2020 Draft Pick Feature: Poitras, Karabela and Buchinger
The next chapter of Storm City history is just around the corner!
The 2021 OHL Priority Selection starts tonight with rounds 1-3.
Don’t forget that we pick third, so tune in at 7:00 p.m (6:30pm for the pre-game show) tonight on the OHL’s YouTube channel.
Stream it live here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBD5WSBwmnk
But ahead of tonight’s action, we thought that it was only appropriate to kick off Draft Day by talking with our top picks from last year—Poitras, Buchinger and Karabela—about what it means to them to have been selected by Guelph.
Matthew Poitras—12th overall
“I was overly excited because it was a bit unexpected. I wasn’t sure when I would go so I was just really excited when I got drafted,” said Poitras. “It being to Guelph is a bonus because it’s such a great team and organization, and obviously the fact that their the defending champs is pretty sweet.”
Poitras continued, “It’s an honour and a privilege to be drafted by Guelph. All of my [limited] experiences so far with the organization have been great and I’m just really thankful for the opportunity.”
Michael Buchinger—24th overall
“I was in the basement with my family live streaming the draft and when my name was called, I was ecstatic and so was my family—we were all really happy,” said Buchinger. “I remember getting the call from Coach Burnett too and it was just all surreal. Being selected by such an amazing organization was a really happy moment for me and it’ll definitely stick with me for the rest of my life.”
Jake Karabela—32nd overall
“My family and I were all sitting in the living room, live streaming the draft up on the TV and I remember just sitting there and getting a call from Coach Burnett. I instantly jumped to my feet, still in my PJs and everything,” said Karabela. “I answered the call and the video went up of the Storm selecting me, and I just remember my Dad smiling, jumping around, and hugging everyone.”
Karabela continued, “Watching players like McGinn, Dickinson, Finn and Sparks is what really drove me to want to put on that jersey and have little kids watch me through the glass. It’s definitely one of the best moments of my life and hockey career knowing that I was selected my hometown team, I couldn’t of wished for anything better.”
