2025 OHL Draft Primer
The Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection is days away amidst a busy playoff season in London. After a second straight regular season title, the Knights will pick last in the first round at 23rd overall and a total of 16 picks over the upcoming weekend. The Knights will make nine picks in the first six rounds.
Draft Picks:
- Round 1, Pick 23
- Round 2, Pick 43
- Round 3, Pick 60 (via BFD)
- Round 3, Pick 62 (via KIT)
- Round 5, Pick 88 (via OS)
- Round 5, Pick 100 (via BFD)
- Round 5, Pick 103
- Round 6, Pick 106 (via SAR)
- Round 6, Pick 117 (via OSH)
- Round 9, Pick 183
- Round 10, Pick 196 (via BRAM)
- Round 11, Pick 223
- Round 12, Pick 243
- Round 13, Pick 256 (via BRAM)
- Round 14, Pick 283
- Round 15, Pick 303
Early returns from last year’s draft class have been positive with four players making their OHL debut since being selected by the Knights last spring. First rounder Logan Hawery lead the way with 9 goals in 33 appearances with the Knights this season, coupled with positive seasons from Caleb Mitchell, Jaxon Cover, and Eddie Hickson.
The 2025 OHL Priority Selection presented by Real Canadian Superstore takes place on Friday, April 11th, and Saturday, April 12th.
Friday night coverage gets underway at 7:00pm. Rounds 1-3 will air on RogersTV or you can listen to the live draft reaction with Mike Stubbs on AM980. Day two coverage will get underway at 9:00am with Rounds 4-15 set to begin. You can follow the draft board online here or watch live for free online on OHL Live and the OHL Youtube.
Player Eligibility
North American players born in 2009 and non-overage players that were not registered with an Ontario based U16 AAA team from protected OHL territories are eligible for selection in the 15 rounds of the 2025 OHL Priority Selection.
Selected Players in the OHL
OHL Member Teams are permitted to register a maximum of four 16-year-old players selected in the OHL Priority Selection. Those 16 year old players that are allowed to be signed are the first two 16-year-old players selected and a maximum of two additional 16-year-old wild carded players in any round of the OHL Priority Selection.
All other 16-year-old players selected are eligible to be called up as an “affiliated player” or “floating affiliate player” for a maximum of 10 games or for any OHL regular season or playoff games when such player’s team has been eliminated from competition for that season.
OHL Central Scouting
The Central Scouting Bureau of the Ontario Hockey League is an information service and support organization designed to provide the Member Teams with a reference in regards to the players available for selection in the annual “Priority Selection Process.”
The primary objective of OHL Central Scouting is to identify, rate and rank players to be eligible for the Priority Selection, according to their OHL potential. OHL Member Teams combine player data received from the Central Scouting Bureau with evaluations from their team scouting staffs to make their player selections.
The OHL Central Scouting Bureau has been evaluating players since the 1975-76 season.
