2016 NHL Draft Update
NHL Central Scouting released their final rankings this morning. Out of the 67 OHL players listed, three of those belong to the Oshawa Generals. This year’s draft will take place on June 24 and 25 at the First Niagara Centre in Buffalo, New York.
Riley Stillman continues to lead the pack for the Generals, coming in as the 66th ranked skater in North America, a jump of 22 spots from the midterm rankings. Stillman is coming off of an impressive rookie season on the Generals blue line, scoring 21 points in 62 games, as well as being named assistant captain after the trade of Michael Dal Colle. The strong, two-way defender has improved at both ends of the rinks as the season wore on and he became a go-to player for the Generals. Stillman took home the honours of the Fitness Award and Scholastic Player of the Year at the 2016 Oshawa Generals Awards Banquet to wrap up his stellar first season in the OHL.
Another player who is coming off of an impressive rookie campaign in the OHL is centre Domenic Commisso. He is ranked 111th in North America, a 12 spot increase from the midterm rankings. In 66 games played this season, Commisso recorded 42 points which was good for ninth in OHL rookie scoring. The diminutive centre had one of the best point-scoring streaks in the league this season, registering 16 points in 11 games from the end of November to the beginning of January. Commisso was also honoured at the Generals Awards Banquet, taking home the Rookie of the Year award.
The other Generals player to appear on the final rankings this season is defenseman Sean Allen. He enters the NHL Entry Draft rated as the 202nd skater in North America after not appearing on any previous rankings. Hampered by a lower-body injury to end the season, Allen had a strong season with the Generals after coming over in a trade in early December. The tough, no-nonsense defender has shown to be a steady force on the back end while providing the Generals with some grit. In 33 games played with the Generals he recorded just one point, but his 67 penalty minutes often came in the defense of his teammates.
It’s shaping up to be an exciting offseason for the Generals after completing the OHL Priority Selection and now having a handful of players prepare for the NHL Draft.
