Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League yesterday conducted the
2016 OHL Priority Selection for players born between January 1, 1997, and
December 31, 2000.
A total of 301 players were selected in the 15-round process
from 91 different teams across Ontario and parts of the United States. The
selected players included 171 forwards, 99 defencemen, and 31
goaltenders. 292 players chosen were 2000-born athletes, with nine
players born in 1999.
“Congratulations to all 301 players chosen in the 2016 OHL Priority Selection, their family, friends, and minor hockey coaches and organizations who have helped support and develop these tremendous student athletes,” said Darrell Woodley, Director of OHL Central Scouting. “Being selected by an OHL team is a great accomplishment but it’s also just the beginning of your road to the next level. Whether you have been selected or not, opportunities for success are available for players with the right attitude and work ethic. Best of luck to all players in pursuit of your hockey and academic goals.”
CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL RESULTS OF THE 2016 OHL PRIORITY SELECTION
CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL RESULTS OF ALLIANCE HOCKEY PLAYERS
The Ontario Minor Hockey Association led the way with 86 players from 19 teams including 53 who compete among 11 ETA teams, and 33 from eight different SCTA teams. The OHL Cup Champion York Simcoe Express led the OMHA with 12 players selected, followed by the Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs with 10 players chosen. The Greater Toronto Hockey League was represented by 82 players from 13 different teams led by the league champion Mississauga Rebels with 15 players, followed by both the Toronto Marlboros and Toronto Red Wings each with 12 players chosen. The ALLIANCE had a total of 36 players selected from 12 different teams led by the league champion Waterloo Wolves with nine players selected. Hockey Eastern Ontario was represented by 22 players on 11 different Midget AAA teams including five players from the Cumberland Grads. The Northern Ontario Hockey Association had 12 players chosen from four different teams including seven players from the Sudbury Minor Midget Wolves, while one player was selected from Hockey Northwestern Ontario competing for the Thunder Bay Kings. An additional four players were chosen from various Canadian junior and prep school programs with the remaining 58 players representing 27 different teams from the United States led by seven players from Detroit Honeybaked.
This season marked the 16th straight year the Priority Selection was conducted by way of the internet, and ninth straight year with a live draft show of the first three rounds.
2016 OHL Priority Selection First Round Results:
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.”
Media Notes:
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE 2016 OHL PRIORITY SELECTION MEDIA GUIDE
CLICK HERE TO WATCH A REPLAY OF THE 2016 OHL PRIORITY SELECTION DRAFT SHOW