The Red Deer Rebels will pick fifth overall in the WHL Prospects Draft in the winter.
The draft, previously known as the WHL Bantam Draft, will be held on Dec. 9, 2021. It is typically held in May but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Red Deer had four balls in the four-phase draft lottery which was conducted Wednesday. Based on points percentage, the Rebels could not pick any lower than sixth.
In round two and beyond of the draft, picks will be made based on the inverse order of the 2020-21 WHL standings. The Rebels finished the 2020-21 WHL season with a 4-15-4 and were 21st out of the 22 teams.
Red Deer selected Kalan Lind sixth overall in last year’s draft and Jayden Grubbe seventh in 2018 but didn’t have a first-round pick in 2019.
The WHL U.S. Priority Draft lottery will be held Thursday, with all 22 teams having an equal chance at the top selection. That two-round draft will be held on Dec. 8, 2021.