David Levin – McKeen's Hockey

OHL: David Levin (2018 Draft Eligible)

Scott Crawford — Thu, 26 Apr 2018 16:45:22 +0000

Scott Crawford provides a detailed scouting report on 2018 NHL Draft prospect David Levin of the Sudbury Wolves. Levin's production took a step backwards in his third OHL season and his draft stock has suffered. Crawford provides analysis below.

A note on the 20-80 scale used below. We look at five attributes (skating, shooting, puck skills, hockey IQ and physicality) for skaters and six for goalies (athleticism/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, technique/style, rebound control and puck handling). Each individual attribute is graded along the 20-80 scales, which includes half-grades. The idea is that a projection of 50 in a given attribute meant that our observer believed that the player could get to roughly NHL average at that attribute at maturity.

David Levin of the Sudbury Wolves. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

David Levin	2018 Draft Eligible
Position: C, Shoots: L	H/W: 5-10", 180 lbs.
Stats to date (GP-G-A-PTS-PIMS)	Sudbury Wolves, OHL (46-14-15-29-37)

Skating: An above average skater, Levin demonstrated solid skating in his minor midget year and he brought it with him to the OHL. He uses a strong crossover to engage the transition play faster. He has good speed to play around the ice and he uses that speed to help him chase players on the back check. Being a natural athlete, skating comes easy for Levin, but there are areas he could still improve on such as his first stride. He does not have much of a takeoff and he depends too much on his strong edge work to skate around the ice. He needs to have a burst of speed to help him move faster. Grade: 55

Shot: Levin has a strong wrist shot he uses most games. His only shot that is effective, he can use the wrist shot anywhere within the Grade A areas in front of the net. He likes to move behind the net to spin out in front before wristing one on net. The high slot area is his hot area, but he cannot form an accurate shot outside the Grade A areas. When he attempts a wrist shot from the blue line or from within the circles he shoots wide. Another issue is that his timing with his shots are awful. If a player comes at him he chooses to shoot in front of the player to avoid the pressure. He needs to improve his overall shooting if he is to hit the twenty-goal mark in the OHL. Grade: 50

Skills: He has above average stick handling skills. Throughout the season he put on a show with some highlight real plays and strong puck possession numbers. However, the more Levin did his flashy plays the more careless he became with the puck. Especially in the offensive zone he was not careful with what he did with the puck. Levin’s passing is probably his hidden value as he can spot a teammate far away and make a quick accurate pass that is right on the tape. He can become an elite playmaker, but his decision making is not matching his inherent skill with the puck. Grade: 50

Smarts: He has no confidence. Levin is playing the game with a lack of confidence and low intensity. He has decent hockey IQ when he is focusing, but for some reason he is missing it too often. He is one of the worst players to play away from the puck because he floats. He does not make any attempts to try to get open and he is always late to help battle for the puck. He plays like Linus Nyman (Kingston) in the sense that he waits for his teammates to fight for the puck before he swoops in to pick up the loose pieces. His defense is not bad as he does a decent job back checking the opposing puck handler, even this trait is inconsistent. There will be times where he is slow entering his own zone and to commit to his defensive role. His choice not to compete would be extremely frustrating for any coach. Grade: 45

Physicality: A weird player who is willing to hit but has one of the worst hitting forms of any draft-eligible prospect. Levin goes hip first if he is trying to hit a player in open ice and it looks awkward and clumsy. He has only played competitive ice hockey since he was 12, but physical play is still a part of the game and Levin needs to improve his hitting dramatically if he wants to play in the NHL. Grade: 45

Overall Summary: An interesting hockey story for Israel’s first potential NHL draft prospect since Max Birbraer and the first overall pick in the 2015 OHL Priority Draft, David Levin says that he wants to play in the NHL and wants to inspire a nation to play the game he loves. However, his on-ice performance proves otherwise as this year his point production dropped. He did suffer a major lower body injury that forced him to miss over 20 games. His skating is his only saving grace as well as a superb wrist shot but he needs so much work on his overall game starting with his attitude to compete. Levin has been relying on his natural athleticism too much that he has not been developing his overall game properly to be ready for the NHL draft. His lack of physical presence and his lack of confidence will hurt his development in the long run. There is concern that this once promising prospect may be taken very late in the draft, if at all.

Overall Future Projection (OFP): 49.25

2018 NHL Draft – McKeen’s Mid Season Rankings – Top 100 plus Honourable Mentions

Ryan Wagman — Tue, 13 Feb 2018 16:00:33 +0000

One of the first lessons I learned when I began scouting a number of years ago was that draft eligible prospects generally start to make their marks after Christmas of their draft year.

Around two months ago (Dec. 8), we released a snapshot of the 2018 draft class, walking through the 62 strongest prospects at the time. Since then, all of the 62 have had plenty of chances to make their marks. In addition to the weeks and weeks of regular season action they all had, some were also afforded the showcase of appearing in the World Junior Championships, while others fought to be included in the CHL and USHL Top Prospect Games or the World Junior A Challenge.

Some of the WJC combatants were already considered to be at or around the top of the draft class, including each of the top four of our Mid-Season ranking. Others found themselves in the spotlight by virtue of holding nationalities that do not have the depth of talent in their age 19 class as we found with the Gold Medal winners from Canada, from which the entire roster consisted of previously drafted players.

