2018 ohl draft April 7th

NTDP

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Dec 20, 2010
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Thanks for the update, one more question on this team. Two other guys I thought were decent players were two D men in Patrick Ault and Connor Koncelik. Any thoughts on those two? Last time I'll bring up this team.
 

SWScout

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May 22, 2014
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I have seen all 02 Alliance teams play and this crop is definitely weaker than 01 and 99 years. Equal to 00. There are going to be kids that fall from being a prospect and there will be some kids that make major strides in their minor midget year. For this reason, scouts don't put much stock in how major bantams did last year. Major Bantam really only identifies players that should be on the radar for the next year.

West Preview
LJK
London's top prospect is Serraglio but he must stay healthy this year. Diaco has good talent and work ethic, however, size may be a factor. As noted, Chantler and Lewis may get good looks due to size and skating ability. Lewis will need to reign in penalties, saw him play 8 times and only one game did not have a penalty. Studnicka may leap frog both, seems to have a bit better hockey iq and plays a good team game.
EMC
EMC made 10 changes with some upgrades but more downgrades. Bowers is the top player but much like LJK Lewis will need to be more disciplined. Babenko and Rizzo are very similar in that they both have a good skill set, but struggle to play a team game. Will be interesting to watch Rizzo with a very skilled Vaughan Kings team. May struggle to get quality minutes which may hurt his draft ranking.

CK top player is Bowden. North of 6' with good hands and a bit of a mean streak, needs to work on skating. Spence is decent defender and has a good feel for the game.

Lambton
Lambton has one outstanding prospect and one very good prospect. Blake Butler should be a late first round or early second round pick. Needs to work on footwork. Mino is a very talented tender. Top 4 in Alliance and has seen a lot of rubber the past 6 years in Lambton.

Windsor has Conor Hay who has a good skill set along with a nasty temper. Matthew Sbrocca is top 2 goaltender in the Alliance and if his development continues, will be an upper round pick. Given that Windsor will be one of the weaker teams, he will get lots of action.

Sun County
Finally in the West, Sun County has a couple of interesting prospects. Dalpe played minor midget last year and did not look out of place. Good skills but not an outstanding skater. Has a good work ethic. Maggio is also talented and only has size working against him. Ulicny is one of the more electrifying players in the Alliance and will help the SC offence. Chenard is a very good tender and is top 4. Along with LJK will likely have the most draft picks.

East Preview will be posted next week
 

Daneurism

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Nov 13, 2010
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Liked a lot of the London forwards on the major bantam squad. A lot of really tenacious guys with decent skill sets.
 

PrioritySelection

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Dec 22, 2015
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Who are some of the top goalies in the 2002 age group?

Lennox, Vrbetic, and Bennett would be three of the better ones if you're looking for a consensus. Two of those three are actually on the move next year, as well.

Overall, I think it's shaping up to be an excellent crop of Ontario goalies as there's a lot of promising talent that also possess the all-important size.

In the US, it's actually one of the weaker goaltending crops in a while for the Ontario region. There's a couple of kids in the Quebec region that could factor in with the NTDP, ditto the west side. Obviously that's subject to variance next year, though.
 

JFA87-66-99

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Jun 12, 2007
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Lennox, Vrbetic, and Bennett would be three of the better ones if you're looking for a consensus. Two of those three are actually on the move next year, as well.

Overall, I think it's shaping up to be an excellent crop of Ontario goalies as there's a lot of promising talent that also possess the all-important size.

In the US, it's actually one of the weaker goaltending crops in a while for the Ontario region. There's a couple of kids in the Quebec region that could factor in with the NTDP, ditto the west side. Obviously that's subject to variance next year, though.

How about the US, who are a few of the top goaltenders. I believe it was "Aiken" I heard about a while back but not sure.
 

PrioritySelection

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Dec 22, 2015
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How about the US, who are a few of the top goaltenders. I believe it was "Aiken" I heard about a while back but not sure.

Aitken got a lot of good exposure playing for Westchester but I wouldn't consider him to be overly enticing at this point. The US group isn't particular advanced, nor is there a lot of size there just yet. We'll see what happens going into the upcoming season as volatiliy is especially prevalent with goaltenders, but it's fair to say that this isn't an amazing group of US-based goaltenders just yet.

Of course, that's in reference to the OHL Draft territory.
 

