The Chicago Blackhawks have selected Fort McMurray Oil Barons defenceman Taige Harding in Round Three of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. The 6’7″ blueliner from St Albert, AB was the 91st overall pick and one of three AJHL players selected in this year’s draft.
Harding recently completed his second AJHL season with the Oil Barons and is committed to Providence College of the NCAA Division I.
The last Oil Baron defenceman to be selected in the NHL Draft was Stanley Cup Champion Colton Parayko, who was a third-round draft pick of the St Louis Blues in 2012.
Cale Makar (Brooks Bandits) is the highest-ever drafted player from the Alberta Junior Hockey League, chosen fourth overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the 2017 NHL Draft. A total of 97 players have been drafted directly from the Alberta Junior Hockey League since 1980.