2015 OHL Draft (Part 2)

[cupcrazyman]

Anyone else surprised that London only drafted 2 Americans ?

 

[Duke Guy]

I think the Knights have 7 guys on their current roster from the USA as well as a few more that will probably be reporting in September from previous drafts. Maybe they want to add some Canadians this year.

 

[willy29]

How could Neumann slip so far down into the third round. Please someone clue me in on that. What happened?

Many had him rated in the top 20 overall - what did most teams didn't like....

 

[SeanLafortune]

Many had him rated in the top 20 overall - what did most teams didn't like....

He's got alot of school options, he may take that route. Slipped due to his NCAA interest. Taylor Carlson the same thing. He's top 40 talent, not sure what route he'll take.

 

[Luvtowatch]

Wow McLeod to Flint is a gutsy pick, good for them. I have questions whether he reports or not.

Can someone tell me more about Sarnia's first round pick in Sasha Chmelevski? Is this a reach? Would have been happier if we took Meireles or Davis but I'm hoping this kid can prove me wrong.

I don't believe he will report, don't think Flint does either.

 

[willy29]

He's got alot of school options, he may take that route. Slipped due to his NCAA interest. Taylor Carlson the same thing. He's top 40 talent, not sure what route he'll take.

Thanks Sean....good work on the draft coverage!!

 

[BenchedGuy]

He's got alot of school options, he may take that route. Slipped due to his NCAA interest. Taylor Carlson the same thing. He's top 40 talent, not sure what route he'll take.

Hey Sean,
Appreciate reading your take on things, just curious on your thoughts on Kitchener's draft?

 

[GoKnightsGo44]

I don't believe he will report, don't think Flint does either.

Chmelevski just signed with the sting. McLeod will not report.

 

[Ringing Iron]

Hey Sean,
Appreciate reading your take on things, just curious on your thoughts on Kitchener's draft?

If you don't mind, I will comment with my opinion.

I think the Rangers had one of the better drafts. Of course, we won't know entirely how it pans out until 2-3 years from know but they got great value with a lot of their selections.

1st RD - Greg Meireles - clearly probably the best value in the first round as he was projected to go Top 8...great motor and feet who plays all out on both sides of the puck...should be a key piece moving forward

2nd RD - Elijah Roberts - like Meireles, heard Roberts linked to KIT prior to the draft...creative puck moving defenseman who's on the smaller side...could develop into a Ryan Murphy-lite but needs to assert himself and his skills more. Lots of upside.

3rd RD - Joseph Garreffa - GREAT value...had him pegged as a top 30 pick...one of the most dangerous one-on-one players in the draft...great hands, creativity and hockey sense...small...very effective in tight and can strike quickly

4th RD - Luke RIchardson - Probably the BEST value outside of Meireles...was a huge fan of Richardson as the poised goaltender who carried his Predators squad was ranked Top 3 at his position on my list. Unflappable presence...has pro upside IMO...he'll start in this league IMO and be a great one.

6th RD - Tyler Inamoto - not familiar with him but know he was near the top of ranked Americans. Sean might be able to expand.

7th Rd - Nick McHugh - played with Meireles in Ottawa and showed good chemistry...strong player in possession (confident)...not a high end offensive talent or the quickest of foot but a good support player.

8th Rd - Nick Durajilja - raw defenseman with good range...defense first player who improved as the season went on...projects as a depth dman likely but a reliable presence.

9th Rd - Alex Peterson - impressed at the OHL Cup with THunder Bay...has some intriguing potential...very smart defensive player but also capable of starting the rush with clean crisp passes....does a lot of things well.

11th Rd - Ryan Kula - an underrated player IMO with the Titans...similar to McHugh that he' could be a nice support player...smart player who plays a simple game...

