DRAFT REWIND: ROUNDS 15 & 14
Erie, Pennsylvania – The 2022 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection Draft is eight days away, with the Erie Otters holding 15 picks over the 15 rounds – including the #2 overall pick. The upcoming Priority Selection Draft will be the 27th in team-history for the Otters; showcasing excellence in drafting in all rounds of the prior drafts.
Starting today, the next week will feature a review of all 15 rounds of the OHL Priority Selection for the Otters, looking back at the names selected and players who staked their claim in the Flagship City – concluding on Thursday, April 28 with the history of First Round selections for Erie.
Today is a review of the highest-rounds of the Draft, Rounds 15 & 14. While high-round picks may not always be the most touted, scouted, or hyped up, a number of notable players made their way to the main roster from the final picks. Erie has one pick in both rounds for the 2022 OHL Priority Selection.
Asterisks next to players name in the charts below will signify players who made the Otters regular season roster, and bolded will be spotlighted.
ROUND 15
| 1996 | #245 | Derrell Upton* | F |
| 1997 | #258 | Marty Skowron | F |
| 2000 | #296 | Jim Slater | F |
| 2001 | #283 | Steven Viezel | D |
| 2001 | #300 | Jamie Fife | D |
| 2002 | #292 | Ian Boots | F |
| 2003 | #285 | Mickey Thistel | G |
| 2004 | #291 | Mike Fillinger | D |
| 2005 | #290 | Jon Hull* | G |
| 2006 | #284 | Tyler Liukkonen | F |
| 2007 | #281 | Jamie Olivier | F |
| 2008 | #283 | Brian Jones | G |
| 2010 | #285 | Liam Walker | F |
| 2010 | #291 | Jesse Schwartz | F |
| 2011 | #294 | Kyle Allan | D |
| 2012 | #300 | Jake Ireland | G |
| 2013 | #281 | Trayvon Henry | F |
| 2014 | #299 | Noah Tooke | D |
| 2015 | #293 | Max Carbone | F |
| 2015 | #299 | Nicholas Bigioni | F |
| 2016 | #301 | Dan Murphy* | G |
| 2017 | #300 | Jackson Bernard | G |
| 2018 | #284 | Justin Mauro | F |
| 2019 | #286 | Joshua Reilly | D |
| 2020 | #289 | Christian Holden | F |
| 2021 | #289 | Jordan Latham | F |
2022 PICKS:
- One pick in Round 15
- With Erie picking #2 Overall, they will have the second pick in the 15th Round
QUICK FACTS:
- The 15th Round has been the highest-round in the Priority Selection Draft since 2001.
- Prior to 2001, Erie had picked as high as the 22nd Round.
- Despite not having a 15th Round Pick in all 26 Drafts, the Otters have drafted 26 players this round.
- Of the 26 players, 14 were Forwards, seven were Defensemen, five were Goaltenders
- Of the 26 players, 21 have been Canadian-born, and five American-born
- Erie’s highest 15th Round pick was Dan Murphy (2016, #301) and lowest pick was Derrell Upton (1996, #245)
- Both these players would end up playing for Erie
- Of the 26 players, 14 were Forwards, seven were Defensemen, five were Goaltenders
- Three players drafted by Erie in the 15th went on to suit up in the regular season for the Otters:
- Derrell Upton (1996, #245 F), the team’s first 15th Round pick
- Jon Hull (2005, #290 G)
- Daniel Murphy (2016, #301 G)
PRO RANKS:
- Four of the players drafted by Erie in the 15th would go on to play professional hockey later in their careers
- Derrell Upton: 2000-2006 with seven teams
- WPHL, CHL, SPHL, ECHL
- Jim Slater (2000, #296 F): 2005-2019 with five teams
- NHL (Round 1, #30 to ATL), AHL, Swiss National League
- Slater never played for Erie, electing to play in the NCAA
- Ian Boots (2002, #292 F): 2012-2016 with six teams
- CHL, SPHL, ECHL, LNAH, FHL
- Boots never played for Erie, electing to play in the NCAA
- Jesse Schwartz (2010, #291 F): 2018-2019 with three teams
- SPHL, ECHL, AIHL
- Schwartz never played for Erie, electing to play in the NCAA
- Derrell Upton: 2000-2006 with seven teams
CRACKING THE ROSTER:
- Derrell Upton – 1996, #245 (F)
- Upton was the first 15th Round pick for the Erie Otters in team history, and would play 50 total games with the club in two seasons (49 regular season + one playoff game).
- Upton scored five points (3G+2A) in his Otters career, and remains the team’s only 15th Round pick to score for the club
- Traded during the early 1997-98 season, Upton would play three seasons with the Oshawa Generals, and finish his OHL career with the North Bay Centennials – finishing his time in the league with 133 points (56G+77A) in 223 games.
- The Toronto-native would go on to play six years of professional hockey across four minor pro leagues.
