OHL Draft: Kitchener adds 11 skaters on day two Saturday
Kitchener, ON – Following three selections on day one of the 2024 OHL Priority Selection, presented by Real Canadian Superstore, the Rangers added 11 more players on day two to finish off the 15-round Priority Selection process. In total, the Rangers selected 14 players; six forwards, six defencemen, and two goalies in this year’s draft.
Slotted in at the 77th pick in the fourth round, the Rangers selected right-handed defenceman Nathan Gaitens as their first selection of day two. The Tillsonburg, ON native spent the 2023-24 season with the Hamilton Steel U16 AAA minor hockey club in the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA). Listed at six feet tall and 150lbs, Gaitens represented the club as the team’s captain leading the way on the back end and tallying 22 points (8G, 14A) in 34 regular season games to go along with three points (2G, 1A) in six games in the postseason.
Goaltender Jason Schaubel was Kitchener’s fifth-round selection, 97th overall. With the pick, the Rangers took their first netminder in the draft. Schaubel, at 5’11” and 160 pounds, split time playing minor hockey for the Hamilton Huskies and more recently in his hometown of Barrie for the Jr. Colts program in the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA). In his 2023-24 campaign, Schaubel posted an impressive 0.86 GAA through 22 games with seven shutouts in the regular season and a 0.54 GAA through 5 games in the playoffs posting a .972 SV% in this year’s OHL Cup. Schaubel was awarded the OMHA U16 Best GAA for his efforts this past season.
With the 108th pick in the sixth round, Kitchener announced the selection of right winger Matt Souter of the Peterborough Petes U16 AAA program in the Ontario Minor Hockey Association. The Bowmanville, ON native averaged well over a point-per-game in the 2023-24 season, stringing together 50 points (21G, 29A) in 34 games throughout the regular season. Souter followed up his regular season excellence in the postseason, where he tallied 14 points (7G, 7A) in 10 games. Standing at 5’9” and 150 pounds, Souter marked the first right winger the Blueshirts selected throughout the 2024 Priority Selection process.
Looking ahead to the Rangers’ eighth-round pick, the Rangers selected Jacob Xu 157th overall. The left-shot defenceman from Richmond Hill, ON was a poised defender for the Toronto Jr. Canadiens of U16 AAA program in the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) this past season averaging over a point-per-game totaling 39 points in 37 games (10G, 29A). The 6’2”, 175 lbs agile and mobile rearguard has a strong two-way presence and is a dependable player on the blueline, helping command his team to an overall record of 56-16-4 in the 2023-24 season.
In the 10th round, the Rangers took Jude Bray off the board with their 197th pick. As the third left-shot defenceman the Rangers have selected throughout this year’s Priority Selection, Bray is listed at 5-foot-8 and 155 pounds. Originally from Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON, the sturdy defenceman played alongside newly drafted Rangers’ prospect Weston Cameron with the Toronto Marlboros in the Greater Toronto Hockey League in the 2023-2024 season. In 31 games played, Bray tallied 23 points (3G, 20A) to go along with two points (2A) in 5 games in the 2024 OHL Cup.
Right winger Avry Anstis was revealed as the Rangers’ 217th overall pick in the 11th round. Kitchener selected Anstis as their first American-born skater of the 2024 Priority Selection. Anstis originates from Pittsburgh, PA, and was a product of the Shattuck-St. Mary’s Sabres 15’s of the USEPHS where he produced at nearly a point-per-game pace, scoring 50 points (26G, 24A) in 52 games. At 5’11” and 150 pounds, Anstis is a skillful forward who thrives as a powerful skater.
The Rangers’ first selection in the 12th round at pick number 229 was Nolan Carriere, their second goaltender selection of the 2024 Priority Selection. A Burlington, ON native, Carriere grew up playing his minor hockey for the Burlington Eagles AAA program in the OMHA and weighs in at 5-foot-11, 144 pounds. Playing for the Eagles in the 2023-24 season, Carriere posted a 3.13 GAA in 19 regular season games and 2.87 GAA in 5 postseason appearances.
Capping off the team’s 12th round, the Rangers then proceeded to select Ryker Young in the 237 spot. As a left-shot defenceman at the height of 6’0”, Young spent the 2023-24 season in his hometown of Barrie with the Jr. Colts U16 AAA program in the OMHA – the second player the Rangers selected from that program on day two of the 2024 Priority Selection, joining Jason Schaubel. In 31 regular season games, Young collected 12 total points before scoring eight points (1G, 7A) in 10 playoff games in 2024.
Jack Hextall was taken 257th overall in the 13th round by the Rangers in the 2024 Priority Selection. Hextall is a right-handed centreman from Rolling Meadows, IL, the second American-born product drafted by the Rangers. In a remarkable 2023-24 campaign with the Chicago Mission 15’s, Hextall strung together 88 points in 64 regular season games played. The 5’11” forward maintained a strong 200-foot game as a dual threat who can pass or shoot in high-chance areas. Just a year prior, Hextall put together a masterful season scoring 93 points (32G, 61A) in 58 games with the Windy City Storm 14U AAA program.
Dylan Orr, an Ottawa native, was selected 277th overall in the 14th round by the Rangers. As a 6’0” right-handed defenceman, Orr opted to stay local and play his minor hockey in Ottawa split between the Jr. 67’s and Senators U18 programs. More recently, Orr played with the Jr. 67’s U16 AAA team in the HEO16 (Hockey Eastern Ontario U16 AAA) where he had 15 points (5G, 10A) in 29 regular season games.
To complete the 2024 OHL Priority Selection, Kitchener Rangers selected right-winger Ryder Roberson out of the Cambridge Hawks U16 AAA program at pick 297 in the 15th round. Roberson, a 6-foot-1 and 195-pound forward, is a product of Cambridge, ON. In his 2023-24 season with the Hawks, he tallied 25 points in 28 games before scoring two points (1G, 1A) in three games in the postseason.
The Rangers are currently in the Western Conference Semi-Finals best of seven series with the London Knights. The Knights are up 2-0 in the series. The Rangers will look to take over this series at home on Tuesday as game three will be played at The Aud followed by game four on Thursday. Both games will start at 7 pm. Make sure you secure your seats to the greatest rivalry in junior hockey at The Aud Sponsored by White Way Plumbing or online here.
