The Tampa Bay Lightning selected forward Brett Howden in the first round, 27th overall, at the 2016 NHL Draft at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York this evening.
Howden, 18, skated in 68 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League during the 2015-16 regular season, recording 24 goals and 64 points to go along with 61 penalty minutes. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound forward ranked fourth on the Warriors for both goals and points last season. He also appeared in 10 postseason games in 2016, recording four goals and 15 points. Howden recorded four consecutive multi-point contests in Moose Jaw’s first round series against Prince Albert.
The Calgary, Alberta, native has appeared in 141 career WHL games, all with Moose Jaw over three seasons, posting 47 goals and 111 points. During his rookie season in 2014-15, Howden finished fifth among WHL rookies for points with 46. He was named the Warrior’s Rookie of the Year and Most Sportsmanlike Player during his first campaign in the WHL.
Howden captained Canada to a gold medal at the 2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial and captained Team Canada in back-to-back entries at the Under-18 World Championship, earning a bronze medal in 2015.