2016 OHL Priority Selection First Round Recap
20 players from 16 different organizations were chosen in the first round of the 2016 OHL Priority Selection on Saturday April 9.
The OHL Cup Finalist Toronto Marlboros led the way with three players selected in the first round including Danil Antropov who was chosen sixth overall by the Oshawa Generals, Akil Thomas who was selected 12th overall by the Niagara IceDogs and Allan McShane who went 19th overall to the Erie Otters.
The GTHL’s Toronto Jr. Canadiens and Don Mills Flyers joined the Marlboros as two other clubs with multiple players taken in the opening 20 selections.
Guelph Storm first overall pick Ryan Merkley joined Jr. Canadiens teammate Kirill Nizhnikov, who was taken seventh overall by the Mississauga Steelheads.
Don Mills Flyers forward Tyler Weiss was selected 15th overall by the Sarnia Sting while teammate Jack McBain went 20th to the Barrie Colts.
GTHL talent comprised 12 of the 20 players selected in the first round, with eight different GTHL clubs represented.
A pair of defencemen in Merkley and Windsor Jr. Spitfires blueliner Owen Lalonde, who was selected second overall by the Sudbury Wolves, opened the draft before a run of eight straight forwards went off the board.
Detroit Compuware centreman Blade Jenkins was selected fourth overall by the Saginaw Spirit. Jenkins was one of two American players taken in the first round, being joined by Don Mills forward Tyler Weiss.
The first round saw 15 forwards and five defencemen taken by OHL clubs.
Learn more about the 2016 first round draft class below with reports from OHL Central Scouting.
1. Guelph Storm – Ryan Merkley (Toronto Jr. Canadiens) 5.10 160Ib RD
“Ryan is a dominant player that has the ability to take over a game whenever he wants to. His skill level and creativity with the puck are second to none. He has the ability to thread a pass that not many others could. Ryan is a great skater and has made many forwards miss on the forecheck leaving them looking silly. He is dangerous on the rush as his one-on-one skills are top notch. He is always on the other team’s radar and he plays on the edge.”
2. Sudbury Wolves – Owen Lalonde (Windsor Jr. Spitfires) 6.00 171Ib RD
“Owen is one of the top defensemen in this year’s draft. He logs a lot of minutes for his team and is relied on in every situation. He is a smooth skating and very mobile defender that has an effortless skating stride. Owen has good vision and composure from the back end and rarely panics or turns the puck over. He is not afraid to join the rush to try to create offense for his team, but he picks his spots very well.”
3. Hamilton Bulldogs – Connor Roberts (Grey Bruce Highlanders) 6.02 204lb C
“Connor is the type of player that every coach wants on his team. He is like a man playing with kids at times, powerful in every aspect of his game, skating, battling and competing. He shoots the puck like a pro and can shoot it in stride which is something most kids his age can’t do. It’s accurate and has extreme pace to it. Connor is a powerful skater that is explosive and has a nice long stride. Can dominate physically. He was a member of the
Canadian Youth Olympics team.”
4. Saginaw Spirit – Blade Jenkins (Detroit Compuware 16U) 5.11 177lb C
“Blade is one of the most skilled players in this year’s draft. He is a fun player to watch as he is so gifted and the game seems to come easy to him. His vision, creativity and one-on-one skills are extremely good. He makes all the players around him better and is a big part of the success his team had this season. Blade has the skill and hockey IQ to be a top player at the next level.”
5. Flint Firebirds – Ty Dellandrea (Central Ontario Wolves) 5.11 172lb C
“Ty is one of the most improved players in the draft since the start of the season. His skating is noticeably better, he is quicker in every area and has become very hard to handle off the rush. He is also playing with way more confidence and is trying things he never would have at the beginning of the season. Ty has the puck on his stick a lot and creates chances for himself and his teammates. He has a very hard and accurate shot off the wing and surprises goalies with his release.”
6. Oshawa Generals – Danil Antropov (Toronto Marlboros) 6.00 180lb RW
“Danil finished the season very strong and was a major factor in his team making the OHL Cup final. He started to show his potential on a more consistent basis, developing into a physical power forward. He finished the year playing with a lot more confidence and was willing to get his nose dirty and pay the price for the puck. He developed great chemistry with his linemates, who became the team’s most productive line the second half of the season.”
7. Mississauga Steelheads – Kirill Nizhnikov (Toronto Jr. Canadiens) 6.00 175lb RW
“Kirill has the ability to be a difference maker in each and every game he plays. When he has the puck on his stick, he is one of the most electric players in this age group. He makes plays that you don’t see coming. His creativity is off the charts and he makes the players around him better. Offensively, he is one of the top players in this draft but he still has some learning to do about the game defensively.”
8. Peterborough Petes – Pavel Gogolev (CIH Academy) 5.11 162Ib RW
“Pavel is one of the top skilled players in the HEO midget league this season. He possesses a combination of size, skill and skating that not many players have. Pavel is an intimidating presence when he is in full flight flying through the neutral zone and has made many a defender look very average as he blows by them. He is very dangerous when he has the puck on his stick and is always a threat offensively. He has great instincts for the net and has the ability to find open ice well.”
9. Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds – Barrett Hayton (Toronto Red Wings) 6.00 176Ib. C
“Barrett is one of the top players in the GTHL this season. His hockey sense and skill are by far his best two attributes. He always seems to be in the right spot at the right time and the puck seems to follow him around the ice because of where he is positioned. He has exceptional hands and skill and has scored some highlight reel goals this season. Barrett shoots the puck like a pro already. He has all the abilities to be a star at the next level.”
