The Seattle Thunderbirds on Wednesday signed center Mathew Barzal, the first overall pick in the 2012 Bantam Draft.

The announcement of Barzal’s signing was made by Western Hockey League Commissioner Ron Robison at the Western Hockey League Awards Luncheon at the Deerfoot Inn in Calgary, Alberta.

“We are extremely excited to have Mathew signed and committed to play with our team,” said T-Birds general manager Russ Farwell from the Awards Luncheon in Calgary, according to a T-Birds media release. “Mathew has proven to be the most elite player in his age group in Western Canada and he has both the personal drive to be a pro and the ability to make everyone he plays with better. Having Mathew on our team will be exciting for our fans, team and everyone involved with our organization.”

“I am really excited to join the T-Birds,” said Barzal from the Calgary luncheon. “I am looking forward to the season next year. I was down in Seattle this past season to practice with the team and I was able to attend a playoff game. I had a chance to meet a lot of the guys on the team when I was in Seattle. They made me feel welcome and they were all great guys. I am looking forward to playing with them next season and I hope to contribute to a winning season.”

Last season Barzal played for the Vancouver NE Chiefs in the British Columbia Minor Midget Hockey League. In 34 games he had 103 points on 29 goals and 74 assists with 34 penalty minutes. He set the league record for most assists in a season. Barzal is also first in Chiefs history in overall points scored in a season.

Barzal represented British Columbia at the Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup in November. He had two goals and two assists in four games at the tournament and was selected as an all-star.

Barzal played for the Burnaby Winter Club Bantam 1A team in 2011-12 before he was selected by the T-Birds. He had 107 points on 39 goals and 68 assists in 35 games.

The T-Birds Training Camp for the 2013-14 season starts Aug. 22 at the ShoWare Center in Kent.