Sanford player makes the cut

Tyler Oswald was first Manitoba goaltender selected in 2008 WHL Bantam Draft

Tyler Oswald is only 15 years old, but the Sanford area goaltender’s puck-stopping skills are already drawing considerable interest.

Oswald was selected by the Saskatchewan Blades in the recent 2008 WHL Bantam Draft. He was the top Manitoba goalie chosen in the draft.

The young netminder admits he was surprised when he heard the good news.

“I was standing with some friends at school by the lockers,” he said.

“One of my friends came up to me and told me I got drafted and I thought he was joking at first,” he said with a laugh.

“I was kinda mad and then I realized he was serious.

“It was really exciting.”

Oswald was the Blades sixth selection and 96th overall pick in the draft.

“I was a little surprised that I went as early as I did,” he said, adding that goaltenders usually aren’t selected in the earlier rounds of the draft.

This year’s bantam draft was used to select players born in 1993 from the four western provinces and U.S. states such as Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado,Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

There can be as many as 15 rounds in the draft, and this year more than 200 players were drafted, including 36 from Manitoba.

Oswald was one of 11 players drafted by the Blades and was chosen in the fifth round.

He said he worked hard on the ice this past season, playing for the Macdonald Lightning, to show scouts he was serious about the sport.

“We had a good team this year, and I had to work hard to get on the ice as much as possible,” Oswald said.

The Lightning enjoyed a good season, making it as far as the Final Four of the provincial championship.

Oswald said that meant there were lots of opportunities for scouts to see him play. There were several at the Final Four, which was held in Brandon in March, and Oswald was also invited to try out for the Director’s Cup, a showcase for Manitoba’s most talented players.

“It’s basically the scouts final look to confirm what they’ve seen throughout the year,” Oswald said.

The scouts have had their eyes on him for some time now.

“Tyler is a good-sized goaltender who moves the puck very well from his net,” said Saskatoon’s Manitoba scout Russ Kutzak in a statement on the team’s website.

“He is a very quick, very athletic, poised goalie who is skilled at challenging the shooter.”

Oswald has already started a workout camp with a personal trainer to continue conditioning himself for the upcoming season.

Although he was drafted this year, Oswald will not be eligible to try out for the Blades until 2009, when he is 16 years old. He plans to try out for the Pembina Valley Hawks this fall.

Oswald is the third Sanford player to be drafted by a WHL team. He attributes his success on the ice to the support he received from his coaches, especially from Brad Dusik, who he has worked with the young goalie for the past couple of years.

Oswald’s family has also been extremely supportive of his passion for hockey. Oswald’s sister, Halle, is only eight, and she’s already following in her brother’s footsteps.

“She loves it too,” said Linda Oswald, Tyler’s mom.

“We’re doing something to do with hockey almost daily.”

Her husband, Al, said it’s just a part of their winter routine.

“In mid-winter we’re involved with hockey four to five days a week,” he said.

“I guess that’s pretty normal if you have two kids in hockey.”