SWScout

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May 22, 2014
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Eastern Preview

There are still some rosters to be filled, so this is based mainly on last year along with the known additions.

Huron Perth
Carter Schoonderwoerd has excellent size and will need to polish his game to move up. Still projects outs for top 1/2 of draft. Pryce is a skilled hard working but smaller forward. If he can grow and fill out, will get picked.

Kitchener
Luke Munroe and Adam Grein are two players to keep an eye on. Munroe is very skilled and an adequate skater, like many in the age, size will determine where he goes in the draft. Grein has good size and moves well for a bigger kid. Will need to work on shot and hands.

Brantford
Peyton Adams-Matthews is one of the better D men in the east with good mobility and a hard accurate shot. Very good gap control as well. Ellis Rickwood is flashy and has a ton of skill but is very small. Rumours persist that Adams-Matthews and Casasanta are on the move to Cambridge and both would be huge losses for Brantford and great pick ups for Cambridge.

Waterloo
Chase Broda has many of the same attributes as Keean Washkurak who was drafted in the second round of the past OHL draft. Hard working, relentless are two the strong points. Mitch Lee and Zac McCann are both undersized shifty forwards who use change of direction speed to keep defenders off balance. Brady Brezynskie is a mobile, puck moving d man that will likely go in the lower end. The best Waterloo prospect is goalie Matt Onuska, a big goalie with excellent rebound control is top 3 in the Alliance.

Cambridge
Ben McFarlane is one of the top players in the Alliance and and even with his smaller stature will be a top 3 round pick. Excels in all aspects of the game and benefits from playing in Scott Walker's team first concept. Aaron Davidson is likely the biggest F in the Alliance and will get a good look based on his size and ability for a big kid. There are several other Cambridge players that will likely get drafted based on the strength of team, and how well coached they are.

Hamilton
Could be a bit of a down year for the Huskies. Isaac Borges is likely the only player that has potential to get picked. He too will need to grow and also utilize his team mates better.

Cambridge looks to be the favourite going in to the season. There are other potential players they have lined up and if it transpires, they will the overwhelming favourites. London, Waterloo and Sun County will battle for second spot. The next five teams; Brantford, Hamilton, EMC, CK and Lambton will be competitive in the Alliance. The bottom three; Windsor, Kitchener, Huron Perth will be hard pressed to make the playdown round.
 

cd89

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Jan 12, 2016
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Eastern Preview

There are still some rosters to be filled, so this is based mainly on last year along with the known additions.

Huron Perth
Carter Schoonderwoerd has excellent size and will need to polish his game to move up. Still projects outs for top 1/2 of draft. Pryce is a skilled hard working but smaller forward. If he can grow and fill out, will get picked.

Kitchener
Luke Munroe and Adam Grein are two players to keep an eye on. Munroe is very skilled and an adequate skater, like many in the age, size will determine where he goes in the draft. Grein has good size and moves well for a bigger kid. Will need to work on shot and hands.

Brantford
Peyton Adams-Matthews is one of the better D men in the east with good mobility and a hard accurate shot. Very good gap control as well. Ellis Rickwood is flashy and has a ton of skill but is very small. Rumours persist that Adams-Matthews and Casasanta are on the move to Cambridge and both would be huge losses for Brantford and great pick ups for Cambridge.

Waterloo
Chase Broda has many of the same attributes as Keean Washkurak who was drafted in the second round of the past OHL draft. Hard working, relentless are two the strong points. Mitch Lee and Zac McCann are both undersized shifty forwards who use change of direction speed to keep defenders off balance. Brady Brezynskie is a mobile, puck moving d man that will likely go in the lower end. The best Waterloo prospect is goalie Matt Onuska, a big goalie with excellent rebound control is top 3 in the Alliance.

Cambridge
Ben McFarlane is one of the top players in the Alliance and and even with his smaller stature will be a top 3 round pick. Excels in all aspects of the game and benefits from playing in Scott Walker's team first concept. Aaron Davidson is likely the biggest F in the Alliance and will get a good look based on his size and ability for a big kid. There are several other Cambridge players that will likely get drafted based on the strength of team, and how well coached they are.

Hamilton
Could be a bit of a down year for the Huskies. Isaac Borges is likely the only player that has potential to get picked. He too will need to grow and also utilize his team mates better.