10. Owen Sound Attack – Aidan Dudas (North Central Predators) 5.07 153lb C
“Aidan is game in game out his team’s best player and usually the best player on the ice. Although he is only 5’7”, he is not afraid to go into any area of the ice with or without the puck. He has a very low center of gravity which makes it very hard to knock him off of puck. He is a very good skater and has the ability to change gears in mid-stride to beat a defender wide. He uses his elite skill to turn defenders inside out. Aidan has a very good snap shot with a great release that he can shoot in stride.”
11. Ottawa 67’s – Peter Stratis (Mississauga Rebels) 5.11 182 RD
“Peter is a complete and versatile defender that does a lot of things very well. He has a good skating stride and is explosive off the mark. He uses his skating ability to beat forecheckers and join or lead the rush to create offense. Peter is a heads-up player that sees ice well from the back end. He makes the simple play most of the time and is a smart player that understands the game and its situations. He has a good hard shot from the point and has scored numerous goals from there this season.”
12. Niagara IceDogs – Akil Thomas (Toronto Marlboros) 5.10 159lb C
“Akil plays a high energy game and was a big part of his team’s journey to the OHL Cup Final. He applies pressure to the opposition with his speed and quickness and is able to use his strong skating to his advantage in all three zones. He is very dangerous inside the top of the circles. Akil likes having the puck on his stick and is more than willing to take it to the net. Showed an ability to play the point on the powerplay throughout the season.”
13. North Bay Battalion – Adam McMaster (Niagara North Stars) 5.09 155 C
“Adam is one of the best skaters in this year’s draft and has the ability to beat almost any defender he goes up against to the outside with his elite speed. He is very shifty and hard to contain, often shifting gears in mid-stride. He looks like a pro with the puck on his stick and is very creative with it in open ice. Has very good one-on-one skills, using his speed to his advantage.”
14. Barrie Colts – Tyler Tucker (Toronto Titans) 6.00 201Ib. LD
“Tyler is a big, physical stay-at-home defender that loves to look for the big hit. He is a good skater with good mobility and stride, which allows him to take away time and space. Tyler makes a solid outlet pass and keeps his game simple for the most part. Tyler will be a player that coaches love to have on their
team because of his high compete level and solid defensive play.”
15. Sarnia Sting – Tyler Weiss (Don Mills Flyers) 5.09 140Ib. C
“Tyler is a highly skilled center that makes things happen every time he has the puck on his stick. He is an excellent skater that can change gears and beat defenders like they are standing still. He is a very skilled one-on-one player that is hard to contain in open ice. Tyler has a very high hockey sense, is always in the right position and the puck seems to follow him around. He is used in every situation by his coaches and is especially dangerous on the power play.”
16. Kitchener Rangers – Giovanni Vallati (Vaughan Kings) 6.00 186Ib. LD
“Giovanni is a smooth skating defender that isn’t shy to join the rush when given the opportunity to do so. He is a very strong skater with excellent mobility which allows him to beat a forechecker by himself. His defensive game has really improved since the beginning of the season and he has really simplified his game. He has very good skills and a hard, accurate shot from the point. Giovanni was relied on heavily by his team to help get them into a playoff position and to play in the OHL Cup.”
17. Kingston Frontenacs – Nathan Dunkley (Quinte Red Devils) 5.09 182Ib. C
“Nathan has a very strong and low center of gravity which makes it very difficult to knock him off the puck. He is a powerful skater with a very strong 10-foot game which allows him to gain a step on players in every zone. Nathan is a skilled center that is good offensively in every aspect. He sees the ice well and can beat players one-on-one. He shoots the puck well and has scored a lot of nice goals this season. He is like a bulldog on the ice and will fight through anything to score a goal.”
18. London Knights – Liam Foudy (Markham Majors) 5.11 154Ib. C
“Liam is the engine that makes his team go. He does a very good job of anticipating the play and jumping into holes at the right time, which is one of the reasons why he gets so many breakaways. He has deceiving quickness and changes gears well off the rush to beat defenders. He has a very high skill set and is dangerous one-on-one. Liam has good hands around the net and capitalizes on the majority of his chances. He has developed into a top GTHL prospect.”
19. Erie Otters – Allan McShane (Toronto Marlboros) 5.10 187Ib. C
“Allan has picked up right where he left off last season playing up as under-ager. He plays in every situation but is at his best when he has the puck on his stick and is creating offense for himself and his teammates. He has good separation speed and is a great one-on-one player with the ability to beat players on his own. He has a high hockey sense and always seems to be in the right place. He had a strong tournament for Canada at the Youth Olympics.”
20. Barrie Colts – Jack McBain (Don Mills Flyers) 6.02 173Ib. C
“Jack is a player that has continued to develop throughout the year and has taken his game to the next level as one of the top forwards in the GTHL. He is one of hardest players to play against in this age group. He uses his size and body positioning to protect the puck and take it to the net effectively. He has a very good skill set and has scored numerous big goals for his team this season. Jack competes and plays physical each and every game and is definitely a player that is trending the right way.”
Learn more about the next wave of OHL talent:
FULL 2016 OHL PRIORITY SELECTION RESULTS
WATCH A REPLAY OF THE 2016 OHL PRIORITY SELECTION DRAFT SHOW
2016 OHL PRIORITY SELECTION PREVIEW GUIDE
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