2016 OHL Priority Selection Recap
2016 OHL Priority Selection Recap
The Oshawa Generals came away with 14 new players following the OHL Priority Selection on Saturday, April 9. Oshawa drafted a total of four centremen, four defensemen, four wingers and two goalies.
The Generals draft was highlighted by the selection of Danil Antropov at sixth overall, the son of former NHL player Nikolai Antropov, from the Toronto Marlboros. Antropov had an outstanding year with the Marlboros and brings a load of skill to compliment his size and strength. In 56 games played this season, he scored 72 points before adding 10 points in seven games at the OHL Cup. Generals fans will potentially see Antropov in the red, blue and white for three seasons before his NHL Draft.
With two second round picks, the Generals selected Serron Noel and Jack DeBoer, two more players with size and skill. Noel, playing with the Brockville Braves of the HEO Midget AAA Hockey League, scored 28 points in 45 games. The 6’3”, 172 pound winger should provide the Generals offense with even more grit and scoring. DeBoer, the son of current San Jose Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer, played this season with the Salisbury Private School. Scoring 13 points in 24 games, DeBoer also participated for the United States at the Youth Olympic Games, scoring seven points in six games on route to a gold medal.
Next, the Generals added a big two-way defender in William Ennis. Playing with the Selects Hockey Academy in the United States, the Gloucester, ON native provides more size on the back end to go along with his puck moving abilities. Ennis registered 15 points in 24 games played this season.
In the fourth round, the Generals selected goaltender Nathan Torchia from the Waterloo Wolves. The small goalie is technically sound and shows great athleticism in the net. The son of long-time goalie Mike Torchia, like many Generals players, has the bloodlines to be a solid player in Oshawa.
The Generals selected a pair of bruising defenders with their next picks in Joseph Rupoli and Dante Fantauzzi. Rupoli is a 6’2”, 193 pound left-shot defender who played with the Toronto Red Wings. This past season he scored 36 points in 65 games played, all while providing strong defensive play on the back-end and crushing hits when his team needed energy. Fantauzzi is a 6’0”, 173 pound left-shot defender who played with the Toronto Marlboros. More of a two-way defender, Fantauzzi can step up and lay a big check in open ice, or join the rush and use his puck skills.
With their next five picks, the Generals selected a handful of forwards to join the prospect ranks. First was Mitchell Hewitson, a 6’3” winger who played with the Halton Hills Hurricanes. In 35 games he scored 25 points to go along with 61 penalty minutes. Next, the Generals selected goal-scoring centreman Grant Spence from the Chatham-Kent Cyclones. He scored 18 goals in 33 games and added 11 assists. In the ninth round the Generals selected Isaac Taylor, a 6’0” 205-pound winger from the Hamilton Huskies. In 33 games, Taylor recorded 21 goals and 20 assists to go along with 60 penalty minutes. Next in their selection of forwards, the Generals grabbed Mitchell Pellarin in the 11th round. The two-way centre tallied 31 points in 26 games with the North Central Predators this season. Owen Cole was the last forward selected by the Generals. The 5’9” centre from the Southern Tier Admirals posted 25 points in 25 games this season. Cole also chipped in two points in four games at the OHL Cup.
The Generals went back to the defence for their 13th pick, selected Eric Gibb from the Huron Perth Lakers. The 5’11”, 137-pound left-shot defender is not afraid to step up to lay a big hit, making him a fun player to watch. In 30 games he scored four points to go along with 78 penalty minutes.
To close out the draft the Generals selected goaltender Antonio Pirone from the Toronto Red Wings. In 33 games played this past season, the small goaltender had a record of 23-5. That outstanding record was partnered with 1.36 goals against average.
Generals fans will have the opportunity to see the 2016 selections in action during Orientation Camp on April 23 and 24 at the General Motors Centre.
