It was a quick inaugural WHL U.S. Prospects Draft Wednesday afternoon, as the Swift Current Broncos used their ninth-overall and 36th-overall selections to grab defenseman and goaltender prospects in less than an hour.

For a small market like Swift Current, taking a swing at Americans in the WHL Bantam Draft hasn't even looked to be much of a consideration in the past - the last U.S. prospect taken by the Broncos was forward Chris Koukis (Redwood City, CA), who was selected in the seventh round of the 2011 draft.

"I think it's a positive step for the league in doing this - I think it gives us more exposure down south and it certainly opens up the prospect pool," said Broncos' Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations, Dean Brockman.

In saying that, one specific need started - and stayed - at the top of the Broncos' checklist when determining who best to draft.

"First and foremost, we thought it was important to get players that were willing to take that chance to come to Swift Current to play. That was kind of the first criteria that we had set forth."

Due diligence was certainly able to be done by Brockman on the team's first-round pick - defenseman Austin Moline.

"I was fortunate enough to watch him at the John Reid (tourney) and also at the Challenge Cup in Seattle - a couple different viewings of him," Brockman said.

Moline, listed at 6-foot-1-1/4 and 145 pounds, played for the Los Angeles Jr. Kings 14U in his draft-eligible year.

"He's a big fella who's growing - he's almost 6-foot-3 now. He's a guy that keeps his game fairly simple and smart. The attraction for that is he's got a lot of growth potential. He's still filling out of course as he's a young man. It's pretty exciting to have him in the fold for sure," Brockman said.

Moline had 18 goals and 32 points in 55 regular-season games with the Jr. Kings, adding three goals and an assist in five games at the John Reid Memorial Tournament, hosted in St. Albert, Alta.

"The hardest thing to get is defensemen when you're trying to trade or so on and so forth. So, we thought it was crucial to try and fill our back end. We certainly hope that we filled the void there for sure."

Next, the Broncos pivoted from the back end to a backstop, selecting goalie Owen Crudale in Round 2.

"He's grown again - I think his growth potential is great, comes from an athletic family as well. For us, we got to view him in the Challenge Cup. He played against some of the elite players that are going to be in this draft this year, and played very well. That was encouraging when we saw him," said Brockman.

Crudale hails from San Diego, CA, playing for his hometown 14U Saints.

He made four appearances in the crease at the U.S. Challenge Cup earlier this year. The 5-foot-9, 150-pound netminder posted a 3.79 goals-against-average, one shutout, and an even 2-2 record.

Crudale also played in 50 games during the Saints' season, recording a 1.06 goals-against-average and .913 save-percentage.

Just like that, Vegas and So-Cal-born prospects quickly enter the system for the Broncos.

"It feels good. They're a long way from coming and playing, but both players were very excited to be a part of the organization. I look forward to working with their families and with them in trying to get here."

That process will of course be near the front of Brockman's mind over the coming weeks and months, though with the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft getting moved up to April 22 from May 7, so too is the scouting process.

"Because they moved the regular draft up, we'll be doing a lot of interviews and phone calls... Just really focus on the draft that's coming up on April 22," said Brockman, who noted that with it changing from in-person to online during the COVID-19 pandemic, the process of the next few weeks also must change.

"Certainly it's a little bit different, especially when you can't go visit people or see them play or anything of that nature. We'll also review video that you can access. It'll be interesting over the next month or so."

A full 2019-20 season recap of the Broncos' campaign will be up on Swift Current Online on Thursday.