Carter Anderson of Thompson was selected 51st overall by the Red Deer Rebels in the Western Hockey League bantam draft May 3.
Anderson, a 5’7”, 159-pound centre, was taken with the seventh pick in the third round, the Rebels’ third pick of the draft.
“He’s from Northern Manitoba and plays a real gritty game and can score goals,” said Rebels assistant general manager Shaun Sutter on the team website. “He going back to the Rink Academy (in Winnipeg) next season, which we like. They did a real good job with him on the strength and development sides and we were thinking about that.”
Anderson played this season with the bantam Rink Hockey Academy Nationals in Winnipeg, which competes in the Canadian Sports School Hockey League (CSSHL). Eighty-five CSSHL players were drafted on Wednesday, including nine from Rink Hockey Academy, with Anderson being the first of the Nationals to go, one spot ahead of teammate Jesiah Bennett of Winnipeg.
Anderson scored 17 goals and added 11 assists in 29 games with the Nationals this season while also racking up 62 penalty minutes. He then added two goals in three playoff games.
In 2017-18, he scored 12 goals and 16 assists in 28 games, along with 24 minutes in penalties, as a member of the Thompson-based bantam AAA Norman Wolves.