Cambridge looks to be the favourite going in to the season. There are other potential players they have lined up and if it transpires, they will the overwhelming favourites. London, Waterloo and Sun County will battle for second spot. The next five teams; Brantford, Hamilton, EMC, CK and Lambton will be competitive in the Alliance. The bottom three; Windsor, Kitchener, Huron Perth will be hard pressed to make the playdown round.

Not 100% but from what I've seen, Borges will not be playing with the Huskies this year.

Definitely feel like Owen McGowan will be one to watch on Hamilton this year.

Wouldn't count Kitchener out too early as being a bottom team. Sure their bantam team wasn't incredibly successful, but Dean DeSilva has been coaching a long time and definitely knows how to put a winning team on the ice.

Will definitely be an interesting season coming up. Curious to see if we get a London/Waterloo final for the fourth consecutive year.
 

Daneurism

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Nov 13, 2010
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A few thoughts on Marlboros players from the opening night of the Titans tournament:

(Going to keep it to jersey numbers instead of mentioning players by name)

Marlboros #27: Big north south winger, had a couple of impressive rushes where he seemed to will himself through defenders with explosion and good balance. Won’t dangle you, but has a good set of hands.

Marlboros #5: Second smartest player on the ice. Despite his diminutive size, he forechecks hard and isn’t afraid to get physical. Not an explosive skater but has good top end speed. Head up and always assessing while in possession. Smarts extend to defensive side of game. Made a heads up play picking off a pass in the neutral zone. Doesn’t panic; holds on to the puck extra half second for play to open up. Made a couple of deft passes.

Marlboros #4: Most impressive toolbox: Explosive skater, very good top end speed, Terrific use of edges. Really has it all skating wise. Very slick with the puck. Poise on the blueline will remind you of Ryan Merkley. Fun to watch retrieve pucks under pressure to witness how he’ll shake his trailer. High IQ. Knows when to pinch and rush the puck. When he does get caught of position, his speed allows him to catch up to the play. Good size but not the most physical defender.

Marlboros #9: Smartest player on the ice. The defensive version of #5. Smart, poised, good speed, great vision, physical. Rarely out of position. Deft hands that are rare on a defenseman. Creates extra time and space with skating stride and edges. Made a great play where he battled in the corner for the puck and instead of moving the play forward, shot it high off the glass the other way to his defensive partner in order to get a higher percentage break out

Marlboros #25: Had a quiet first couple periods, but showed his strengths in the third. Big and skilled player who displays poise with puck. Though he’s not an explosive skater, he has very good top end speed. Not a wrecking ball, but will throw checks. Occasionally, looked a little lackadaisical. His size and tools should allow him to have more of an impact.

Marlboros #77: Won’t beat you wide but is a nice package of size, iq, and puck skills. Made a couple nimble passes in tight. That package allows him to buy extra time in possession in the offensive zone, even at full strength-Probably his most impressive attribute.

Marlboros #11: Great high end speed. Put a ton of pressure on opposing defense and was also physical.

Just my notes on a few guys, but most of the team was impressive. Marlboros, seemingly, with a factory line of big, tenacious, north south forwards. Really impressive forward core.

Thought the Red Wings looked solid, but the game fell apart for them and they couldn't keep it together. #25 looked strong in possession and showed good poise.


Only caught a couple minutes of the Canadiens game, but #8 on the Canadiens made about 4 or 5 positive plays in the one shift I caught. His skating looks like it took another step forward. Really impressive player.
 

Daneurism

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The chasm between the high end GTHL teams and everyone else, feels like it got bigger. Can't imagine what that Marlboros squad would have done to a team like the Huskies.
 

Daneurism

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Nov 13, 2010
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Day 2

Was able to take in a few more games.

The Jr Canadiens return another strong team for minor midget with a key addition on the back end.

Player notes:

#8: Really enjoyed watching this player the few times I was able to catch the major bantam team. On top of the skill set he possessed last year, he looks to have taken another step forward. Terrific skater. A couple times in the game he recovered the puck in the neutral zone and kind of "winded up" for a rush with a few steps before hitting top speed, catching the defenders flat footed. A move that reminded me a bit of Dylan Peterson-though not as explosive. Showed off high end hands with a cheeky deke in the corner of the offensive zone. Full package of skating, vision, hands, and iq were on display-and it has been each time i've seen him play. Impactful player.

