Elliott, draft: 2025 was a very good year for Canucks — updated

We have been doing a draft day blog each summer for a few years.

The last few summers we dedicated the blog to a cherished member of the Canadian community.

We didn’t do one this year since we were under the weather... but we do have our usual draft wrap.

So, we are going to dedicate this to two great Canadians: Dr. Ron Taylor (Leaside, Ont.) and Don Seaman (Calgary, Alta.)… More on them later at the end of this piece

July 28, 2025

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

We asked a veteran scout how many players attending Canadian high schools would be drafted this year.

“Three. Period.”

He was wrong.

Not by much.

There were four:

_ RHP Will Hynes (Mississauga, Ont.), of the Ontario Blue Jays, who went in the second round to the Cleveland Guardians.

_ INF-OF Tim Piasentin (Coquitlam, BC), of the Okotoks Dawgs, selected in the fifth round by the Toronto Blue Jays, who signed for $747,500.

_ INF Tyson Moran (Wingham, Ont.), of the Great Lake Canadians, chosen in the 13th round by the Kansas City Royals.

_ And LHP Shane Brinham (North Vancouver, BC), of the North Shore Twins, chosen in the 20th round Los Angeles Dodgers.

The first three signed, while Brinham chose to attend the University of Michigan.

Yet, all in all it was a very successful draft for the draft region known as Canada with 19 Canadians selected plus, eight free agents signed, in addition to three more free agents signed earlier in the year. That’s a total of 30 Canadians who had the opportunity to sign ... with 28 of 30 signing.

That’s up from a year ago when 20 were drafted, plus two free agents.

The total for 2025 breaks down to: three high schoolers at Canadian high schools, two more at high schools south of the border and the others -- save free-agents LHP Reid Clague (Victoria, BC) and RHP Max Poirier (Nanaimo, BC) all being college players.

So, is college ball the way to go for everyone but the elite high schooler? It surely seems that way and even that is a difficult road for a freshman. As a college coach -- your job being dependent upon the wins you get each season, are you going to play a high schooler or grab a bounce-back 23-year-old who has entered the draft portal? It is a difficult road to take.

Is junior college the way to go? We have always suggested a four-year Division I school because you can only play so long ... a teenager is going to work a lot longer -- get your degree. Now we are not so sure.

The best school to attend remains one where you child is going to play.

Here is how good a draft it was for Canadians ... three first rounders ...

_ RHP Tyler Bremner of Santa Barbara, second overall to the Los Angeles Angels. His father, Steve, is from Mississauga and his late mother from Queensville, near Newmarket. The Angels gave him a $7,689,525 bonus. If we are talking life-changing money -- which agents talk about each draft -- well that’s an outstanding number. Bremner equaled RHP Jameson Taillon as the highest-selected Canuck, who went second to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2010. Bremner bested Taillon, who had received a bonus of $6.5 million.

_ OF Slater de Brun of Summit High in Bend, Oregon, whose mother Julie is Canadian. working at CBC, TSN, TVOntario, Food Network and OLN, was selected 37th overall by the Baltimore Orioles. He signed for $4 million. Slot value was $2,631,400. His mom was hired for her first job by former Blue Jays general manager Gord Ash’s wife Susan at TSN.

_ OF Charles Davalan (St-Bruno-De-Montarville, Que.), of the Arkansas Razorbacks, chosen 41st by the Los Angeles Dodgers and receiving a $2 million bonus.

Only twice before have three players with Canadian passports gone in the first round the same year:

In 1997, SS Kevin Nicholson (Surrey, BC), of Stetson University, went 27th overall to the San Diego Padres; OF Ntema Ndungidi (Montreal, Que.), of the Academy Baseball Canada, 36th to the Orioles and RHP Aaron Myette (Surrey, BC), from Central Arizona, to the Chicago White Sox.

And 10 years later ... RHP Phillippe Aumont (Gatineau, Que.), of the ABC, RHP Kyle Lotzkar (Delta, BC), of the Langley Blaze to the Cincinnati Reds 53rd overall and RHP Trystan Magnuson (Vancouver, BC), of Louisville University, went 56th to the Blue Jays.

