TRURO, N.S. – The Truro Bearcats have made Ben Fraser a Maritime Junior Hockey League territorial pick.
Fraser, 16, from Pleasant Valley, near Brookfield, played last season for the Weeks Major Midgets in Pictou County. He is described as an all-purpose forward, who can play centre or the wing.
“I think he’s gonna be a good, solid junior A hockey player for us,” said Bearcats coach and GM Shawn Evans. “That’s been his pattern. He’s been a leader at the major bantam level, and I know he’s scheduled to have a leadership role over in Pictou this year.”
As a rookie with Weeks last season, Fraser – five-foot-10, 160 pounds – had one goal and 11 assists in 36 regular-season games. During the 2016-17 season, he led the Truro Bearcats major bantam team in points with 24 goals and eight assists in 33 games.
“He’s got a really good shot,” Evans said. “I know that the goal total doesn’t show that (last year in midget) but it certainly showed in major bantam. Ben’s just another guy who we’d like to be a solid contributor to the Bearcats down the road.
“I know talking to him the other day, he was excited and pleased, so now we’ll just let nature take its course.”
Fraser’s selection as a territorial pick of the Bearcats came after recently being named captain of the Weeks Major Midgets for next season.
“He’s a very mature young man and he does things the right way,” said Weeks coach Kyle MacLennan. “He wants to be better, and he just treats everybody around him like he would want to be treated himself, and to me, I couldn’t think of a better person.”
All MHL teams were required to have their territorial selections submitted to the league on Monday. Teams were permitted to take as many as two local players. Because the Bearcats didn’t name a second territorial pick, they will receive an extra selection at the end of the third round of Saturday’s midget draft in Berwick.
