Wolves Add 15 New Players in 2024 OHL Priority Selection
(Greater Sudbury, ON) The Sudbury Wolves welcomed 15 new prospects to the pack during the 2024 OHL Priority Selection presented by the Real Canadian Superstore through the two-day event this past Friday and Saturday.
The Wolves started the 2024 OHL Priority Selection, Friday with the 12th overall selection of right-shot defender, Luca Blonda from the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 15’s. This season Luca registered 45 points with 15 goals and 30 assists through 55 games played. The blueliner also finished the season with a plus/minus rating of 32.
“We are always going to go for the best guy available and Luca was the guy,” said Sudbury Wolves VP and General Manager, Rob Papineau. “We were really wanting him to be there, and as soon as we were able to get him, we jumped and didn’t waste any time. He’s a guy we have been watching for the past two years. Luca had a great season last year in Sault Ste. Marie and he helped that team be one of the top two teams in the province. This year he went to Pittsburgh and had an unbelievable experience and he continued to get better and better. He’s a unique player, his Coach last year was Terry Chitaroni, who we know well here, Terry expressed that Luca is a player that can do it all, he’s got the offence, the defence, and his skating is elite. He was the guy we were really zeroed in on and excited to bring to Sudbury.”
Next off the board for the Wolves was 5-foot-eleven, 160 lbs., forward, Ethan Dean in the 2nd round 36th overall. Ethan finished the 2023-24 regular season with 31 points, 16 goals, and 15 assists in 30 games. Additionally, Ethan capped off the season playing in 10 playoff games registering 15 points (7G-8A). Wolves scouting staff best describe Ethan to be a 200-foot-centre who has an elite skating ability and is a high character player and was a big part of his team’s leadership group that led London to the Alliance U16 Championship.
“Ethan has a lot of speed, his compete level is really high, you notice him every time he’s on the ice. He’s one of those players that jump onto the ice and grabs your attention immediately because of how well he skates and compete level. He excelled at the combine finishing third in the on-ice category. Our scouts were high on him coming out of the Alliance and we were really thrilled he was there for us to select,” added Papineau.
Closing out day one the Wolves select Henry Doucet 54th overall. The six-foot winger played for the Ottawa Myers Automotive U16 this season notching 31 points (20G-11A) through 30 regular season games. During the post season Henry registered 16 points including 4 goals and 12 assists. Henry also finished 1st in the on-ice category during the OHL Combine last weekend held on April 6th and 7th.
“Speed matters in this game today and the pace of play and that’s what Henry will bring. This season he scored 20 goals, he finishes his checks, he’s a hard guy to play against and everyone will tell you that. He’s a really strong competitor and comes from a hockey family. Henry was a guy we were really targeting as he had a great OHL Cup and a great season in Ottawa,” added Papineau.
The Wolves started off the second day by selecting a defenceman, Cole Wreggitt and a local puck stopper, Mateo Beites. Cole is described by the Wolves scouting staff to be a solid six-foot-one d-man with elite skating, a strong physical presence, and a high IQ. Mateo is a Sudbury born talent and this season he was selected to represent Canada on the national stage at the Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games in South Korea. The Wolves closed out the event using their final 10 picks to add 6 forwards and 4 defence.
“We are very happy with the results of this year’s draft. We were able to address every area we wanted to look at. We were able to add some scoring, size, toughness and an overall strong compete level in addition to some local talents,” said Sudbury Wolves Head Scout, Mike Taylor.
For full draft results and information, visit https://chl.ca/ohl-wolves/article/2024-ohl-priority-selection-april-12th-13th/.
The 2024 OHL U18 Priority Selection is set to take place Wednesday, April 17th at 7pm in addition to the 2024 CHL Import Draft slated for Wednesday, July 3rd at 11am. Wolves’ fans can follow along by visiting sudburywolves.com or on social media.
Wolves are battling with the Battalion in round two of the 2024 Playoffs. Pack the Den this Tuesday and Thursday for games three and four of the series. Single game tickets are on-sale now online at greatersudbury.ca/tickets, in person at the Sudbury Community Arena box office, or by phone at (705) 671-3000.
