The OHL draft seemed to have a common theme for the Sarnia Sting. That theme was get bigger and get grittier. The Sting seemed to draft a lot of big bodied forwards that fit the prototypical power forward type player. With their first round exit at the hands of the Saginaw Spirit I believe it was fairly evident that size was an issue that needed to be addressed, along with players that would go to the dirty area's and were strong along the boards. The Sting definitely addressed those issues at the 2012 OHL Priority Selection.
Sarnia Sting Draft Breakdown
The Sarnia Sting had 12 draft picks in the 15 round draft. Here is a look and how many players they drafted at what position and heights of the players drafted. (Please note my heights are based on the OHL Media Guide which as Mark Glavin pointed out on twitter isn't always accurate).
Forwards: 7- Brett Hargrave, Alexandre Renaud, Jordan Addesi, Matteo Ciccarelli, Patrick White, Cam Ashley, Ryan Vandramin
Defensemen: 3- Josh Jacobs, Jeffery King, Zachary Core
Goalies: 2- Ryan Hergott, Marc Audett
8 players drafted were over 6' - Hargrave (6'4''), Renaud (6'3''), Addesi (6'1''), Jacobs (6'2''), Hergott (6'3''), Core (6'1''), Vandramin (6'2''), Marc Audett (6')
4 players drafted were under 6'- Ciccarelli (5'9''), White (5'10''), Ashley (5'9''), King (5'9'')
Sarnia Sting Draft Picks
Brett Hargrave - 13th overall pick 1st Round - Mississauga Rebels - 6'4'' 195lbs - Right Wing
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.
Alexandre Renaud - 2nd Round 18th Pick (40th overall) - Ottawa Jr 67's - 6'3'' 190 lbs - Left Wing
38GP 14G 20A 34PTS 48PIM
Hockey Prospects had Renaud ranked 137th in their rankings. The Sarnia Sting took him at 40. He is another big body for the Sarnia Sting up front which is clearly a trend they were trying to set early on in the draft.
From Hockey Prospects Pro Draft Guide: "Renaud has been a bit of an under the radar player all year for the Jr. 67’s. He has great size, and is good in the slot area. He takes up positioning there, and is effective with good hands. When entering the offensive zone with the puck, he showed good decision making in regards to passing and shooting. He played physical, however we’d like to see a player of his size, and balance throw a few more hits. Renaud gets caught behind the bigger names, but Alexandre is a big body, and should get some recognition later in the draft."
Jordan Addesi - 1st Pick in 4th Round - Vaughan Kings - 6'1'' 175 lbs - Forward - Left Wing
19GP 6G 7A 13PTS
Addesi only appeared in 19 games for the Kings this year which gave everyone a limited viewing of his abilities in his draft year. Addesi's season was cut short by an injury to his shoulder that required surgery. That means the big question mark is how does Addesi bounce back from a season ending shoulder injury. He tweeted during the OHL draft stating he was excited to be selected and that he was going to get the shoulder strength back up to be ready to compete next season (complete editing on my part but thats pretty much what it meant). OHL Media guide describes Addesi as the prototypical power forward. Jordan has a physical side to his game and uses his size to go up and down the wing with ease. He scores his goals by driving to the net and for checking hard, has an above average skill set and was playing very well before his season ending injury.
Josh Jacobs - 9th Pick 4th Round - Detroit Honeybaked U-16's - 6'2'' 171 lbs - Right Defense
18GP 3G 11A 14PTS 16PIM
Jacobs was ranked as high as 18th overall by Hockey Prospects but he slipped in the draft due to the fact that teams where unsure of if he would commit or not to the OHL. There are rumours that Jacobs is strongly considering the OHL but is keeping his options open at this point. It should be interesting to see if Jaques Beaulieu is able to convince him to come to Sarnia as OHL Central Scouting has him regarded to has the top offensive defenseman in the draft, while hockey prospects regards him as a "top end prospect". This pick could be a steal in the 4th round.
Hockey Prospect Report: "Josh is a big hulking defensemen. He skates well for his size, agile and powerful. Jacobs is mean and physically intimidating, plays with an edge. He uses his size to his advantage, keeping his man to the outside and riding them out hard. He sees the ice and passes the puck well. Is very tough in the corners, pins his man easily. He loves to rush the puck up ice and gains the offensive zone with ease, but tries to do too much offensively at times. He gets his hard point shot through to the net well. A top end prospect."
Matteo Ciccarelli - 5th Pick, 5th Round - Lambton Jr Sting - 5'9'' 165 lbs - Left Center
40GP 10G 33A 43PTS 50PIM
This pick wasn't really a surprise as to the fact the Sarnia Sting made the selection but more so how high they made it. Matteo is a solid skater with good playmaking abilities but will need to overcome his size to make the jump to the next level. Hockey Prospects would like him to engage in a more physical game more and add a little grit (I am sure the Sting organization would like the same). Matteo has the ability to be in a secondary scoring line playmaker role if he overcomes his size to jump to the next level.
Patrick White - 6th Pick, 5th Round - Ottawa Jr 67's - 5'10'' 164 lbs - Left Center
36GP 32G 29A 61PTS 20PIM
The Sting pick up a very raw prospect in White that could go either way. White has consistency issues in his game and sometime tries to do a little too much causing turn overs. He is a good two way forward and excellent on the penalty kill (until it comes time to clear the zone). There is no problems with Patrick's vision and hockey sense he just needs to learn to not force things and sometimes go with the more simple play. If the Sting can get him to simplify his game a little better they will have a good two way forward on their hands. When given the time and space White is also able to score some big goals.
