Huskies Carson Bantle selected by Arizona Coyotes in NHL Draft
Courtesy: Michigan Tech Athletics
HOUGHTON, Mich. (Michigan Tech/WBUP) – Michigan Tech freshman Carson Bantle was drafted by the Arizona Coyotes with the 142nd pick in the fifth round of the 2020 NHL Draft on Wednesday (Oct. 7). Bantle is the 82nd Husky drafted into the NHL.
“The entire Michigan Tech hockey family congratulates Carson and his family on being taken today by Arizona in the fifth round of this year’s NHL Draft,” Tech coach Joe Shawhan said. “The Coyotes are getting a driven athlete with natural leadership qualities to complement a high-level work ethic, skill, drive, and passion for the game.”
Bantle, a native of Onalaska, Wisconsin, tallied 49 points in 49 games with the Madison Capitols in the USHL last season, scoring 20 goals and adding 29 assists to rank 12th in the league. He was an alternate captain in his second season in Madison and was promoted to captain midway through the campaign. He appeared in 62 games in 2018-19 and had 10 goals and 10 assists. Prior to playing in the USHL, Bantle played at Shattuck St. Mary’s. He played 52 games with the U16 team in 2017-18 and 56 games for the Bantam T1 in 2016-17. Bantle played in the 2020 BioSteel All-American Game which showcases the top talent for the upcoming NHL Draft. He also played for Team USA at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the 2018 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament. Bantle attended USA Hockey’s Boys Select 15, Select 16, and Select 17 Camps.
Bantle’s fifth-round pick is the highest for a Husky since Jujhar Khaira’s third-round selection in 2012. Khaira has played 218 career NHL games for the Edmonton Oilers. Matt Roy was the last Husky selected in the NHL Draft in 2015. Roy was a seventh-round selection and has appeared in 95 career games for the LA Kings.
Bantle is the 1,114th player from a WCHA school to be chosen since the Draft’s inception in 1963 and the first WCHA player selected since Bowling Green’s Brandon Kruse (5th round/135th) and Minnesota State’s Nathan Smith (3rd round/91st) were chosen by Vegas and Winnipeg, respectively, in 2018.