Looking back at Jake DeBrusk, who was drafted by the Swift Current Broncos in the seventh round.
Welcome to this edition of WHL Draft Day Steals. In this recurring column, we look at some of the best steals in the history of the WHL Draft. This week's steal is Jake DeBrusk, who was drafted by the Swift Current Broncos 137th overall in 2011.
Looking to add some skill up front, Swift Current selected DeBrusk, who at the time was playing out of Edmonton for the SSAC Lions U15 AAA team. Listed at 5'5" and 120 pounds, the winger had 39 points in 33 games, which was good enough for fifth place on the team. After two seasons of development at both the U16 and U18 levels, he finally made the jump to the WHL in 2013-14, scoring his first career goal just two games into his Broncos career.
After two and a half seasons in Swift Current, which included being drafted by the Boston Bruins 14th overall in 2015, DeBrusk was traded from the Broncos to the Red Deer Rebels midway through the 2015-16 campaign for Lane Pederson, a 2017 first-round draft pick as well as a 2016 third-rounder. With Red Deer hosting the Memorial Cup that year, the move was a perfect opportunity for DeBrusk to end his WHL career with a championship. While they eventually fell in the Semi-final, DeBrusk had a good tournament, finishing with a goal and three assists in four games.
Now in his seventh NHL season, DeBrusk plays a key role in the Bruins top-six. He has already eclipsed the 400-game mark for his career and sits in the top 20 for points among players in his NHL draft class. Not a bad career, considering he had to wait 137 spots before hearing his name called at the WHL level.
