It is an exciting day in the OHL with the 2012 OHL Priority Selection taking place. The 15 round draft is a big time for kids that are hoping to take the next step in their development towards what they hope to be a professional hockey career.
To all the players drafted today congratulations is in order, for those that weren't don't give up on your dreams and keep working towards your goals.
This draft blog is going to focus mainly on the Sarnia Sting and Sarnia-Lambton born players that are drafted into the OHL. That being said I am also going to focus on some first round OHL picks that are going to be fun players to watch in the future; as well as, what I consider some interesting picks and picks that would have been huge assets to the Sarnia Sting organization.
Since I am so far removed from Ontario obviously I cannot see these players first hand as they develop. I will give credit to my sources here as their hard work is what will make my research easy. I am using the OHL Website, OHL Draft Media Guide, Sarnia Sting, Hockey Prospect Pro Draft Guide, and of course my wonderful twitter friends that are excellent eyes for talent.
ROUND 1
The first round of the OHL priority selection saw pretty much what a lot of people expected to happen at the top of the draft with only a few curve ball picks happening.
The Erie Otters kicked off the draft on Friday night making it official that the would take 15 year old Connor McDavid who was granted exceptional status to enter the OHL a year early.
The top 5 picks in the draft were as follows:
1. Connor McDavid (F) - Erie Otters
An exceptional player and clearly the best forward in the draft. Erie will have Connor until the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. According to scouting reports Connor doesn't really have a whole lot of negatives in his game, he shows a willingness to compete in the defensive zone, he has great offensive abilities and vision. A player with the talent of McDavid doesn't need to so he doesn't play a real physical style.
2. Roland McKeown (D) - Kingston Frontenac's
The top defensemen in the 2012 OHL draft McKeown is 6'1'' 180 lbs. McKeown is a smart defenseman with excellent skating skills and rushes end to end with no problems. He is a smart defenseman that does not make a whole lot of mistakes. He is going to be able to log big minutes in the OHL plying in all situations. He is a good offensive defenseman and a great addition to the Kingston blue line.
3. Eric Cornel (F)- Peterborough Pete's
Eric Cornel is a big forward that probably combines size with speed like no one else in the draft. Cornell has explosive acceleration and has probably the quickest speed in the draft. Cornel is 6'2'' 165 lbs so he still has a lot of room to develop into his big frame. Cornel is more of a playmaker and should make last year's first round pick by the Pete's Nick Ritchie even better.
4. Jared McCann (F)- Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds
Ranked #2 by Hockey Prospect scouts before McDavid made himself a clear candidate for exceptional status early in the season McCann was ranked #1 by Hockey Prospects for the OHL draft. McCann is touted as the most complete player in the OHL draft. He competes in all 3 zones and constantly makes an impact. McCann's acceleration and skating in small area's has room for improvement but isn't a major flaw. When in the offensive zone McCann is incredibly dangerous as his excellent vision allows for great passes but he also has a laser release.
5. Joshua Ho-Sang (F)- Windsor Spitfires
Joshua Ho-Sang was probably the most over scouted and over scrutinized player in the OHL draft this year. Ho-Sang last year had been said to be an exceptional player and a lot of people said that he probably should have applied and been given exceptional status as well last season. Ho-Sang dropped to number 5 this year and probably has a lot to do with the amount he was scouted. One of the main reason's hockey prospects feels that he fell in the draft rankings was due to the fact that he is more of a selfish player that is unwilling to involve his teammates in the plat enough. Josh's puck control is probably one of the better in the draft if not the best he has a laser shot and has an accurate pass when he choses to use it.
Those were the top 5 picks in this years OHL draft. All are probably going to be great forces in the OHL as soon as next year. By no means there is no knock on the players below them but my main focus in the first round is the top 5.
13. Brett Hargrave - Sarnia Sting
58 GP 28G 38A 64PTS 58PIM
This is a good move for the Sarnia Sting organization realizing that there big downfall in the playoffs this year was probably big bodied forwards. Hargrave is going to be your prototypical power forward type player. He is 6'4'' 197 lbs so there is plenty of room to grow into a lanky frame. Hargrave isn't afraid to use his size to his advantage going to the dirty area's and picking a spot in front of the net especially on the power play. Hargrave has underrated hands with a rocket of a shot, and is a decent passer. Brett is a player that is going to be able to step into the OHL right away and is definitely physically ready. One thing that scouts feel Brett needs to work on and improve is his skating ability.
22. Liam Herbst - London Knights
This would have been a great pick up for Sarnia Sting fans. Herbst is the best goalie in the draft this year which is also a spot that doesn't really have a whole lot of depth in that position. OHL central scouting states that Herbst is probably the most OHL ready goalie to come around in a long time. Herbst 6'3'' is going to fill the net already making it hard for players to score but Herbst also doesn't give up a lot of rebounds and has a quick glove.
You can find all selections made in the 2012 OHL Priority Selection at OHL 2012 Draft
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