Storm Draft Flashbacks… 1998

The 2012 OHL Priority Selection will be conducted online on Saturday, April 7. With the sixth choice of the draft, Guelph Storm GM and Vice President Mike Kelly along with his scouting staff will certainly have the opportunity to add an elite player to the club for what looks like an exciting season in 2012-13. 

GuelphStorm.com looks back at OHL Priority Selections in team history including several that were headed by Kelly during his last tenure with the Storm.

1998 OHL PRIORITY SELECTION

Just weeks after capturing the first OHL Championship in Guelph Storm history, General Manager Alan Millar and his scouting staff would oversee the eighth OHL Priority Selection in team history.  The Brampton Battalion and Mississauga IceDogs would join the OHL for the 1998/99 season raising the number of member teams to 20.  In four seasons the league had grown from 16 clubs to 20 with Barrie and Toronto also granted expansion franchises.  The additional teams clearly thinned out the annual draft with up to 80 additional players selected each season.

While the 1998 OHL Priority Selection was weak for the Storm at the top, two middle round picks would save the day.  First round pick Matt Rock would be the second straight top pick dealt by the Storm when he was shipped to Owen Sound in his second season.  Second round pick Nathan  Herrington made an immediate splash with 8 points in his first 6 games, but never regained his scoring touch and was also traded after one season.  Looking back none of the club’s top 6 picks made an impact in the OHL, but fortunately for the Storm, Millar would grab a couple of future NHLers in the eighth and tenth rounds.

Selected in round eight, future Storm captain and all-time games played leader Kevin Dallman (pictured) would rack up 38 points on the blueline and earn Rookie of the Year honours.  The Niagara Falls native played four terrific seasons in the Royal City before moving on to the pro ranks where he would move up from the AHL to play 154 games in the NHL.  Millar would hit another late-round home run when he convinced future OHL Goaltender of the Year to join the club early in the season.  The tenth round pick would bump sixth round pick Mike D’Alesandro off the roster and eventually be one of the most decorated Storm goalies in their history.  After shuffling between the NHL and AHL for several seasons, the Illinois native looks to have found a full-time job in the NHL with his steady play.

Below are the Guelph Storm’s 1998 OHL Priority Selections picks.  The combined Guelph Storm and CHL totals for the 19 players selected that day are at the bottom of the table.  

		Round	Player	GP	G	A	Pts	Pim	Notes
		1	Matt Rock	91	3	8	11	49	Also played for OS, Kit
			CHL TOTALS	191	5	21	26	143
		2	Nathan Herrington	68	12	18	30	28	Also played for Kin, Bra, Sud
			CHL TOTALS	140	15	31	46	76
		3	Francois Jolette	43	4	2	6	47
		4	Paul Davies						Played NCAA hockey
		5	Derek Wagar						Played NCAA hockey
		6	Mike D’Alessandro	13					Goaltender
		8	Kevin Dallman	268	69	191	260	246
		9	Troy Barnes						Played NCAA hockey
		10	Craig Anderson	118					Goaltender
		11	Jason Wilson
		12	JS Larocque	13	0	0	0	0	Also played for Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)
			CHL TOTALS	20	0	0	0	0
		13	Bryan Campbell						Played NCAA hockey
		14	Jason Fortin						Played NCAA hockey
		15	Evan Wax						Played NCAA hockey
		16	Joe Carrabs						Played NCAA hockey
		17	Matt McLellan
		18	Nevin Hamilton	1	0	0	0	0	Played only for North Bay
		19	Alexander Pavlovski
		20	Paul Devoe
			Guelph Storm Totals	614	88	219	307	370
			CHL Totals	807	93	245	338	512