Spotlight shines on top OHL draft picks

By Aaron Bell

There is little question that being the first overall pick in the OHL Priority Selection brings along some extra attention with it. But for many players – and the teams that have selected them – that extra attention has paid off very well.

When you look at the roster of players that have earned that honour in the past decade, it’s an impressive list of young stars in the National Hockey League and players poised to make their impact there very soon.

John Tavares and Steven Stamkos were back-to-back first overall picks in the OHL Priority Selection and then followed each other (although in reverse order) again as the first overall picks in the NHL Entry Draft.

Ryan O’Reilly and Alex Galchenyuk were also first overall OHL picks and are blossoming as young NHL stars while Aaron Ekblad of the Barrie Colts and Connor McDavid of the Erie Otters represent the next wave of NHL freshmen sprouting from the OHL.

Stamkos was the first overall pick of the Sarnia Sting in 2006 and went on to become one of the brightest stars that has ever pulled on an OHL jersey. He scored 100 goals and 197 points in 124 regular season games with the Sting and was the first overall pick in the NHL by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2008.

“It’s tough, and you just try not to get caught up in all of it,” Stamkos told NHL.com just before Sarnia’s Galchenyuk became the third overall pick of the Montreal Canadiens in the 2012 NHL draft. “I think you let your play do the talking. I remember how tough it was for me – there’s a lot more media attention than you’re used to in your draft year.”

McDavid has been a key piece of the Otters rebuilding process and has helped them climb into a contender on the ice but his impact off the ice may be even stronger. McDavid and the resurgent Otters are regularly playing in front of full houses at the newly renovated Erie Insurance Arena.

“I didn’t expect them to jump on board this quickly,” Otters GM Sherry Bassin told the Erie Times-News about the response from fans this season. “We knew we would be pretty good. We were developing an excitement.”

The Otters won 19 straight games on home ice this season and are in the second round of the OHL playoffs for the first time in a decade. McDavid has been a huge building block in that success.

“The fans really get into it,” Bassin said. “It tells you how loyal they are.”

The Ottawa 67’s are hoping that Travis Konecny, last year’s first overall pick, will have a similar effect on their success.

The 67’s are returning to the newly refreshed TD Place Arena after a pair of seasons playing in the shadow of the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre.

They missed the playoffs in both seasons at the CTC but see Konecny and their return home as a great launching pad for future success.

“The way Travis plays, it’s infectious,” Brian Kilrea told the media when Konecny was introduced as the 67’s first overall pick a year ago.

“I think that everyone else will pick up off it. He’ll bring them to a different level — once he adjusts. It’s not going to be an easy thing when you think of a 15-year-old coming in and some teams will be keying on him, such as (Connor) McDavid did this year with Erie.”

Konecny went on to lead all OHL rookies with 26 goals and 70 points in 63 games this season.

The OHL’s next crop of young stars take their first steps in the 2014 OHL Priority Selection presented by State Farm this Saturday starting at 9:00 a.m. (www.ontariohockeyleague.com).  The Sting hold the first overall pick and will introduce their selection to fans and media on Friday morning.

Click here to access the 2014 OHL Priority Selection Preview and Media Guide.

Click here to watch the 2014 OHL Priority Selection Preview Show.