12th Rd - Scott Del Zotto - shocked that he was available in the 12th round....skilled high pace forward with good offensive package...quick on pucks and loves being in possession of it

13th Rd - Colin Felix - not familiar with him

14th RD - Andrew McIntyre - had him pegged around the 10th round so again, good value. Great shooter who finds the soft areas well...always good to grab a local kid but even better when he's got OHL projectability

15th RD - Dylan Seitz - great value...really liked him at the OHL Cup...rangy forward with good fundamental skills and noteworthy compete...he's got some good tools

 

[BenchedGuy]

If you don't mind, I will comment with my opinion.

I think the Rangers had one of the better drafts. Of course, we won't know entirely how it pans out until 2-3 years from know but they got great value with a lot of their selections.

1st RD - Greg Meireles - clearly probably the best value in the first round as he was projected to go Top 8...great motor and feet who plays all out on both sides of the puck...should be a key piece moving forward

2nd RD - Elijah Roberts - like Meireles, heard Roberts linked to KIT prior to the draft...creative puck moving defenseman who's on the smaller side...could develop into a Ryan Murphy-lite but needs to assert himself and his skills more. Lots of upside.

3rd RD - Joseph Garreffa - GREAT value...had him pegged as a top 30 pick...one of the most dangerous one-on-one players in the draft...great hands, creativity and hockey sense...small...very effective in tight and can strike quickly

4th RD - Luke RIchardson - Probably the BEST value outside of Meireles...was a huge fan of Richardson as the poised goaltender who carried his Predators squad was ranked Top 3 at his position on my list. Unflappable presence...has pro upside IMO...he'll start in this league IMO and be a great one.

6th RD - Tyler Inamoto - not familiar with him but know he was near the top of ranked Americans. Sean might be able to expand.

7th Rd - Nick McHugh - played with Meireles in Ottawa and showed good chemistry...strong player in possession (confident)...not a high end offensive talent or the quickest of foot but a good support player.

8th Rd - Nick Durajilja - raw defenseman with good range...defense first player who improved as the season went on...projects as a depth dman likely but a reliable presence.

9th Rd - Alex Peterson - impressed at the OHL Cup with THunder Bay...has some intriguing potential...very smart defensive player but also capable of starting the rush with clean crisp passes....does a lot of things well.

11th Rd - Ryan Kula - an underrated player IMO with the Titans...similar to McHugh that he' could be a nice support player...smart player who plays a simple game...

12th Rd - Scott Del Zotto - shocked that he was available in the 12th round....skilled high pace forward with good offensive package...quick on pucks and loves being in possession of it

13th Rd - Colin Felix - not familiar with him

14th RD - Andrew McIntyre - had him pegged around the 10th round so again, good value. Great shooter who finds the soft areas well...always good to grab a local kid but even better when he's got OHL projectability

15th RD - Dylan Seitz - great value...really liked him at the OHL Cup...rangy forward with good fundamental skills and noteworthy compete...he's got some good tools

Thanks Dean, appreciate your insight and follow your work too. I like the reads/tweets you put out. So other than Miereles and Roberts, who would you say have a chance at competing for a roster spot right away?

 

[billoink]

Would love to hear Sean LaFortunes take on Sudburys draft. We are hearing it was one of the best drafts Saturday getting Carson, Lane, and McGrath when they did. What are your thoughts? anyone

 

[fanofdo]

Would love to hear Sean LaFortunes take on Sudburys draft. We are hearing it was one of the best drafts Saturday getting Carson, Lane, and McGrath when they did. What are your thoughts? anyone

In the history of the OHL, not one team has ever had a bad draft when they did a self assessment the few weeks following the draft.

The record is intact.

 

[TcNorth]

McLeod will not report to Flint because his family is trying to circumvent the OHL's draft. Why even have a draft if players/families can freely/openly do this with no OHL rules against it?

 

[mapleleaf979]

So other than Miereles and Roberts, who would you say have a chance at competing for a roster spot right away?