In all, there were a record 12 Canadians selected in the first 10 rounds. Only twice before have the first 10 rounds reached double figures: in 2007 led by the three first rounders and in 2015 led by first rounders 1B Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) who went 12th overall to the Florida Marlins from the Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team and RHP Mike Soroka (Calgary, Alta.), of the PBF Redbirds and Junior National Team, selected by the Atlanta Braves, plus second rounder LHP Jeff Degano (Surrey, BC) of Indiana State, who was drafted by the Yankees.

This year’s successful dozen, besides Bremner, de Brun and Davalan ...

_ RHP Cam Leiter, of Florida State, whose mom is from Maple Ridge, BC, second round, Dodgers ... and a nephew of World Series winner Al Leiter. Despite not throwing a pitch at Florida State due to a sore shoulder, the Dodgers invested a $1.35 million bonus.

_ RHP Will Hynes (Mississauga, Ont.) Ontario Blue Jays, Junior National Team, Cleveland Guardians. Hynes signed a $950,000 signing bonus.

_ RHP Micah Bucknam (Abbotsford, BC) of Dallas Baptist, a fourth round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays signed for $678,300.

_ OF Tim Piasentin (Coquitlam, BC) of the Okotoks Dawgs, a fifth rounder, who signed with the Toronto Blue Jays for $747,500, above the slot value of $503,800.

_ 1B Riley Nelson (Toronto, Ont.) fifth round to the Guardians from the Vanderbilt Commodores, signed for $350,000.

_ INF Core Jackson (Wyoming, Ont.) a fifth rounder from the Great Lake Canadians and a senior at Utah University to the New York Yankees received a $147,500 bonus.

_ LHP Antoine Jean (Montreal, Que.) a seventh round pick of the Colorado Rockies from the University of Houston Cougars was given $200,000 as a senior sign.

_ RHP Blake Gillespie (Arva, Ont.) a ninth round pick of the Yankees from the Charlotte ‘49ers was given a bonus of $192,500.

_ And INF Ty Doucette (Dartmouth, NS) a 10th round pick by the Reds from Rutgers University handed a $157,500 bonus.

And the others signing for six figures ......

_ INF Moran (Wingham, Ont.), 13th round, drafted by the Kansas City Royals from the Great Lakes Canadians, was given a $247,500 bonus.

Former Ontario Blue Jay Sam White (Aurora, Ont.) was drafted by the Kingston Frontenacs from the York-Simcoe Express before turning full time to baseball and was an undrafted free agent signed by the Toronto Blue Jays.

_ INF-C Sam White (Aurora, Ont.) West Virginia, free agent, $158,000, Blue Jays.

_ RHP Carson Latimer (Delta, BC) 12th round, Sacramento State, $150,000, Reds.

Two former Midland Chaps: New York Yankees scout Joe Wielbrud and free agent sign Tyler Boudreau.

_ RHP Tyler Boudreau (Sylvan Lake, Alta.) Texas Tech, $150,000, Yankees.

_ RHP Brandon Langley (New Glasgow, PEI), Western Carolina, $150,000, San Diego Padres.

_ LHP Reid Clague (Victoria, BC) Langley Blaze, free agent, $150,000, Cincinnati Reds.

_ RHP Max Poirier (Nanaimo, BC) Okotoks Dawgs, free agent, $150,000, Kansas City Royals.

_ RHP Tyrelle Chadwick (Burnaby, BC) Illinois State Illini, 18th, Colorado Rockies, $125,000.

_ LHP Hayden Cuthbertson, 18th, Miami of Ohio, $100,000, Miami Marlins.

_ RHP Ryan Heppner (Delta, BC), 19th, UBC Thunderbirds, $100,000, Atlanta Braves.

Plus the three pre-draft signings:

_ RHP Ryan McDonagh (Milton, Ont.), of the Ontario Blue Jays and the Canadian Premier All-stars, $455,000 Kansas City Royals.

_ RHP Aiden Taggart, (Grimsby, Ont.), FieldHouse Pirates, $155,000, Toronto Blue Jays.

_ RHP Owen Pote (Sherwood Park, Alta), of the Sylvan Lake Gulls, $150,000, Reds.

Former Georgetown Eagles RHP Connor Hamilton, who played for the Georgetown Eagles before moving to Nashville and Brinham were the only two Canucks who did not sign.

