Draft possibilities have Raftis pumped
by Peter Ruicci (Independent Media) | Photo by Bob Davies
While invested in his team’s first-round playoff series with the Windsor Spitfires, Soo Greyhounds general manager Kyle Raftis has something else very much on his mind at this time of year.
The Ontario Hockey League Priority Selections draft is slated for Apr. 11-12 and the Hounds have a pair of first-round selections.
Their own pick is No. 7 overall, while they also possess selection No. 19, which is a compensatory choice.
“To have two picks in the top 19 is really exciting,” said Raftis, who is confident the club can get a pair of quality prospects. “This is a really strong draft class and having two picks gives us some flexibility.”
While Raftis is a firm believer in the best-player-available approach, he also spoke of how the extra pick allows the Hounds the option of going with two forwards or a forward and a defenceman.
By finishing the regular season with a 29-35-2-2 mark, the Soo placed 14th overall in the 20-team loop. That translates to selection No. 7.
The 19th pick was awarded by the league when the Hounds first-round choice (No. 18 overall) last year, centre Ryder Cali, failed to report and his rights were subsequently dealt to North Bay last September.
The opinion around the league is there is no consensus No. 1 choice. There are perhaps five players who could be taken by the Peterborough Petes, who own the first pick overall.
The group includes centres Jaakko Wycisk (Sun County Panthers), Kaden McGregor (Ottawa Valley Titans) and Max Delisle (Toronto Titans), and forwards Camryn Warren (Toronto Jr. Canadiens) and Charlie Murata (Don Mills Flyers).
When asked, Raftis agreed there is no sure thing when it comes to the first pick.
“A lot of years there’s one player” who stands above the others, the GM said. “I don’t think anyone can assume anything this season.”
The early unpredictability should benefit the Hounds, added Raftis, who spoke of how “there’ll definitely be someone in that range (seventh overall) who’ll fit the bill for us. There’s a large group of quality players at the top and there are a lot of players whose ratings are close.”
The Hounds boss also talked about how he believes the list of top-notch prospects goes beyond his club’s 19th selection.
And, with the change in rules which allow Canadian Hockey League players to compete south of the border in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Raftis said he expects to see more American-born players taken in the early rounds.
In the past, OHL teams were somewhat reluctant to spend early draft capital on Americans who held an interest in collegiate hockey.
The first three rounds of this year’s draft are slated to commence at 7 p.m. on Day 1. Rounds 4-15 begin the next day, which is a Saturday, at 9 a.m.
Though they don’t own a second-round choice, when asked, Raftis said there’s a chance his club could swing a deal in order to acquire one.
He discussed how some clubs with multiple second-round selections have shown interest in moving one.
“There’s nothing lined up right now, but we could potentially add a second-rounder,” he said.
The Soo has single choices in Rounds 3,4,5, 7, 8, 11, 13, 14 and 15. The Greyhounds have two picks in each of the 6th, 9th and 12th rounds and no selection in Round No. 10.
Questioned about the possibility of selecting a goaltender in the early rounds, Raftis said it’s difficult to say at this point.
He did talk about how the Hounds “definitely” expect to chose one netminder and could perhaps take multiple goalies.
William Camputaro of North York, Ont., chosen by the Soo in the fourth round last season, is expected to be in the goaltending mix for next year’s club. The Hounds return Landon Miller along with Noah Tegelaar and Reid Thomas, who played sparingly in the regular season.
The Greyhounds would also love to land last year’s second-round selection, defenceman Callum Croskery, an Oakville native who played this season with the United States Hockey League’s Chicago Steel.
When asked, Raftis said: “Once his season is completed, he’s somebody we would definitely take a run at this summer.”
The Hounds already boast of one high-end, young rearguard in Chase Reid.
Croskery “would look very good in the Red and White next season,” Raftis said. “He’d really complement our group.”
As for the 2024-25 Hounds, Raftis was excited by the team’s performance on Monday, securing a 3-2 victory over the Spits in overtime. That trimmed Windsor’s series lead to 2-1 in the best-of-seven, Western Conference quarter-final.
Game 4 goes Wednesday at 7:07 p.m. at GFL Memorial Gardens. The fifth game in the series is set for Friday (7:05 p.m.) at WFCU Centre.
If the series goes six, the Hounds will be at home for a rare 7:07 p.m. Sunday clash.
Game 7, if necessary, is scheduled for one week from Tuesday (7:05 p.m.) in Windsor.
