Sting Getting Set For 2010 Priority Selection

By DAVE BORODY
The journey for head scout Jim Debenham of the Sarnia Sting, along with his staff, began last August.

It culminates this coming weekend when the annual Ontario Hockey League priority selection draft takes place.

For the Sting it is a vitally important draft as for the second time in four years they have the first overall pick. The team will make the announcement of that pick at a media conference Friday afternoon at the RBC Centre.

After being hired in June of 2009, Debenham, who lives in Chatham, began the process of looking at potential players who could wind up in a Sting uniform.

Debenham talked about Saturday’s draft during an interview this week,

My first assignment was last August when I attended the United States under-16 camp for three days in Rochester, New York. Since then the Sting scouting staff has seen over 1,200 games in Ontario and Michigan.”

He added, this month has been nuts with all the playoffs winding down, tournaments, the OHL Cup and Under-17 camps. I told Dave MacQueen when he interviewed me for the job I may not be the best scout around, but I won’t get outworked.”

Debenham has six scouts working under him. They include Mike Glover who handles Ottawa and Eastern Ontario, John Davison Northern Ontario, United States scout Chris Pyzik, Mark Filipone, who handles the western GTA, Nick Sinclair, eastern GTA and OMHA, and Dave Burstyn, Southern Ontario.

In addition, head coach and general manager Dave MacQueen, along with Bill Abercrombie, vice-president of operations, also scouted players.

Debenham explained how the scouting staff operates.

Reports are filed via computer after every game the scouts attend. If a scout wants me to have a second or third look at a player, I will go to that area. We then can have one-on-one discussions. We also meet as a group two or three times a year. A final report is then tabulated and sent to Dave (MacQueen), who has the final say.”

Debenham added, Dave deserves a ton of credit for getting all our draft picks back. We have 16 picks this year compared to only 11 a year ago.”

Debenham knows the importance of this draft for the Sting.

It is huge and extremely important in putting us back on track. Just look at Kitchener. They didn’t make the playoffs a year ago and this year were one game away from going to the league final. Teams like London and Windsor have rebuilt in two to three years through the draft.”

Debenham is no stranger to scouting. He spent 11 years with OHL Central Scouting before joining the Plymouth Whalers for seven years. This is his first year with the Sting.

So who direction did Debenham and his staff get from MacQueen?

He wants the best players available, but most important he wants players who will compete and have heart. You look when I was in Plymouth. We drafted players who were big and competed. That’s a good blueprint for the Sting.”

So are the Sting ready for this weekend?

We are as ready as we can be,” says Debenham. We have the first pick so nobody is going to surprise us. We have a good idea who will be our second round pick. But that could change with one surprise pick in the opening round. After saying that, we have a plan in place and we want to stick to it.”

Debenham would not commit to whom the Sting will draft first. However, several mock drafts say the team will choose forward Alex Galchenyuk from the Chicago Young Americans.

He’s the best goal scoring player I’ve seen in years. But he can also distribute the puck and he makes players around him better,” said Debenham.

But as important as the first overall pick is, Debenham suggests just one player does not determine the success of this draft.

I’m hoping four players from this draft make the team this year and another three to four players make the team in two years. That’s how a team rebuilds quickly with drafts like that.

I grew up in Peterborough during the Roger Neilson years there. They always had a strong team back then because of the players they selected in the draft.

It’s not hard to determine the top 100 or so players for this draft. But it’s rounds five through 15 when you can find players who can come to camp and challenge for a spot. We want to make every pick count, if not for this year, for the future of this organization.”

Debenham dispelled rumours about players who do not want to come to Sarnia.

That’s a myth in my eyes. Every player I spoke with over the winter said they would like to play in Sarnia if drafted. They know Dave is a proven coach and has won OHL championships in Peterborough and Erie. They also know about Steve Stamkos and his success. So I don’t believe that theory for one second.”

In MacQueen’s first draft with the Sting a year ago, four players made the team. They included first round pick Brett Ritchie, third rounders Brandon Francisco and Craig Hottot, and fifth-round choice J.C. Campagna. Late in the season six-round pick Braden Kavaratzis also played 13 games.

The OHL draft will begin Saturday at 9 a.m. and will be conducted via Internet.







Dave Borody is a freelance writer who covers Sting games both home and away and also writes features for the Sting Website