The other free agents signing were former Langley Blaze OF Jonny McGill (Richmond, BC) from the University of British Columbia, who signed with the Angels, Langley Blaze 1B Tom Poole (Calgary, Alta.) from Dallas Baptist University, who joined the Rays and former Toronto Mets OF Caden Shapiro (Toronto, Ont.) who played for the Princeton Tigers and joined the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The wrap on the wrap …

The Toronto Blue Jays bounced back from a draft shut out last year to lead the way with the Cincinnati Reds -- each drafting four players.

Both Ontario edged British Columbia 13-12 with players selected.

And Langley Blaze had six alumni drafted, one more than the Okotoks Dawgs.

Canadians drafted or signed since Jan. 1

By major-league organizations: Blue Jays 4, Reds 4, Dodgers 3, Royals 3, Yankees 3, Angels 2, Guardians 2, Pirates 2 Rockies 2, Braves 1, Marlins 1, Orioles 1, Padres 1 and Rays 1.

By province: Ontario 13, British Columbia 12, Alberta 3, Quebec 2, Nova Scotia 2, Manitoba 1, Prince Edward Island 1 and Saskatchewan 1.

Graduates of Canuk programs: Langley Blaze 6, Okotoks Dawgs 5, Delta/North Delta Blue Jays 4, Ontario Blue Jays 3, Great Lake Canadians 2, Absolute Hunan Performance Renegades 2, Academy Baseball Canada 2, FieldHouse Pirates 2, Sylvan Lake 2, Team Ontario Astros 2, Abbotsford Angels 1, Badlands Badgers 1, Calgary Jr. Dinos 1, Coquitlam Reds 1, Dartmouth Mooseheads 1, Georgetown Eagles 1, Mid-Isle Mustangs 1, Mid-Island Pirates 1, Milton Mets 1, Ontario Nationals 1, Northshore Twins 1, Toronto Mets 1, and Vauxhall Academy Jets 1,

Dedicated to …

Dr. Taylor, 87, accomplished a lot in his life: getting signed by Cleveland, an electrical engineering degree, winning two World Series rings with the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Mets as a reliever, graduating from the University of Toronto, two more Series more as the team physician with the Toronto Blue Jays and he ran a clinic to treat sports injuries -- it didn’t matter if a player was in his draft year or if he was a peewee sandlot right-hander with a sore elbow. He saw them all. We never met a man who had more fun in his life.

Seaman, 99, passed 17 days before his 100th birthday. I first met him in 2011 when he was inducted into the Okotoks Dawgs Hall of Fame. Don was the principal donor in the construction of Seaman Stadium and the Duvernay Fieldhouse. His late brother Daryl K. (“Doc”), brother BJ and Don were principals of the Bow Valley Group of Companies and respected pioneers in the Canadian oil & gas industry. He made major contributions to the Seaman Family MRA Research Centre, the Robotic Arm Project at Foothills Hospital, Ronald McDonald House, Heritage Park, University of Saskatchewan and University of Calgary.

Don Seaman at Seaman Stadium on opening day of the Okotoks Dawgs this summer.

His most visible community contributions is Seaman Stadium -- voted best summer college ball stadium by Baseball Digest -- in Okotoks, home of the Dawgs. Seaman envisioned and helped fund the multimillion-dollar stadium, a national hub for summer collegiate baseball, a youth academy and community centerpiece, which usually draws more than 4,700 fans each night.

* * *

Previous Dedications

2024 _ Jerry O’Hearn (Oshawa, Ont.)

Jerry was the father of Keegan O’Hearn a graduate of the Oshawa Legionaires, the Terriers and the Junior National Team. Jerry made one trip to Ann Arbour to see Michigan play a doubleheader against Eastern Michigan in fall ball. On Oct 23, 2023, Jerry O’Hearn, father, friend, good guy and ball fan, passed after seeing his son play one game of college ball.

2023 _ Lynda Loewen (Sequim, Wash.)

Lynda was the wife of former first round LHP Adam Loewen (Surrey, BC) who passed at age 37 on Dec. 10, 2021. Loewen was selected fourth overall in North America in 2002 by the Baltimore Orioles and made the majors three times: A) as a starter, B) as an outfielder and C) as a lefty reliever.

2022 _ Warren Bechard (Brantford, Ont.).

Warren whose son Jesse Bechard held most Kent State Golden Flashes hitting record when he retired. Warren was a constant promoter and supporter of this website and constant sign of encouragement as we started what many called a “niche project,” which would not go anywhere. He was an enthusiast -- which Jack Giffin (Brockville, Ont.) used to say was the highest compliment you could give a non player.