Cochrane's Tyrel Bauer believes he's a good fit for the Winnipeg Jets.

The Cochrane defenceman was selected early in the sixth round by the NHL team in the entry draft earlier this week.

"It's a great hockey city," says Bauer. "Their fans are extremely passionate, their style of play is suiting with me, and I'm extremely happy to be picked by them."

The 6'3" defenceman was home with his family when his name was announced.

"We're just super excited. We saw my name on the TV, and then I got a call from the general manager, then the director of player development right after, so it was pretty bang, bang. It was pretty cool to have that happen."

Bauer got his first taste of playing for the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds with a couple of appearances in the 2017-18 season. Now 18, he has had two full seasons under his belt with the club.

Last season, he had three goals and 14 assists for 17 points in 60 games. 

As a rookie,  Bauer played 64 games and had two goals and 12 assists for 14 points with 91 penalty minutes.

He scored his first WHL goal January 27, 2019 against Kamloops in a 5-2 win.

Bauer was originally selected in the second round, 41st overall, in the WHL's 2017 Bantam Draft. Prior to this, he was an Alberta Cup champion in the 2016-17 season and laced up for 32 games with the Airdrie CFR Bisons. He also played AAA with the Airdrie Xtreme and AC Avalanche.

With passionate, caring fans, and a strong hockey organization, he has found Seattle to great place to play hockey.

"The teammates are unbelievable. We've created a really tight-knit group in the locker room, and we all push each other to be better, and I think that's really important. The coaching staff and general managers and house staff are all incredible. They want to see us succeed, so they put in the work for us, too. That's really important in having a successful hockey club. I can't say enough good things about the organization, and I'm super pleased they gave me an opportunity three years ago."

Exactly what happens now is a question mark facing many in the hockey world. No firm dates have been set for Jets camps, and the WHL is now tentatively scheduled to begin in December. Two other starting dates have had to be foregone because of the struggle with establishing a COVID-19 protocol in multiple provinces and American states.

Bauer says he's been skating and training all summer to be ready for when the trigger is pulled.