KENNEWICK -- The Tri-City Americans signed 2012 first-round bantam draft pick Parker Wotherspoon on Tuesday to a standard Western Hockey League players contract.

Wotherspoon was the club’s first selection (21st overall) in this year’s bantam draft May 3.

He is a native of Surrey, British Columbia, and became the first defenseman taken by Tri-City in the first round since Zachary Yuen in 2008. He is the eighth defenseman overall selected in the first round.

Last season, the 5-foot-11, 160-pounder combined for 16 goals and 54 points with the Cloverdale Colts, which went 42-10-3 and set a provincial bantam AAA record with 32 consecutive wins before losing the provincial finals to the Burnaby Winter Club.

Wotherspoon, the younger brother of Portland defenseman, Tyler Wotherspoon, was also chosen as an All-Star.