- Jon Hull – 2005, #290 (G)
- Hull was the second 15th Round pick for the Erie Otters to make a regular season roster, and first Goaltender to do so.
- Hull appeared in two games for the Otters during the 2005-06 season, grabbing an .879 SV% and 4.20 GAA with an 0-1 record.
- After his appearance in the OHL, Hull would bounce around five different junior leagues.
- Daniel Murphy – 2016, #301 (G)
- Murphy is the modern-day success story for high-round draft picks, showcasing the gems that can hide in the draft.
- Murphy to-date is the highest-picked player in the 15th Round by the Otters, and also proves to be their biggest success in the mid-teen round.
- The Waterford, ON native played three seasons in the OHL – all with the Otters – appearing in 114 games. Murphy would end his career with three shutouts, a 3.62 GAA, .884 SV%, and 42-55-5-5 record.
- Murphy had a career-year in his final OHL season, with a 3.41 GAA and .891 SV%.
- Following the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season, Murphy would be traded to Niagara for their 2024 Third Round pick, and Conditional 2021 Sixth Round pick*.
- With no 2020-21 season, Murphy graduated from the OHL never playing a game for Niagara.
- *The 2021 pick turned into Otters’ prospect Braxton Ross (#103, F), who had six points (3G+3A) in 28 games in the CCHL this season.
Daniel Murphy continues to be the benchmark that a team like the Otters hope to hit when drafting in the 15th Round – a valuable, everyday contributor who can win games. In Murphy’s case, Erie was even able to turn the success of the goaltender into lower round picks.
ROUND 14
| 1996 | #228 | Mike Moriarty | D |
| 1997 | #240 | Ian Smith | F |
| 1998 | #287 | Ken Harling | F |
| 1999 | #282 | R.J. Umberger | F |
| 2000 | #276 | Nicholas Staneckyj | F |
| 2001 | #266 | Derek Merlini* | D |
| 2001 | #280 | Chris Greene* | F |
| 2002 | #270 | Tyler Stitt | D |
| 2002 | #277 | Shawn Peden | D |
| 2003 | #265 | Benjamin Gazdic | D |
| 2004 | #271 | Michael Jarboe | G |
| 2005 | #270 | Drew Wearing | D |
| 2006 | #264 | Christopher Lawlor | F |
| 2008 | #263 | Joel Benson | D |
| 2009 | #270 | Matt Halloran | D |
| 2010 | #271 | Brent Hambly | F |
| 2011 | #266 | Dylan Sikura | F |
| 2011 | #274 | Blake Jones | F |
| 2012 | #264 | Nathan Kohler | D |
| 2013 | #261 | Owen Headrick* | D |
| 2014 | #279 | Colton Point | G |
| 2015 | #279 | Dylan Latty | F |
| 2016 | #281 | Adam Trotman | F |
| 2017 | #280 | Michael Miele | F |
| 2019 | #266 | Frank Tafelski | F |
| 2020 | #268 | Dylan Moloughney | D |
| 2021 | #270 | Braeden Shaikh | G |
2022 PICKS:
- One pick in Round 14
- With Erie picking #2 Overall, they will have the second pick in the 14th Round
QUICK FACTS:
- Erie has only not drafted in the 14th Round twice – 2007 & 2018
- Despite not having a 14th Round Pick in all 26 Drafts, the Otters have drafted 27 players this round.
- Of the 27 players, 13 were Forwards, 11 were Defensemen, three were Goaltenders
- Of the 27 players, 18 have been Canadian-born, and nine American-born
- Erie’s highest 14th Round pick was Ken Harling (1998, #287) and lowest pick was Mike Moriarty (1996, #228)
- Erie had at least one 14th Round pick for their first 11 Drafts in a row – but didn’t select a goaltender until 2004
- Of the 27 players, 13 were Forwards, 11 were Defensemen, three were Goaltenders
- Three players drafted by Erie in the 14th went on to suit up in the regular season for the Otters – including two players from the same Draft Class:
- Derek Merlini (2001, #266 D)
- Chris Greene (2001, #280 F)
- Owen Headrick (2013, #261 D)
PRO RANKS:
- Eight of the players drafted by Erie in the 14th would go on to play professional hockey later in their careers
- Ian Smith (1997, #240): 2006-07 with one team
- AIHL
- Smith never played for Erie, spending his junior career in the NAHL
- R.J. Umberger (1999, #282): 2004-2016 with three teams,
- NHL (Round 1, #16 to VAN), AHL
- Umberger never played for Erie, electing instead to play NCAA
- Derek Merlini: 2007-2011 with four teams
- IHL, CHL, AAHL
- Merlini played alongside current Otters Head Coach BJ Adams for two seasons with the Port Huron Icehawks (2007-09)
- Chris Greene: 2006-2014 with 11 teams
- ECHL, CHL, SPHL, FHL
- Tyler Stitt (2002, #270): 2010-2012 with two teams
- Netherlands2, CHL
- Stitt never played for Erie, bouncing around junior hockey before playing NCAA III
- Dylan Sikura (2011, #266): 2017-Present with six teams
- NHL (Round 6, #178 to CHI), AHL
- Sikura never played for Erie, bouncing around junior hockey before playing NCAA
- Owen Headrick: 2018, 2022 with two teams
- AHL, ECHL
- Colton Point (2014, #279): 2018-Present with two teams
- AHL (NHL Round 5, #128 to DAL), ECHL
- Point never played for Erie, bouncing around junior hockey before playing NCAA
- Ian Smith (1997, #240): 2006-07 with one team
CRACKING THE ROSTER:
- Derek Merlini – 2001, #266 (D)
- Merlini was the first 14th Round pick to ever play for the Erie Otters, suiting up for his first game in the 2003-04 season, where he would play 73 total games (64 regular season, nine playoff)
- Merlini would have a solid career with the Otters, playing in 152 games with the team and scoring 48 points (12G+36A).