BUFFALO, NEW YORK - JANUARY 4: Sweden's Axel Fjallby Jonsson #22 and Isac Lundestrom #20 have words during semifinal round action against the U.S. at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship. (Photo by Matt Zambonin/HHOF-IIHF Images)

While an appearance at the WJC will only go so far for most of the prospects of Denmark, Switzerland, or Belarus, for players like the Czech Republic’s Martin Kaut (#31) and Kristian Reichel (#83), Slovakia’s Milos Roman (#57), Sweden’s Isac Lundestrom (#14), and others, players who came into the tournament with some expectations and managed to exceed them, they were able to ensure that they will be front of mind for scouting staffs through the end of the season. In fact, three of those players have seen their respective places in our rankings rise between December and now. The fourth, Milos Roman, did not fall all that much, and that can be explained largely with an injury that has limited him to a single game played since the tournament ended.

Speaking of movement in the lists, we can report that each member of the previous version of this list, which went 62 deep, is still in the mid-season top 100. Only four of those 62, Nando Eggenberger (#76), Olivier Rodrigue (#78), Marcus Westfalt (#86), and Adam Samuelsson (#95) are now lower than 75. Even though Eggenberger had a poor WJC and Rodrigue failed to impress in the CHL’s Top Prospect game, the midseason marquee event of Canadian Junior hockey, the current rankings of those four is more a reflection of other players making bigger moves than they have. All still profile as draftable prospects of note. If anything, they still have more to prove before late June in Dallas.

Evan Bouchard of the London Knights. Photo by Terry Wilson/OHL Images.

One of the two biggest jumps in the past two months belong to the aforementioned Kaut, who was fantastic at the WJC, showing a wide range of skills, plus hockey IQ and even a bit of a physical game to boot. He jumped up from 55 in December to 31 now and some in our scouting team felt that we may still be underrating him. Climbing only 21 spots, but more impressive as he started off at a higher level in December than Kaut is now, is London blueliner Evan Bouchard (#7). At the time, there were some concerns about his foot speed. Not only has he put those concerns to rest with steady displays of solid top end velocity, showing his ability to defend against rushes from some of the players long considered to be among the quickest in the OHL, but between his plus shot, advanced hockey brain and quarterbacking style, it is no real surprise that he is currently seven points clear as the highest scoring blueliner in the OHL.

The highest ranked newcomer to the list is Swedish defenseman Nils Lundkvist (#40), who had a scouting report from our own Jimmy Hamrin posted just last week. Although undersized, Lundkvist is mobile, moves the puck ably and has exceptional hockey IQ. Others debuting in the top 50 include Jakub Lauko (#44) a teammate of Kaut’s from the Czech WJC squad, Stanislav Demin (#45) a blueliner from the BCHL who impressed in the WJAC, and Niklas Nordgren (#49) an undersized, yet silky skilled winger who has been tearing up the Finnish junior ranks.

When I mentioned above that draft eligible prospects begin to make their marks after Christmas, that does not mean to suggest that we feel this present snapshot will be an accurate representation of how things ultimately shake out in June. There are some players who start the year hot and then slowly peter out. We may think we are viewing a rough mid-season patch and for some, they will never recover. Eggenberger is one. Xavier Bouchard (#62), who looked like a strong second tier draft prospect from the QMJHL two months ago, has contributed only two points since the calendar flipped to 2018. He is not an offensive blueliner, but more is expected.

Liam Foudy of the London Knights. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

Other players started off very slowly and have been hot of late, getting themselves some mid-season recognition. One such player we debated at length was Liam Foudy (#82). When we released our December rankings, he had played 27 games and had put up a mere five points. Since then, in 23 games, he has 19 points, a period highlit by a strong showing at the CHL Top Prospect Game. In his case, it seems that London’s decision to sell off a large number of their regular top six forward options has given Foudy the chance to play in an offensive role and he has thus far flourished, to the extent that he was just named the OHL Player of the Week on the morning of this writing. He is a great skater and if he can keep this level of offensive production up for a few more weeks, showing that his recent play has not just been a flash in the pan, he will likely rocket up the list.

As we continue to scout the junior aged prospects of the world, this draft list will change again and again. In addition to extending our list to 100 as we pass the mid-season point for all leagues, we have also included a group of 25 others who had some fans about the McKeens scouting squad. As the intensity of the season rises with many teams and players jockeying for a post-season berth, some of the 125 players listed here will see their respective stocks go up and others will go down. Players who we may have skipped over in November and January will force us to pay attention in March and April. From now until draft weekend, we will continue to post scouting reports of the players you need to know about for the 2018 draft. We welcome your questions and comments and hope you enjoy the ride with us.

To link to a player page, use the tags at the bottom of the page, or from our McKeen's Draft Ranking found here It is also downloadable to an excel file.

