Wolves’ Top Two Picks Baptiste and Harris Commit to Sudbury
The Sudbury Wolves Hockey Club is pleased to announce that they have signed first round selection (6th overall) NICHOLAS BAPTISTE and second round selection (28th overall) JACOB HARRIS to OHL contracts.
BAPTISTE, 16 (as of yesterday), led the Ottawa Senators AAA Minor Midgets in scoring with 39 goals, 48 assists and 87 points in just 42 games. He also added 38 penalty minutes. The 6’1”, 175 lb right winger played for Team Ontario U16 team at the Canada Winter Games and was recognized by the OHL for his leadership skills at the OHL Cup banquet in March.
“I am very excited to be in Sudbury and playing for the Sudbury Wolves” stated Baptiste. “Sudbury has excellent coaches and a very good group of returning players and I am looking forward to contributing to the Wolves’ success this season.”
BAPTISTE had the opportunity to watch the Wolves defeat the Ottawa 67’s in a first-round sweep of the favoured 67’s in the 2011 OHL play-offs.
“I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Burgess, Mr. MacKenzie and Mr. Cull in Ottawa during the play-offs and I knew from talking with them that Sudbury would be an excellent fit for me. They are all very dedicated hockey people who want to see the Sudbury Wolves win a championship. That is my goal – to help Sudbury win a championship.”
BAPTISTE was one of four players drafted from the OTTAWA area including: Evan deHaan, Patrick Crampton and Daniel Disipio. BAPTISTE is also familiar with a number of other Ottawa players in Sudbury’s system including: Eric O’Dell, Sam Schutt and Nathan Pancel.
“We are honoured to have drafted the best prospect from the Ottawa area and one of the best prospects in the Province of Ontario” notes Wolves’ President & GM Blaine Smith. “Nick is an outstanding hockey player with excellent leadership skills. Our fans will be absolutely thrilled watching him perform in Sudbury and anyone who meets him will be impressed with his excellent people skills. The Sudbury Wolves organization is very excited to have a player the calibre of Nicholas Baptiste in our line-up.”
Wolves’ Head Scout Norm Robert was instrumental in the selection of Baptiste and rated the Ottawa forward as one of his top selections from the start of the season. “Nicholas is a highly skilled and competitive forward with a very good hockey sense. He can play wing or centre. He possesses good offensive instincts and he is an offensive threat who can execute with precision. I fully expect Nick to be named to Ontario’s U17 team when he returns to the line-up.”
BAPTISTE’S NUMBERS
2010-11 SEASON
TEAM: OTTAWA SENATORS ‘AAA’ MINOR MIDGETS
STATS: 42 GP 39 G 48 A 87 PTS 38 PIMS
POSITION: RIGHT WING/CENTRE
SHOOTS: RIGHT
Scouting Report by OHL Central Scouting
Baptiste is a smart, highly skilled offensive-minded forward who plays both a finesse and a power-styled game. He is blessed with a solid collection of physical tools. He has very good size, a tall and rangy frame with the potential to really fill out and get stronger. He also possesses a very good stick. He can handle the puck and make plays, and most importantly, he can to it while at top speed. Baptiste also displays a high level of hockey sense. He reads and supports the play quite well. He has played both down the middle and on the wing.
HOMETOWN: NEPEAN, ONTARIO
BIRTHDATE: AUGUST 4, 1995
AWARDS: TEAM CAPTAIN – OTTAWA SENATORS MINOR MIDGETS
NAMED TO TEAM ONTARIO in the 2011 CANADA WINTER GAMES in Halifax
OHL LEADERSHIP AWARD – OHL CUP in March.
CONSIDERATION FOR TEAM ONTARIO U17 TEAM – WORLD CHALLENGE CUP.
HARRIS, 16, led the Halton Hurricanes AAA Minor Midgets in scoring with 43 goals, 37 assists and 80 points in 55 games. He also added 20 penalty minutes. The 5’11”, 180 lb centre played for Team Ontario U16 team at the Canada Winter Games. Harris also advanced to the final camp of the TEAM ONTARIO U16 try-outs in Thunder Bay in July.
“I am very excited that the Sudbury Wolves drafted me in the 2nd round” notes Harris. “I wasn’t expecting to be drafted as high as 28th but the Wolves showed a lot of interest in me and I knew that I was high on their list. I also know that Sudbury is a great hockey town and I know it will be very beneficial for me and my career to play in a hockey town like Sudbury. I’m really looking forward to the challenge of making the Wolves’ roster in September.”
“Jacob is a very good hockey player and a very hard-working player” notes Wolves’ GM Blaine Smith. “He never cheats you and he never takes a shift off. He is an excellent two-way player and can be as good defensively as he is offensively. He has outstanding leadership skills and excellent character. I believe that Jake will put-up big numbers in the OHL before his junior career is over.”
Wolves’ Head Scout Norm Robert was very high on Jacob Harris and his performance with the Halton Hurricanes. “Jacob is a well-rounded forward who plays a competitive two-way game. He possesses a strong and impeccable work ethic in all areas of the ice. He has good hockey sense and his skills are understated.”
Based on Harris’ ability to crack the Wolves’ solid line-up this season, the Wolves will be adding two very significant impact forwards to their line-up with Nicholas Baptiste and Jacob Harris.
HARRIS’ NUMBERS
2010-11 SEASON
TEAM: HALTON HURRICANES ‘AAA’ MINOR MIDGETS
STATS: 55 GP 43 G 37 A 80 PTS 20 PIMS
POSITION: CENTRE/WING
SHOOTS: LEFT
Scouting Report
Harris is a smart, two-way forward who works hard in all areas of the ice. Although he is an above average skater already, Jacob continues to work hard on improving his skating speed and agility. If he is able to continue to improve in these areas, the sky is the limit for the Georgetown native. At 5’11, 180 lbs, Harris is a very solid forward who is difficult to knock-off his feet. He finishes his checks and is very responsible defensively. He is a very good play-maker but can find the back of the net as evidenced by his 43 goals last season. Harris is very good on face-offs and kills penalties very well.
HOMETOWN: GEORGETOWN, ONTARIO
BIRTHDATE: FEBRUARY 2, 1995
AWARDS: TEAM CAPTAIN – HALTON HURRICANES MINOR MIDGETS
SELECTED FOR TEAM ONTARIO in the 2011 CANADA WINTER GAMES in Halifax
CONSIDERATION FOR TEAM ONTARIO U17 TEAM – WORLD CHALLENGE CUP.
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