#80: Another high iq player. quarterbacks the power play and consistently gets pucks through traffic to the net with a varied arsenal. Scored two goals on snipe from the blueline, and intentionally grounded another one five hole. Takes his time and delivers optimal shot. Displayed poise and confidence on the blue line. Frequently reset if shooting or passing options were unavailable. Stocky defender who's a bit of a plodding skater. But when he was closed in on in the defensive zone, made controlled passes and dumps to get himself out of trouble.

#92: Another player who showed well in Bantam. Looked good again today. Showed a rare determination and physicality from a skilled player

#93: Incredible skater. Really fun to watch reset in the defensive zone. Poised. Willing to wait extra half second for plays to open up...Which didn't serve him well today, as he had a couple turnovers. More bad luck than poor decision making, though.

90% of the Don Mills roster possesses a good skating stride. Big and physical too. They should be right up there with the likes of the Reps, Marlies, Canadiens, Kings and Rebels.

#16: Showed off superior stick handling at high speed and in traffic. Keeps defenders off balance with little jukes and fakes. Displayed a quick release.

#21: Had a couple beautiful rushes where he successfully deked and toe dragged multiple defenders. High marks on skating, vision and hands. Seemingly always around the puck

#92: Explosive skating but also effortlessly covers ice with long stride. Showed a high panic threshold waiting for options to open up while in possession and good hands making a couple short passes under pressure in the offensive zone.

Last game of the day was Ajax vs Halton

#91 on Ajax stood out. Though his skating stride is a bit upright, he's extremely light on his feet and can get up to top speed fairly quickly. Creative in possession. Beat a couple defenders on Halton wide, but i'm unsure if that'll translate to better skating defenders. Deked a couple guys with lightning quick stick handling-That should translate. Ajax kept him out there for long shifts, and also double shifted him. Roamed to conserve energy. Might be even more in the tank.
 

ktownhockey

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Mar 29, 2004
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The YSE Rebels game had some great talent displayed.

Byfield was on another level as advertised. Galata had a beauty goal. I was impressed with Dillingham Morelli on the back end for the Rebels. Strong, made good decisions and was a horse for them. Although onthe smaller side Bronstine on the point for the Rebels has a high motor and can really push the pace. He doesn't back down from what I saw that game. A lot more talent I could write about on that game I will try to chime in at different points during the weekend.
 

ktownhockey

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Mar 29, 2004
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Ontario canada
Don Mills outclassed Hamilton.

Off the top of my head:
Portokolous
Percibelli
Air
Strachan
Jackstiet

All had great performances.

I thought the D core as a whole played amazing co soldering they only had 4 back there.
 

mapleleaf979

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Jan 14, 2012
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Toronto, Ontario
Marlboros #9: Smartest player on the ice. The defensive version of #5. Smart, poised, good speed, great vision, physical. Rarely out of position. Deft hands that are rare on a defenseman. Creates extra time and space with skating stride and edges. Made a great play where he battled in the corner for the puck and instead of moving the play forward, shot it high off the glass the other way to his defensive partner in order to get a higher percentage break out

Moore is a smart hockey player. U cant defend his IQ and how confident that makes him, first round pick. Confidence is subtle but loud. I enjoy watching him with and without the puck.
 

Daneurism

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Nov 13, 2010
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Some more player notes from a couple games on Wednesday.

Vaughn vs Waterloo

Vaughn:

#91 First viewing where it all kind of came together for me. In the past i’ve seen weak skating and a sluggish back check, but here, I thought he was just flat out terrific. Equally adept as a playmaker and scoring threat. He’s a tricky player to contain because even if you suffocate him, he displays uncanny ability to stickhandle in tight spaces through multiple defenders. Give him room and he uses his terrific vision. High point totals reflect his impact. On the skating front, he showed improvement. Had a great burst of speed with the puck through the gut of the ice. His top end speed is improved(Though, he still skates a bit hunched over). Also showed the ability to wheel around the offensive zone with superior edge work. He made something happen almost every time he touched the puck. Was one of the top performers on the weekend, for me.

#97 Tenacious in corners despite size disadvantage. Defensively responsible. Impact was felt on score sheet.

#7 Physical with good tools. Made some questionable decisions-Something to monitor.