RANK	PLAYER	POS	TEAM	HT/WT	DOB
1	Rasmus Dahlin	D	Frolunda (Swe)	6-2/185	13-Apr-00
2	Filip Zadina	RW	Halifax (QMJHL)	6-0/200	27-Nov-99
3	Andrei Svechnikov	RW	Barrie (OHL)	6-2/185	26-Mar-00
4	Brady Tkachuk	LW	Boston University (HE)	6-3/195	16-Sep-99
5	Adam Boqvist	D	Brynas (Swe Jr)	5-11/170	15-Aug-00
6	Oliver Wahlstrom	RW	NTDP (USA)	6-1/205	13-Jun-00
7	Evan Bouchard	D	London (OHL)	6-2/195	20-Oct-99
8	Noah Dobson	D	Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL)	6-3/180	7-Jan-00
9	Quinn Hughes	D	Michigan (B1G)	5-10/175	14-Oct-99
10	Ty Smith	D	Spokane (WHL)	5-10/180	24-Mar-00
11	Joe Veleno	C	Drummondville (QMJHL)	6-1/195	13-Jan-00
12	Joel Farabee	LW	NTDP (USA)	5-11/165	25-Feb-00
13	Bode Wilde	D	NTDP (USA)	6-2/195	24-Jan-00
14	Isac Lundestrom	C	Lulea (Swe)	6-0/185	6-Nov-99
15	Grigori Denisenko	LW	Loko Yaroslavl (Rus Jr)	5-11/165	24-Jun-00
16	K'Andre Miller	D	NTDP (USA)	6-3/205	21-Jan-00
17	Barrett Hayton	C	Sault Ste Marie (OHL)	6-1/190	9-Jun-00
18	Jared McIsaac	D	Halifax (QMJHL)	6-1/195	27-Mar-00
19	Akil Thomas	RW	Niagara (OHL)	5-11/170	2-Jan-00
20	Ryan McLeod	C	Mississauga (OHL)	6-2/200	21-Sep-99
21	Jesperi Kotkaniemi	C	Assat Pori (Fin)	6-1/190	6-Jul-00
22	Serron Noel	RW	Oshawa (OHL)	6-5/200	8-Aug-00
23	Rasmus Kupari	C	Karpat Oulu (Fin)	6-1/185	15-Mar-00
24	Jacob Olofsson	C	Timra (Swe 2)	6-2/190	8-Feb-00
25	Ryan Merkley	D	Guelph (OHL)	5-11/170	14-Aug-00
26	Jett Woo	D	Moose Jaw (WHL)	6-0/205	27-Jul-00
27	Benoit-Olivier Groulx	C	Halifax (QMJHL)	6-1/195	6-Feb-00
28	Alexander Alexeyev	D	Red Deer (WHL)	6-3/200	15-Nov-99
29	Mattias Samuelsson	D	NTDP (USA)	6-3/215	14-Mar-00
30	Jack McBain	C	Toronto Jr Canadiens (OJHL)	6-3/195	6-Jan-00
31	Martin Kaut	RW	Pardubice (Cze)	6-1/175	2-Oct-99
32	Calen Addison	D	Lethbridge (WHL)	5-10/180	11-Apr-00
33	Jonny Tychonick	D	Penticton (BCHL)	5-11/175	3-Mar-00
34	Jesse Ylonen	RW	Espoo United (Fin 2)	6-0/165	3-Oct-99
35	Dominik Bokk	LW	Vaxjo Lakers (Swe Jr)	6-1/180	3-Feb-00
36	Blake McLaughlin	LW	Chicago (USHL)	6-0/165	14-Feb-00
37	Kevin Bahl	D	Ottawa (OHL)	6-6/230	27-Jun-00
38	Vitali Kravtsov	RW	Traktor Chelyabinsk (Rus)	6-2/170	23-Dec-99
39	Ty Dellandrea	C	Flint (OHL)	6-0/190	21-Jul-00
40	Nils Lundkvist	D	Lulea (Swe)	5-11/180	27-Jul-00
41	Rasmus Sandin	D	Sault Ste Marie (OHL)	5-11/190	7-Mar-00
42	Adam Ginning	D	Linkopings (Swe)	6-3/195	13-Jan-00
43	Allan McShane	C	Oshawa (OHL)	5-11/190	14-Feb-00
44	Jakub Lauko	C	Chomutov (Cze)	6-0/175	28-Mar-00
45	Stanislav Demin	D	Wenatchee (BCHL)	6-1/190	4-Apr-00
46	Filip Hallander	C	Timra (Swe 2)	6-1/185	29-Jun-00
47	Xavier Bernard	D	Drummondville (QMJHL)	6-2/210	6-Jan-00
48	Ty Emberson	D	NTDP (USA)	6-0/195	24-May-00
49	Niklas Nordgren	RW	HIFK Helsinki (Fin Jr)	5-9/170	4-May-00
50	Sampo Ranta	LW	Sioux City (USHL)	6-1/195	31-May-00
51	Jay O'Brien	C	Thayer Academy (USHS-MA)	5-10/185	4-Nov-99
52	Jonatan Berggren	C	Skelleftea (Swe Jr)	5-10/185	6-Jul-00
53	Kody Clark	RW	Ottawa (OHL)	6-1/180	13-Oct-99
54	David Gustafsson	C	HV 71 (Swe)	6-1/195	11-Apr-00
55	Nicolas Beaudin	D	Drummondville (QMJHL)	5-11/175	7-Oct-99
56	Cam Hillis	C	Guelph (OHL)	5-10/170	24-Jun-00
57	Milos Roman	C	Vancouver (WHL)	6-0/190	6-Nov-99
58	Gabriel Fortier	C	Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)	5-10/190	6-Feb-00
59	Riley Sutter	C	Everett (WHL)	6-3/205	25-Oct-99
60	Martin Fehervary	D	Oskarshamn (Swe 2)	6-1/190	6-Oct-99
61	Philipp Kurashev	C	Quebec (QMJHL)	6-0/190	12-Oct-99
62	Xavier Bouchard	D	Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)	6-3/190	28-Feb-00
