Boosting offence Battalion focus
BRAMPTON, Ont. – Offence was the priority for the Brampton Battalion at the Ontario Hockey League’s Priority Selection on Saturday.
With overage forwards Brett Mackie, Mitchell Porowski and Ian Watters slated for graduation and leading scorer Sam Carrick having signed an entry-level contract with the National Hockey League’s Toronto Maple Leafs, Stan Butler, director of hockey operations and head coach, and scouting director Bob Wetick and his staff knew their mission.
The Battalion used nine of 16 picks in the 15-round process on forwards. That group comprises three centres, three left wingers and three right wingers. Four of the club’s first five selections were forwards.
Left winger Blake Clarke of the St. Louis Blues under-18s was the first pick, 15th overall. A six-foot-two, 197-pound resident of Wildwood, Mo., who turned 16 on Jan. 24, he started the season with the Fargo Force of the United States Hockey League, recording four points in 13 games, before returning home to play for the Blues. He also played on the United States team at the Winter Youth Olympics in January at Innsbruck, Austria.
The first American-based player chosen Saturday, Clarke also was the first U.S.-based player named by the Battalion in the first round since defenceman Travis Parent was the second overall choice in the 1999 Bantam Draft.
Wetick and scout Jason Day saw Clarke compete at a USA Hockey event at Rochester, N.Y.
“Clarke was one of the more highly rated players available,” Wetick said via telephone. “We saw him in Rochester, and he performed very well. He’s a player who’s highly regarded by USA Hockey. We felt he was one of the premier power forwards available. He has always played up a year. He played at Shattuck St. Mary’s, then played for the Chicago Mission as a bantam. Then he went to the USHL as a minor mdget.
“I think Stan is comfortable in his ability to convince him to report. It came down to where we were picking, at 15, and we assumed that most of the talented forwards would be gone by then based on the teams who were picking ahead of us. We had to make a decision on who we wanted to step up on.”
The Battalion used its first second-round pick since 2006 on right-shot centre Mike Amadio of the Sault Ste. Marie North Stars major midgets. Amadio, five-foot-11, 170 pounds, scored 37 goals and earned 39 assists for 76 points in 40 games. The resident of Sault Ste. Marie turns 16 on May 13.
“We were surprised to see he was still there,” said Wetick. “He’s a very skilled forward. We saw that at the OHL Cup when he came down with the Northern Ontario team. Mike scored some highlight-reel goals. He’s probably close to six feet tall now and he has a bow-legged skating style, but he has a great set of hands. We’re hoping he can help us fill a gap at centre.”
Said Butler: “I like Clarke. He’s the kind of player we need on our team. He’s a big kid with good skills, and hopefully he’s a guy who can come right in and contribute some offence for us. We hadn’t had a second-round pick in several years, and it was great to be able to get a guy like Amadio.”
The Troops tabbed right winger Garrett James of the Huron-Perth Lakers minor midgets in the fourth round. A resident of Stratford, Ont., James recorded 14 goals and eight assists for 22 points in 38 games. The six-foot-two 185-pounder, who turned 16 on Jan. 6, was a member of the Canadian team at the Winter Youth Olympics.
“He was one of the better forwards on a Huron-Perth team that didn’t score a lot of goals,” said Wetick. “Four of their defencemen and one of their goalies were selected, but Garrett was the only forward off his team to go. He’s a big, strong kid with pretty good hands and a nice scoring touch.”
In the fifth round the Battalion chose left winger Nick Paul of the Mississauga Reps major midgets. The six-foot-two, 205-pound resident of Mississauga turned 17 on March 20.
“He came out of left field this season,” said Wetick. “He had a fairly successful season. We’ll see how he develops, especially during the summer. We’d like to be able to put him into the lineup right away. We’d like him to come in and compete for a spot, because he has the size and ability.”
Right winger Calvin Gomes of the North York Rangers minor midgets was chosen in the eighth round. A six-foot-one, 155-pound resident of Mississauga, Gomes had 15 goals and 12 assists for 27 points in 33 games. He turned 16 on March 13.
“He played on the Rangers’ top line, and his two linemates were also taken,” said Wetick. “He worked hard in the corners and got the puck to his teammates so they could score. He might not score much, but he’ll rack up plenty of assists. He has a big frame and skates well and he’s able to work down low, in front of the net and in the corners. He’s still growing, too.”
The Battalion tabbed left-shot centre Ryan Hitchcock of the New Jersey Rockets of the Metro Junior League in the 10th round. A resident of Manhasset, N.Y., Hitchcock, five-foot-nine and 155 pounds, produced 29 goals and 34 assists for 63 points in 29 games. He turned 16 on March 30.
“We saw him at the USA Hockey camp in Rochester, where he was on the same team as Clarke,” said Wetick. “We also saw him playing centre on Clarke’s line at another USA Hockey camp in Ann Arbor. Hitchcock is a skilled centre and a smart player. He has good vision and moves the puck well. We believe he also has a commitment with the U.S. (National Team) Development Program.”
Left winger Drake Board of the Barrie Colts minor midgets was chosen in the 11th round. A Barrie resident, Board, five-foot-seven and 150 pounds, had 11 goals and five assists for 16 points in 26 games. He turned 16 on Jan. 8.
“He’s a little undersized, and I could see him playing centre for us, but he plays much bigger than his size. He plays with a real attitude. He’s a tough competitor and he has a goal-scoring touch. We’ll see if he can make the adjustment to the size and speed of the OHL, but he wants to compete at that level. He has a lot of potential.”
Right-shot centre Jake Coughler of the Brampton Battalion minor midgets was selected in the 14th round. He had 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points in 27 games. At six feet, 160 pounds, Coughler turns 16 on April 23.
“When I interviewed him, I thought he was from Brampton, but he’s actually from St. Catharines and commuted to Brampton for games and practices, which shows you he’s a dedicated player. He wanted to play for a better team in Brampton and, while he was set back with a broken wrist, he was one of the skilled kids on a mid-range Battalion team that played well on and off. He moves the puck well and has good vision. He can finish too.”
The final-round pick was right winger Alex Mutton of the Cambridge Hawks minor midgets. A Kitchener native, the six-foot-two, 183-pound Mutton registered 21 goals and 19 assists for 40 points in 44 games. He turned 16 on Feb. 12.
“He’s a big, strong right winger, a power forward. He did the heavy work for his linemates. He played well in the playoffs and he stepped up and played hard. He has the potential if his skating can come along. He isn’t afraid to go to the front of the net and compete down low. Hopefully he’ll get the chance to work on developing his game and we’ll see where he is in a year.”