#92 Best way to describe his game is mature. Always makes a smart play. Does the little things to support the play, makes the extra pass, Doesn’t try to deke multiple players(but he might be able to)etc. Does a lot that doesn’t show up on the score sheet...And oh yeah, he’s big with a good stride and great vision. On the defensive side: He made a nice read to pick off a pass in the neutral zone.

#17 Can really skate. Beat multiple guys wide and rung a couple off the crossbar. High end shot. Weaved in and out of traffic with ease. Though, he did skate himself into trouble on occasion.

#4 Big stay at home defender. Good skating, edges, and puck skills allowed him to control the play with ease. Good stick on puck defender.

#8 Great puck skills for a big player. Caught the shootout in the semi finals and he was the first skater for Vaughn-That should tell you something. Good skater. More smooth than explosive. Lacked impact away from the puck.

#12 Another calming influence on the blue line, and of course, he’s dynamic on his edges. Like seemingly every Vaughn player. Made good decisions with the puck. Someone to keep an eye on. Could rapidly improve his stock if seen in more situations.

#93 Great speed on outside. Like his line partner #17, beat defenders wide. Good explosion in stride.

#9 Also plays a very mature game. Plays it as a bit of a man amongst boys. He owns very high end tools but if the play isn’t there, he doesn’t overwork the puck. A ton of zip on all of his passes-and very accurate. Best way to describe the velocity on his passes is effortless strength. Equally willing to make the simple break out as he is to spring a guy for a partial break. Very willing physical player. Good skater who covers a lot of ground, but there’s room for improvement in his stride. Had a great head fake to make a no look pass. One of the best performances I saw on the weekend.

Waterloo:

#77 Good powerplay qb. Quick decision maker.

# 11 Big north/south player. Good speed. Powerful down low with puck.
 

Daneurism

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Nov 13, 2010
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Brantford vs Oakville

Brantford 99ers:

#27 Big defenseman with a nice stride, covered lots of ground. Not especially dynamic, but his stride and good puck handling allowed him to rush the puck out of trouble. Good stay at home potential. Very involved in the play. Made a strong play in the neutral zone to step up and pick off a pass, leading to a partial break. He’s clearly a confident player. Also had a physical presence.

#91 Great Motor. Used it to pressure defense all game.

#11 Good Speed. Physical presence on forecheck

Both 03s looked like they fit in. Callens was an enthusiastic attacker and Hipkin looked comfortable making decisions under pressure on the back end.

Rangers:

#43 Big and thick Dman who looked equally adept at both ends. Was both a sturdy presence on the blue line, with a hard shot, and physical in the defensive end. Showed good vision springing a player for a partial break on an accurate pass through the middle. The rest of his passes were hard and accurate.

#9 Most impressive forward on the rangers. Always seemed to have the puck on his stick. Though not an explosive skater, very good edge work allowed him to extend possession in the offensive zone. There was a sequence where he skated the puck around the offensive zone, patiently awaiting an opportunity for a play to present itself. Showed off a range of positive qualities including tenacious puck pursuit, playmaking, high panic threshold, soft hands. He had a really good game.

#17 Confident holding the blueline and despite modest size, bounced off a hard check while at a stand still. Used edges to cloak intentions.

#11 Great poise on blueline with the puck

#22 Slight player who didn’t allow physicality to impact his game. His game is built on patience and vision, and he frequently waited out the last bits of space and time to make the optimal play. Got his bell rung a couple times doing so.

#7 Deft puck handler and very good skater. Made a sort of twist/start and stop juke, with the puck, to lose his pursuer.

#61 Spirited forward also with good puck skills and playmaking. Owns a short, choppy stride, but he’ll get to where he wants to go in a hurry. Showed good patience with the puck, assessing with his head up. Had a nice goal, taking an extra half second to line up his snap shot from five feet out. Bit of a stocky build and was very sturdy on his skates. Knocked a defender on his ass in the corner.
 

MoWanchuk1

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Feb 18, 2017
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He was top 5 in the Alliance in scoring last year as an underage player. Will be good to see him test himself against the GTHL's best this season.

i was at the finals marlies vs tulios kings and he struggled vs much bigger marlie forwards. i think, although highly skilled on PP, vs top players much bigger he is going to struggle may be better suited for ncaa . He lit it up vs average teams early on in tourney however and like his tenacity for sure. vs reps and marlies semis and finals he had 0pts
 

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