63	Giovanni Vallati	D	Kitchener (OHL)	6-1/185	21-Feb-00
64	Alexander Khovanov	C	Moncton (QMJHL)	5-11/190	12-Apr-00
65	Blade Jenkins	LW	Saginaw (OHL)	6-1/195	11-Aug-00
66	Filip Johansson	D	Leksands (Swe 2)	6-1/185	23-Mar-00
67	Alec Regula	D	London (OHL)	6-3/200	6-Aug-00
68	Jakub Skarek	G	Dukla Jihlava (Cze)	6-3/200	10-Nov-99
69	Nico Gross	D	Oshawa (OHL)	6-1/185	26-Jan-00
70	Anderson MacDonald	LW	Moncton (QMJHL)	6-2/205	16-May-00
71	Kyle Topping	C	Kelowna (WHL)	5-11/185	18-Nov-99
72	Oskar Back	C	Farjestads (Swe Jr)	6-2/200	12-Mar-00
73	Nathan Dunkley	C	London (OHL)	5-11/195	3-May-00
74	Patrick Giles	RW	NTDP (USA)	6-4/205	3-Jan-00
75	Jake Wise	C	NTDP (USA)	5-10/190	28-Feb-00
76	Nando Eggenberger	LW	Davos (Sui)	6-2/185	7-Oct-99
77	Alexis Gravel	G	Halifax (QMJHL)	6-2/225	21-Mar-00
78	Olivier Rodrigue	G	Drummondville (QMJHL)	6-0/160	6-Jul-00
79	Tyler Madden	C	Central Illinois (USHL)	5-10/155	9-Nov-99
80	Lenni Killinen	LW	Blues (Fin Jr)	6-2/185	15-Jun-00
81	Filip Kral	D	Spokane (WHL)	6-0/170	20-Oct-99
82	Liam Foudy	C	London (OHL)	6-1/185	4-Feb-00
83	Kristian Reichel	C	Red Deer (WHL)	6-1/170	11-Jun-98
84	Danila Galenyuk	D	Mamonty Yurgy (Rus Jr)	6-1/200	10-Feb-00
85	Aidan Dudas	C	Owen Sound (OHL)	5-8/170	15-Jun-00
86	Marcus Westfalt	C	Brynas (Swe)	6-3/205	12-Mar-00
87	Jachym Kondelik	C	Muskegon (USHL)	6-6/225	21-Dec-99
88	Jacob Bernard-Docker	D	Okotoks (AJHL)	6-0/180	30-Jun-00
89	Carter Robertson	D	Ottawa (OHL)	6-2/180	15-Jan-00
90	Kevin Mandolese	G	Cape Breton (QMJHL)	6-3/180	22-Aug-00
91	Ryan O'Reilly (2000)	RW	Madison (USHL)	6-1/205	21-Mar-00
92	Merrick Rippon	D	Ottawa (OHL)	6-0/190	27-Apr-00
93	David Lilja	C	Karlskoga (Swe 2)	5-11/175	23-Jan-00
94	Alex Steeves	C	Dubuque (USHL)	6-0/185	10-Dec-99
95	Adam Samuelsson	D	NTDP (USA)	6-6/240	21-Jun-00
96	Linus Karlsson	C	Karlskrona (Swe Jr)	6-1/180	16-Nov-99
97	Jack Drury	C	Waterloo (USHL)	5-11/180	3-Feb-00
98	Albin Eriksson	LW	Skelleftea (Swe Jr)	6-4/205	20-Jul-00
99	Sean Durzi	D	Owen Sound (OHL)	6-0/195	21-Oct-98
100	Jacob Ingham	G	Mississauga (OHL)	6-3/185	10-Jun-00
HM	Curtis Hall	C	Youngstown (USHL)	6-2/195	26-Apr-00
HM	Toni Utunen	D	LeKi (Fin 2)	5-11/175	27-Apr-00
HM	Riley Damiani	C	Kitchener (OHL)	5-10/165	20-Mar-00
HM	Cole Fonstad	C	Prince Albert (WHL)	5-10/160	24-Apr-00
HM	Pavel Gogolev	RW	Peterborough (OHL)	6-0/175	19-Feb-00
HM	Jan Jenik	RW	Benatky nad Jizerou (Cze 2)	6-1/165	15-Sep-00
HM	Daniel Kurovsky	LW	Vitkovice (Cze)	6-4/200	4-Mar-98
HM	Luka Burzan	C	Brandon (WHL)	6-0/185	7-Jan-00
HM	Eric Florchuk	C	Saskatoon (WHL)	6-1/175	10-Jan-00
HM	David Levin	C	Sudbury (OHL)	5-10/180	16-Sep-99
HM	Chase Wouters	C	Saskatoon (WHL)	5-11/180	8-Feb-00
HM	Justus Annunen	G	Karpat Oulu (Fin Jr)	6-4/215	11-Mar-00
HM	Seth Barton	D	Trail (BCHL)	6-2/175	18-Aug-99
HM	Declan Chisholm	D	Peterborough (OHL)	6-1/185	12-Jan-00
HM	Paul Cotter	C	Lincoln (USHL)	6-0/190	16-Nov-99
HM	Caleb Everett	D	Saginaw (OHL)	6-2/185	20-Jan-00
HM	Johnny Gruden	C	NTDP (USA)	5-11/175	4-May-00
HM	Jordan Harris	D	Kimball Union (USHS-NH)	5-11/175	7-Jul-00
HM	Michael Kesselring	D	New Hampton School (USHS-NH)	6-4/185	13-Jan-00
HM	Juuso Ketola	D	Assat Pori (Fin Jr)	5-11/210	18-Mar-00
HM	Jackson Leppard	LW	Prince George (WHL)	6-1/200	18-Jan-00
HM	Scott Perunovich	D	Minn-Duluth (NCHC)	5-10/170	18-Aug-98
HM	Ivan Prosvetov	G	Youngstown (USHL)	6-4/175	5-Mar-99
HM	Tyler Weiss	LW	NTDP (USA)	5-10/160	3-Jan-00
HM	Dmitri Zavgorodny	LW	Rimouski (QMJHL)	5-9/175	11-Aug-00