Meirles is a lock to make it, Roberts struggles making the right decisions while carrying the puck out of his own zone. At times paired with Hughes it could be glaring. Roberts could have 2 attempts on one shift at carrying the puck out and a puck battle or turnover in the nuetral zone would happen...Hughes would get it and seamlessly look like the squad was on the PP. Thats the difference between the two. Similar size, and skating ability. Imo he needs a year of seasoning.

 

[gregreg]

McLeod will not report to Flint because his family is trying to circumvent the OHL's draft. Why even have a draft if players/families can freely/openly do this with no OHL rules against it?

Welcome to the OHL

 

[BigBuck]

McLeod will not report to Flint because his family is trying to circumvent the OHL's draft. Why even have a draft if players/families can freely/openly do this with no OHL rules against it?

Circumvent the draft or look after the interests of their 15-16 year old son? He made his intentions known he wanted to play near home at this age,he can do that in the OJHL and probably pick the NCAA school of his choice in a couple years time. There are a lot of kids that get drafted and refuse to go OHL.

 

[wings5]

Circumvent the draft or look after the interests of their 15-16 year old son? He made his intentions known he wanted to play near home at this age,he can do that in the OJHL and probably pick the NCAA school of his choice in a couple years time. There are a lot of kids that get drafted and refuse to go OHL.

He won't go NCAA, he will hold out and maybe play a year of OJHL until he gets his trade then he will sign in his preferred location.

 

[Leviathan899]

given the limited amount of picks we had through the first couple rounds, we nabbed some pretty solid players in the later rounds; it's nice knowing there wasn't a huge amount of pressure on Raftis to draft a lot of quality talent, as we'll have a strong contingent of returnees next season so any new players will have to fight for limited spots

You guys had a good draft for sure, and I like Carlson more than Hawel. Hawel is going to struggle next year I feel, he plays with very little energy sometimes and doesn't have much of an edge to his game, but will finish checks here and there. He's a good skater though with a smooth stride, and see's the ice really well. Definitely a guy I liked this year, reminds me of a better skating Cole Cassels really. Carlson is going to be a good one though, great skater and takes away time and space so effectively. OHL ready in my eyes

 

[TcNorth]

Circumvent the draft or look after the interests of their 15-16 year old son? He made his intentions known he wanted to play near home at this age,he can do that in the OJHL and probably pick the NCAA school of his choice in a couple years time. There are a lot of kids that get drafted and refuse to go OHL.

Again, why even have a draft then? What would become of the OHL if every player/family did this and got to hand-pick their location? I would suspect you would have 8 teams instead of 20.

 

[mapleleaf979]

Who are your winners and losers in todays draft?

Too early to call but right now,

1) Niagara
2) Guelph
3) London

 

[BigBuck]

Again, why even have a draft then? What would become of the OHL if every player/family did this and got to hand-pick their location? I would suspect you would have 8 teams instead of 20.

You're dealing with young kids moving to different cities and in this case a different country. They knew he would not go there and picked him for some reason. You guys took Jordan Greenway in 2013, London took Max Jones last year in the 1st round,no comp. pick and still retain their OHL rights Flint can do the same with Mcleod.

 

[scoreagoalnow]

He's got alot of school options, he may take that route. Slipped due to his NCAA interest. Taylor Carlson the same thing. He's top 40 talent, not sure what route he'll take.

Not really, look at Tortora who has a BC commit.

 

[scoreagoalnow]

McLeod will not report to Flint because his family is trying to circumvent the OHL's draft. Why even have a draft if players/families can freely/openly do this with no OHL rules against it?

I agree whole heartedly. No family wants their kid far away but that's hockey life and you have to accept it.

 

[SeanLafortune]

Not really, look at Tortora who has a BC commit.

Fairly unique situation, let that one play out a bit.

 

[TheDude25]

I agree whole heartedly. No family wants their kid far away but that's hockey life and you have to accept it.

The point is, they don't have to accept it. They have options. They have one son going the NCAA route, one son in the OHL. They can decide what is best for their third son.