Local Bantam hockey player Brent Benson is eagerly awaiting the Western Hockey League's (WHL) 2008 Bantam Draft, which will take place on Thursday, May 1.

"It is exciting and I'm anxious to see what happens on May 1. It should be good to see where I stand with everyone else," said Benson, the son of Murray and Marcie.

In order to be eligible for the 2008 Bantam Draft, players must be born in 1993 and must reside in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Yukon, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington or Wyoming.

Benson said that he has been contacted by about all 22 teams in the WHL, with some teams showing more interest than others. Two teams that Benson said has shown the most interest were the Red Deer Rebels and the Saskatoon Blades.

"They have come to every one of my games and we have had a couple of sit-down meetings," Benson said.

Red Deer holds the first overall pick in the first round and the second pick in the second and subsequent rounds. Saskatoon has the third overall pick, acquired from the Prince George Cougars, and the sixth overall pick in the first round as well as the eighth pick in the second and subsequent rounds.

Benson is currently attending the Notre Dame Hounds camp this weekend and will be attending Notre Dame next year. From Thursday, May 1, to Sunday, May 4, he will be at the Future Prospects Tournament in Toronto.

Benson will then join the East Coast Selects team this summer run by Travis Howe, grandson of NHL legend Gordie Howe and son of former NHLer Mark Howe. The Selects feature players from across North America.

This past season, Benson played 26 games with the Weyburn Crescent Point Bantam AA Wings, scoring 37 goals and 37 assists and tallied 39 penalty minutes. He played four games as an affiliated player with the Moose Jaw Midget AAA Warriors and picked up four assists. He also played two games in the Macs Midget Tournament and scored one goal and one assist.