Youngblood: 2015 OHL Priority Selection Reflection

Brendan Ross — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 15:31:16 +0000

David Levin (middle), Gabe Vilardi (right) and Owen Tippett (left) were three of the top four picks in the 2015 OHL Priority Selection presented by State Farm on Saturday April 11, 2015. (Photo by Aaron Bell/OHL Images)

The 2015 OHL Priority Selection has been completed with 302 players being selected and after having time to digest the picks, we can reflect with some thoughts on each team’s draft. Of course, it’s impossible to conclude one team had a better draft than another because these players will all need to time to develop their skills. However, comparing team-by-team picks to my own opinions coming into the draft can provide some context to, at least, my own personal analysis down the road. It’ll be much more important and valuable to revisit the 2015 draft class in two or three years time to truly analyze how each organization did in identifying talent at different spots throughout the draft with more development time under these player’s belts. And that will certainly happen but until then, let’s take a look at how each team did last Saturday.

While there were several teams who had very good drafts in my opinion, I don’t think any team had a poor draft at all. Teams did very well in identifying talent and value at different points throughout the draft and added important building blocks for their future. It’s always interesting the importance different teams place on player’s skills and attributes when making their picks.. Sault Ste. Marie fancies skilled players with strong possession games. Hamilton (formerly Belleville) and Peterborough tend to lean towards a balance of skill and physical/powerful forwards. Kitchener, Erie and Sarnia appear to target skilled players early. The London Knights do a good job at grabbing competitive skilled players and then aren’t shy in taking chances with some high-end American players with their success at getting them to report. North Bay and Oshawa Generals are attracted to rangy players and tend to build their teams around big players who think the game well. Whatever the recipe is for success, I think every OHL front office should be proud of the future pieces they added on April 11th.

The following is a team-by-team breakdown of noteworthy picks and talents. It’s important to note that I have not seen every player drafted and only comment on those that I have. There’s a good chance that some teams hit the jackpot with some of their picks that I am not familiar with. I have listed the teams in order from those I thought had an excellent draft to those that had good drafts. Again, on first initial observations, it was a good year across the league for drafting and not one team falls into the “poor draft” category.

To conclude, following the team-by-team analysis, I listed three selections from each round that I really liked.

Revisit my OHL Draft Rankings here.

TEAM-BY-TEAM ANALYSIS

Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds – Text book drafting continues in Sault Ste. Marie as the ‘Hounds scouting staff had a fantastic draft. With almost every pick that came due, the Greyhounds took my top ranked player remaining on my draft board – including Liam Hawel (selected 22nd, ranked 13th), Anthony DeMeo (selected 61st, ranked 20th), Morgan Frost (selected 81st, ranked 50th), Corson Green (selected 101st, ranked 26th), Calvin Martin (selected 121st, ranked 54th), Taylor Carlson (selected 141st, ranked 39th), Ryan Horvath (selected 161st, ranked 72nd) and Isaiah Payne (selected 221st, ranked 70th). It really was astonishing watching them pick off such great talent at every point in the draft. To no surprise, many of the players selected excel in possession hockey. Calvin Martin was a favourite all season long with his smart puck decisions. Liam Hawel owns some of the best pro potential in the draft. Morgan Frost is a hard to play against pivot out of Barrie. Demeo is a dynamic defender who instantly revitalizes the Greyhounds blueline if he commits considering Nurse and DeAngelo will graduate. The ‘Hounds stellar draft didn’t end there as they added highly regarded American Randy Hernandez, Theo Calvas and Perry Winfree late. Defenseman Zach Taylor and centreman Alex Daigle are two underrated possession players who have great supporting qualities and an ability to play a number of roles as well. Best drafting team in 2015.

