EVERETT — The Everett Silvertips added to their depth at forward Monday, acquiring 18-year-old Graham Millar from Saskatoon for a conditional pick in the 2015 bantam draft. The pick begins as a fifth-rounder, but can upgrade to a fourth-rounder based on Millar’s production with the Tips next season.
Millar is a 6-foot-2, 180-pounder from Penticton, B.C., who is entering his second season in the Western Hockey League. Last season as a 17-year-old rookie with the Blades he had seven goals and six assists in 61 games.
“I like his size and his skating ability,” Everett general manager Garry Davidson said. “He can play center or wing, though he played more on the wing with Saskatoon. And he’s got some offensive ability. He only scored seven goals last year, but as a youth he always put up some numbers. We’re not going to put any pressure on him in that way, but if he can contribute offensively, that will be a nice bonus.”
Millar helps restock an area that was once a strength for the Tips. Two years ago Everett was overflowing in promising 1996-born forward prospects. However, a combination of trades and attrition saw those numbers dwindle. Before acquiring Millar the Tips had just three 1996-born forwards: Ivan Nikolishin, Tyler Sandhu and Dawson Leedahl.
“When you looked at our ages, I thought it was important to add another player or two to our 96 group,” Davidson said. “We’d been talking to Saskatoon for a while and we decided to make the move.”
Check out Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at NickHPatterson.
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