan Bellerive second overall.
The other first-round picks:
(3) Kamloops: Nolan Kneen, defence, North Vancouver; (4) Moose Jaw: Josh Brook, defence, Notre Dame; (5) Prince George: Justin Almeida, centre, North Vancouver; (6) Red Deer: Jake Leschyshyn, centre, Saskatoon; (7) Tri-City: Michael Rasmussen, centre, Surrey, B.C.; (8) Vancouver: Dawson Holt, centre, Saskatoon; (9) Prince Albert: Ian Scott, goaltender, Calgary; (10) Vancouver (via Brandon): Brendan Semchuk, centre, Kamloops; (11) Kootenay: Griffin Mendal, defence, Kelowna, B.C.; (12) Swift Current: Dominic Schmiemann, defence, Sundre; (13) Regina: Jordan Hollett, goaltender, Langley, B.C.; (14) Spokane: Jared Anderson-Dolan, centre, Calgary; (15) Everett: Jantzen Leslie, defence, Lloydminster; (16) Seattle: Jarret Tyszka, defence, Langley, B.C.; (17) Medicine Hat: James Hamblin, centre, Edmonton; (18) Victoria: Scott Walford, defence, Coquitlam, B.C.; (19) Portland (from Calgary): Cody Glass, centre, Winnipeg; (20) Edmonton: Kobe Mohr, left wing, Lloydminster; (21) Portland: Pass; (22) Kelowna: Jonathan Smart, defence, Kelowna.