Owen Sound Attack – Blessed with two very valuable first round selections due to the Victor Mete compensation pick, Owen Sound stuck gold getting two work horse players in Markus Phillips on defense and Nick Suzuki in the centre position. They had to wait until the third round to select again and added Matthew Struthers and athletic netminder Riley Daniels. It was through the middle rounds that Dale DeGray’s team did the most damage scooping up two energy skilled players from the Toronto Titans in Regan Kimens and Zach Sheedy, both high in my rankings. Furthermore, Mackenzie Warren, another top rated defender in my opinion, and Nick Pryce were two high value picks. Pryce was often the straw that stirred the Marlboros drink a lot of times this season. Kenneth Chisholm and defenseman Nicholas King were two smart picks out of the Alliance with both owning OHL potential. Joey Berkopec has some puck moving skills and his mobility showed very well in a quiet yet effective way. The Attack grabbed NOHA Player of the Year, Cayse Ton, in the 11th and then finished by selecting GM Dale DeGray’s son, Michael with their final pick in the 14th round. Solid draft!

London Knights – The Knights had 15 selections in the draft and I personally liked everyone of them. Oakville’s defenseman Evan Bouchard started things off in the opening round when everyone was thinking they’d go to Don Mills. Robert Thomas was next on the Knights list and that should come as no surprise since he plays a “Knights’ style” of hockey – excelling in possession and competitiveness. Finn Evans was selected in the third which was one of my favourite selections of the draft. London added Brady Tkachuk, brother of Matt who the Knights also own rights to. One of the draft’s top defenders Ian Blacker, committed to Western Michigan, was a gamble that might just pay off in the 4th. Cole Tymkin will add some grit to the system while Vinagradov, Turko, Di Cicco and Clarke are all local London kids with good OHL upside. Two of my sleepers of the draft were scooped up by London with Formenton and Dennison landing in the “Forest City”. Sean Dhoogie is a 5-foot-2 dynamo that is a gamble due to his commitments and Jacob Golden is rumoured to have options south of the border but is a great puck moving Top 75 defender.

Peterborough Petes – Loaded with a league-high 18 picks, Peterborough had a lot of flexibility in their draft plan and did well to lock up some good building blocks for the franchise. A bit surprising, Peterborough opted for Zach Gallant, a two-way forward with a lot of intangibles, with their 5th overall selection. Gallant will certainly become a key fixture for the Petes moving forward and should have an immediate impact in the lineup. Next up was Nicholas Grima, a defender I was higher on than most and one that fits the Petes’ hard-working game approach well. Gritty skilled winger CJ Clarke and hard hitting defender Cole Fraser offer a tough-to-play-against style that’s common at the Memorial Arena in Peterborough. Simon Boyko is a sniper who will surely help Jonathan Ang (2014 1st round selection) put up goals. Perth Swick is a big defender with some shutdown upside while Nick Isaacson is a forward I was particularly high on because of his rangy skilled style. Peterborough added Bryce Misley, Luke Wyatt, Cameron Crotty, and Colton Kalezic through the middle rounds which will improve their organizational depth and give them options. Josh Barraclough is a Petes’ style of burly forward and was snatched up in the 9th round. Logan Buchanan and Peterborough native Will Hickey were two energy forwards with skill added later. Mix in the gambles on Americans Logan Hutsko and Logan Cockerill and the Petes had a very good day at the draft table.

Kitchener Rangers – The blue shirts likely walked away from the draft very happy after landing Greg Meireles, a top 10 talent, with their 12th pick. The smooth skating Elijah Roberts was their 2nd round target and then Kitchener turned to the undersized skilled dynamo Joseph Garreffa in the 3rd followed by calm poised goaltender Luke Richardson in the 4th. Meireles’ teammate Nick McHugh was added in the 7th and Kitchener selected a few local skaters in Nick Duralijla (Hamilton) and Andrew McIntyre (Kitchener) later. Ryan Kula, Dylan Seitz, Alex Peterson, and Scott Del Zotto were shrewd selections as well. If Adam Scheel decides to come to the OHL over the NCAA then the Rangers could have another John Gibson on their hands.

Saginaw Spirit – The Spirit had one of the better drafts in 2015 and it started with high character, versatile pivot Brady Gilmour being selected 6th overall. Gilmour’s leadership and competitive hunger are the type of qualities team build championships around. Saginaw improved their blueline with the additions of Robert Proner (30th), Carson Pearce (9th round), Jaxon Camp (11th), Brady Enman (12th) and reentry Fedor Radukov (14th). With two 2nd round picks, Saginaw made the smart move by rolling the dice on Kirill Maksimov, a high potential yet inconsistent forward who owns game-changing qualities. Brendan Bonello was surprisingly available in the 4th round and the Spirit may have hit the jackpot here. Nick Campoli is a high energy skilled forward that was great value in the 6th round while adding Matteo DiGiulio was a worhwhile investment as he’s flashed some noteworthy skill. Gianluca Fuoco and Jacob Sutton are buzz saw forwards that’ll add some agitating presence to the system. Saginaw took some calculated risks on Americans they’ll attempt to recruit including Cole Coskey, Brock Hill and Michael Pastujov a top 3 talent who just happens to be the younger brother to highly touted Saginaw 2014 pick Nick Pastujov. If the Spirit can get the Pastujov brothers to report, watch out!

