Game On Magazine - April 2017 Game on Preview Edition | Page 107

Reese Belton
Christmas – it kind of took us
a while to recover. But after
Christmas we just slowly kept
getting better; we only had
one loss after the break, and
the boys just built momentum
guiding us into the playoffs.”
Leading the way were
forwards, Braden Fischer,
Reese Belton, Luc Benedictson
and defenceman Evan Toth –
the four Monarchs drafted to
the Western Hockey League
at this year’s bantam draft.
Fischer (Brandon) put up 57
points in 30 regular season
games, Belton (Kamloops)
scored 30 goals in 31 games –
including six on the power play,
Benedictson (Calgary) put up
49 points in in 33 games, while
Toth (Calgary) registered 24
points and 36 penalty minutes
in the regular season.
The four teenagers also
represented the Monarchs at
the AAA All-Star Game this
past season and are currently
listed as players on the Hockey
Manitoba U-16 POE summer
development camp roster.
In addition to those
accolades, four members
of the Bantam I Winnipeg
Monarchs picked up
individual awards at the
2017 AAA Awards Banquet.
Hayden Forrest – who had
already made the first all-star
team in Westerns – won
Top Defenceman, while
Fraser Senebald – who put
together an incredible seven
shutouts in 18 regular season
victories – was recognized as
the league’s Top Goaltender.
Benedictson was awarded as
League MVP, while Fehr won
AAA Coach of the Year.
Many Monarchs also
heard their names called
at the Manitoba Junior
Hockey League draft. A
total of 10 players from the
Bantam I Monarchs were
drafted, including: Stephan
Grahn (Neepawa), Reese
Belton (Portage), Adam
Krestanowich (Selkirk),
Hayden Forrest (Winkler),
Evan Toth (Winnipeg), Riley
Zimmerman (Virden), Anton
Uruski (Winkler), Lucas Fry
(Steinbach), Tyler Thoendel
(Virden) and Aedan Loschiavo
(Steinbach). Braden Fischer
and Luc Benedictson were
also auto-protected by the
Winnipeg Blues.
Although closing the book
on a very successful two-
year run with this group of
talented, young men, coach
Fehr can’t wait to get started
again with a fresh crop of
players for the upcoming
2017-18 season. With a
proven track record and the
attitude of a winner, it is
bound to be another season
to remember for Fehr and
his boys, no matter what the
scoreboard says. ❍
“We started the
regular season
really well,
going 11-0 off
the bat”
Braden Fischer
Evan Toth
SEPTEMBER 2017 | GAME ON | 1 0 7