- Merlini’s best scoring-season was also the season he played every game for Erie in 2004-05, where he grabbed 24 points (7G+17A) with over 130 penalty minutes served – an all-time career high.
- Early in the 2005-06 season, Erie would trade Merlini to Plymouth, where he would play 34 games with the Whalers before graduating from the OHL.
- Merlini would end his OHL career with 65 points (15G+50A) in 214 games played.
- The Clinton Township, MI native would attend two years at the University of Windsor, before going to play four seasons of minor pro hockey.
- Chris Greene – 2001, #280 (F)
- Greene was selected 14 picks after Merlini, and would play alongside his 2001 14th Round Draft Classmate for two seasons.
- While Greene’s career with the Otters lasted just two seasons, they were solid seasons of offensive production for the club.
- In 129 games played for the Erie Otters, Greene would grab 67 points (19G+48A), and an additional five points (2G+3A) in six playoff games.
- At the conclusion of the 2005-06 OHL season, Greene would have a nine game-stint in the ECHL, and go on to be a professional hockey journeyman with 11 teams in four leagues in eight years.
- The Massena, NY native holds the claim as highest-scoring 14th Round pick in Erie Otters team history.
- Owen Headrick – 2013, #261 (D)
- Headrick is the only player from the 14th or 15th Rounds in Erie Otters team history to be part of an OHL Championship team, being part of Erie’s 2017 run at the J. Ross Robertson Cup.
- Headrick is the last 14th Round pick to-date to play for the Erie Otters in the regular or post-season.
- The Garden River, ON native played parts of two seasons with the Otters, joining late in the 2016-17 season from the NCAA.
- Headrick would play 26 regular season games in 2016-17, and 22 playoff games for the Memorial Cup qualifying Otters.
- In the 2017-18 season, Headrick was named an Alternate Captain, and played in 64 games for the club. It would be a terrific season of scoring for the Defenseman, who would grab 46 points (13G+33A) with only 29 PIMs.
- Headrick is the only 14th or 15th Round pick in Otters team history to serve in a captaincy role.
- At the conclusion of the 2017-18 season, Headrick would sign a five-game ATO (Amateur Tryout) with the Pittsburgh Penguins’ ECHL affiliate, the Wheeling Nailers.
- Headrick would then play four years of USports Hockey at the University of Prince Edwards Island, where he would put up 69 points (22G+47A) in 76 games.
- Headrick would sign a PTO (Professional Tryout) in the AHL at the end of his time in university, playing three games.
While the 14th Round has only provided three players for the Erie Otters, all three would be notable contributors for the team in their time and go on to represent the organization in professional hockey. Owen Headrick especially recently serves as a showcase of the gritty, hardworking asset that can be found in the late rounds, and the type of willpower that makes a player captaincy worthy.
Between the 14th and 15th Rounds, Erie has found six players who appeared on the regular season and/or post-season roster – including notable names of Dan Murphy and Owen Headrick from the last few drafts. Who will be the next late round pick to join the annals of Otters late-round history? With the 2022 OHL Priority Selection on April 29 & 30, time will tell.
Erie currently has 15 picks in the 2022 Priority Selection Draft, with two on day one (1st Round 2nd Overall, 2nd Round [SOO]), and 13 on day two (4th [NIAG conditional], 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, three in 13th [FLNT, NIAG], 14th, 15th). Draft Picks are subject to change leading up to the day of the Draft.
Keep up with all the Otters picks and results on OttersHockey.com or across the Otters’ social media. For all results of the 2022 Priority Selection, please head to OntarioHockeyLeague.com.
For the latest Otters news, visit OttersHockey.com, or follow the team on Facebook (Facebook.com/erieottershockey), Twitter (@ErieOtters), and Instagram (@ErieOtters).
For further information on the Erie Otters and for media inquiries, please contact Shawn Bednard at [email protected].
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