Guelph Storm – The Storm excelled in the top half of the draft with their selections of Ratcliffe, Stevens, Deakin-Poot, Schnarr, Hanna, Popovich and Ralph – all players with different personas that should fill out different roles well. In addition, Guelph took a flier on the top ranked defensive prospect in David Farrance giving them a potential star if they can convince him to report. More smart selections were made to end the draft with Jakob Lee, Noah Benjamin and Michael Mannara as a few other names that came aboard.

Oshawa Generals – The Gens got off on a good foot in my books after selecting my 8th ranked skater in Jack Studnicka in the 21st spot. Studnicka, in my opinion, owns some of the best upside in this draft and it was nice to see him land inside the opening round after I applauded his talents all season long. Without a pick until the 4th round, Oshawa turned back to the US-based teams and took Kyle MacLean from the New Jersey rockets giving them a two-way competitive forward who has top-nine potential. Waterloo’s Sullivan Sparkes, London’s Jaimen Allison, Quinte’s Keegan Ferguson and Soo Thunderbirds’ forward Gage Stephney all received good reviews this season in my notes. I especially feel that Ferguson and Stephney were two players who own some untapped upside. Oshawa rounded out the second half of their draft getting great value with their picks – Mathieu Franche (9th), Barrett Mundell (11th), Matt Stoia (12th), Tyler Dam (13th) and Shelby Rienstra (15th).

Niagara IceDogs– Similar to the Knights’ draft, Niagara nailed down almost every one of their picks. Ben Jones is one of the most OHL-ready prospects in the draft and Hayden Davis was the top ranked player at one point so the ‘Dogs did very well in the opening round. Cal Davis is a smart rangy winger with a lot of upside, Cameron Bisson is a sizeable winger who also has a lot of room to develop while Colton Incze was among my top ranked goaltenders. Max Khull might have been the most underrated Northern player and Mitchell Crevatin had a quiet yet excellent year with Sun County. Matthew Philip isn’t flashy but he’s got a smart mind for the game and knows how to play a good support possession game. Special stick tap to the Niagara IceDogs for selecting Benjamin Fox with the final pick of the draft, making the young lads’ dream come true after he suffered a stroke that has left him partially paralyzed. Classy move by Niagara and the OHL!

Erie Otters – Knocked their first six picks out of the park by adding Lodnia, Neumann, Wainman, Celotti and Ryan Martin. The Otters appeared to nab their guys in their expected projected rounds which resulted in them adding a lot of quality depth. Middle round pick Derek McVey is a rangy forward with some promising tools and a player to watch moving forward. The Otters went with some unknown American prospects with some of their later picks but due to the unfamiliarity, I cannot comment on their upside/skills. Dylan Latty and Adam Pys were two solid gets later in the draft.

Mississauga Steelheads – Owen Tippett wasn’t the McLeod brother that they may have expected to draft but Tippett is an excellent and equally as dangerous talent to build around. With an OHL-calibre shot, Tippett should help Mississauga in the goal scoring department very soon. The ‘Trout had a quietly good draft and seemed to like the Ottawa and Quinte areas picking up forwards Aiden McFarland, Matthew Titus, Darcy Walsh, Scoley Dow and defenseman Ryan O’Connell. Jack Lyons, Ryan Radisa, Chris Garbe, Harrison Toms and Maxime Fortin were good value picks. One of my top ranked defenseman in the draft was Ryan Wells, who was taken in the final round so I certainly approve.

North Bay Battalion – The troops in North Bay did a splendid job locking up talented northern kids while mixing in smart value picks throughout the draft. North Bay native Brady Lyle was their first round selection after the offensive rearguard tore it up with Shattuck St. Mary’s scoring at a near point-per-game pace. Jacob Ball is a rangy shoot-first winger with some promising skills that was nabbed in the 3rd round. Sudbury’s Brady Chenier owns some of the most tantalizing talent of any northern kid and will surely develop into a solid player. North Bay scooped up Don Mills minute-eating goaltender Matthew Woroniuk in the 6th (great value), projected Top 30 defenseman Josh Maniscalco in the 7th (a worthy gamble) and Joseph Franzin, Max Wright, Daniel Walker, Stefan Palatsidis and Kameron Shearer were good value picks after the mid-rounds. Eric Allair was an under-the-radar defender from North Bay and grabbing Curtis Abbott in the 15th was a smart move as he represented one of my favourites from the Alliance this season.

Kingston Frontenacs – Robbie Burt was the Fronts first round pick which was surprising to a lot of draft watchers but he certainly flashed high-end talent with the Rebels from time to time. Kingston grabbed Jacob Paquette in the second round (a favourite of mine) and then continued a nice string of selections in Jakob Brahaney, Jason Robertson, Tyler Burnie, Nick Kiriakos, Mario Peccia, Colin VanDenHurk, Sean Michaud and Brad Cocca. Kingston did very well grabbing value in every round and it should pay long-term dividends.

Hamilton Bulldogs – Impressive draft for the Hamilton Bulldogs as they targeted tough to play against competitors. Matt Strome is a nice piece to build around and they flanked him with some good talent in two-way defender Reilly Webb, intriguing puck moving defender Fedor Gordeev and hard hitting blueliner Noah Lugli. Add in Zachary Jackson, Jesse Burger, Maddux Rychel and Skyler Brind’Amour – all players who have loads of potential and room to develop – and the ‘BDogs have stocked their cupboards. Mackenzie Entwistle is a player teams will win with and Brett Willits, Jake Durham and local defender Brandon Scanlin were some of the more underrated prospects.