Ryan Hergott - 12th Pick, 7th Round - Kitchener Jr Rangers - 6'3'' 175 lbs - Goaltender
15GP 7-8-0 (W-L-T) 2.95 Goal Against Average 0.883 Save Percentage
I can't really find much on Hergott. So the stats are all I have to go on but at the same time they are deceiving seeing as the Kitchener Rangers weren't an elite team. That being said the Sting apparently were high on this kid so they must see something to be wooing him so much. Not even close to the best goaltender in the draft though.
Cam Ashley - 12th Pick, 9th Round - Cleveland Barons U16's - 5'9'' 165 lbs - Left Wing
34GP 11G 10A 21PTS 109PIM
A gritty forward that is apparently taller then listed as Mark Glavin informed me during the draft that he is not as small as he is listed. With 109 PIM's in 34 games there is no other way then to describe him as a gritty forward that isn't afraid to get dirty. Based on his highlight video he has the ability to score and has some moves to go with his gritty style.
Cam Ashely Highlight Video - I am not positive that it is him but I am pretty sure it is.
Cam Ashley Stats
Jeffrey King - 12th Pick, 10th Round - Lambton Jr Sting - 5'9'' 142 lbs - Right Defense
42GP 9G 26A 35PTS 40PIM
Zachary Core - 12th Pick, 11th Round - Cambridge Hawks - 6'1'' 165 lbs - Left Defense
40GP 2G 12A 14PTS 64PIM
Via Hockey Prospects Pro Draft Guide: "In our viewings Core has been a very solid defenseman and supported the strong goaltending that made Cambridge such a good defensive team this year. We’ve witnessed Core handle some of the most talented offensive players in this draft class in one on one situations. Zach’s defensive awareness is very strong, and is advanced positionally for his age. Core makes the smart first pass out of the zone and keeps it simple. We don’t expect Core to put up many points at the next level. However if he sticks to this style, and continues to progress he’ll become a valuable member of a team capable of eventually putting up big minutes."
Basically sounds like Core has the ability to become a solid stay at home defenseman. This could be a good pick up for the Sarnia Sting in a late round. A solid stay at home defenseman with a big frame.
Ryan Vendramin - 12th Pick, 13th Round - Sault Ste. Marie North Stars - 6'2'' 170 lbs - Right Wing
34GP 30G 51A 81PTS 12PIM
Vendramin is a 1995 birthdate that fell through the cracks in last years draft. It was a project to find much about him and I am still waiting on some more information from Ryan Yessie of Hockey Prospects as he thinks they may have had him rated last year for the draft. Ryan Vendramin Stats via Eliteprospects.com It appears that Vendramin is more of a playmaking winger that has a pass first mentality as every year except for his Bantam year he has more assists then goals. That being said I can't find a lot of scouting reports on Vendramin. The scouting news does have some articles on him if you are already signed up or willing to invest lots of money for the information make sure to pass it on.
Marc Audet - 5th Pick, 15th Round - Rocky Mountain Roughriders U16's - 6'0 162 lbs - Goaltender
U 16 - 15GP 3W 11L 1SO 5.38GAA 0.854sv%
U 16 Tier 1 - 6GP 3 W 2L 1SO 1.82GAA 0.924sv%
Stats vis Pointstreak,com
It took me a while to find anything on Audet other then a terrible "highlight scouting video" on youtube which had some interesting comments below. Audet left his previous team to move to Colorado and play in the USHL which means commitment is probably unlikely to the OHL. There is also a comment below it stating that he quit on a team halfway through a game before. Now take that for what it is worth but 2 other people comment on it saying he isn't that good of a goalie and that their team's lit him up whenever they played him. They could just not like Audet and that could always be the reason they are bashing his youtube video but when you can't find anything except for that, that is what you go with.
Other Lambton Jr Sting Players Taken in OHL Priority Selection
Ryan Verbeek - 3rd Round, 4th Pick Windsor Spitfires - 6'0'' 185 lbs - Left Center
39GP 20G 10A 30PTS 49PIM
Scouting Report via Hockey Prospects: He has good size, and protects the puck well. He shows a willingness to go end to end with the puck, and did well one on one against defenders. He seems to initially try to drive the net, trying to put shots on, and forces the play a little bit, but generally as games go on he uses his passing ability a little more. Verbeek has a huge slap shot and isn’t afraid to use it at will. If he continues to progress he could be a good pick for the middle rounds. He has the size, the shot and the awareness to make the jump to the next level.
Adam Wammes - 9th Round, 19th Pick Barrie Colts - 6'0'' 202 lbs - Left Defense
44GP 4G 9A 13PTS 44PIMS
Hunter Tyczynski - 13th Round, 15th Pick Barrie Colts - 5'11'' 170 lbs - Right Center
30GP 11G 12A 23PTS 36PIMS
Overall Thoughts on 2012 Sarnia Sting Draft
I personally believe that the Sarnia Sting addressed probably there main concern going into the 2012 OHL Priority Selection and that was to add size. They added the size and the grit picking a lot of prototypical power forwards. They also got possibly the best offensive defenseman in the draft and if they can get him to commit it will be a huge boost. They also took a stay at home defenseman late in the draft that if he can make the jump will be a large asset. The one area I think they didn't address is goaltending as I believe they waited to late to take a goaltender as there were much better ones available in the draft. That being said if they are happy with the goalie selections they made I guess we will wait and see what happens there. It is going to take 2-3 before we know for sure if this was a great draft for the Sarnia Sting. For now I think it was safe to say that it was good.
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