Windsor Spitfires – Warren Rychel went with the best player available and snatched up Gabe Vilardi with the 2nd pick of the draft. Vilardi is a high-end playmaker who can dominate possession time. He will fit in nicely with the other big bodies in Windsor and likely elevate the play of his linemates with his distribution skills. To no surprise, Windsor addressed their lack of goaltending depth by grabbing local netminder Michael DiPietro, who played all season with Rychel’s son Maddux. With their second pick of the 2nd round, the Spitfires scooped up smooth skating defender Kyle Auger out of the Thunder Bay Kings program. Windsor was the first to draft a re-entry player in EOJHL standout Cole Carter in the 4th round. The GTHL was targeted by Windsor with their 8th and 9th round picks taking versatile defender Declan Graham from the Marlies and industrious winger Cole Purboo from the Mississauga Rebels, respectively. Thomas Stevenson is a projectable defenseman with promising raw tools and a nice get in the 10th. William Sirman isn’t the biggest or most dynamic skater but his hockey sense and effectiveness in possession will make him a nice OHL prospect. Devlin Shanahan was an OHL Cup standout in my books as a player who knows how to make an impact, showing advanced understanding of the game and the resolve to just get things done.

Sudbury Wolves – David Levin was my top ranked player and rightfully went 1st overall to the Wolves giving them an exciting dynamic player to build around. With Andrew Shaw in charge, it Sudbury performed very well drafting well out of the Alliance including smart possession winger Shane Bulitka (2nd round), opportunistic scorer Owen Lane (3rd), two-way workhorse defender Donovan Cowan (6th) and sparkplug forward Kier Cumming (15th). Barrie’s Macauley Carson was taken with the last pick in the 2nd and will provide a big physical presence who shows good skill in traffic. Conor Ali was an underrated puck mover and a good pick up while Ben Garagan, Adam Panacci and Declan Hilton all provide some long-term potential up front. Adrian Bilic was a quietly good selection as he logged a ton of valuable minutes with the Jr. Canadiens. Jake McGrath and Evan Fear (if he’d report) were two solid goaltender picks for Sudbury.

Sarnia Sting – To no surprise, Sarnia went Stateside and adding a skilled forward with Euro ties in Sasha Chmelevski from the always dangerous Detroit Honeybaked team. After trading away one of their three second round picks, Sarnia opted for Southern Tier’s Ryan McGregor and towering London goaltender Aidan Hughes in the second round. McGregor was taken slightly higher than many expected but he offers skill in a similar fashion as rookie standout Jordan Kyrou did last season. He has the creativity, soft handling ability, and strong skating package to develop into a special player. Aidan Hughes was Mr. Steady Eddie all season long posting impressive crease numbers and the given fact that he’s both huge and extremely athletic, he has some outstanding potential. With their 3rd round selection, Sarnia drafted another Hughes in Toronto Marlboros’ defenseman Quinton Hughes who was ranked 4th overall in my rankings. Hughes has a University of Michigan commitment and is expected to play with the US NTDP program. Kelton Hatcher apparently plays a similar game as his father Derien Hatcher and could offer Sarnia a big minute shutdown defender in a year or two. Matthew Kellemberger is a smooth skating puck moving defenseman that was a smart selection in the 7th round. American Colton McKenna displays a good north-south attack game and a noteworthy shot. Holden Hrysko is a gritty hard working two-way forward who isn’t afraid to get physical but also owns some solid puck skills. Anthony Bertucca was a very good selection in the 11th for Sarnia as he showed very well for the Quinte Red Devils, winning them an OMHA championship. Heading back to Southern Tier, Sarnia grabbed Curtis Egert in the 13th who is a good framed kid who loves to hit and packs a good shooting arsenal.

Ottawa 67’s – Austen Keating has been a ’99 to watch for several years and the 67’s selected the skilled pivot with the 16th overall. Ottawa looked to improve their blueline with their next two picks drafting Noah Hoefenmayer and Hudson Wilson from Don Mills and Vaughan, respectively. Wilson was a very underrated defender who plays a complete game while “The Hoef” has shown to offer some promising offensive tools. Corey Andonovski was a shrewd selection in the 4th round as this talented winger really had a strong second half and could develop into one of the better ‘99s. Marcel Berube (5th) is a hard to play against physical winger, Kody Clark (son of Wendel Clark) was a good support player on the Marlboros and Ben Evans was my 43rd ranked skater so he was a solid get in the 8th round. Ottawa added some good local talent in North Central’s Matthew Prucha, Jr. 67’s defender Erik Ross and Titans puckstopper Jacob Smith in the 9th, 10th and 11th round. Highly touted Americans Thomas Miller and Charlie Dovorany were grabbed with two of their final three selections.

Flint Firebirds – Made the first controversial pick by nabbing Ryan McLeod third overall after talks that he was headed to Mississauga to join his brother Michael. Credit to their staff for drafting McLeod and grabbing the best available player at that position. Flint took some calculated risks on Americans with commitments. Firebirds did well to add some tough players to play against through the middle rounds in Jack Phibbs and Drayton Duckett.

Barrie Colts – Strong first seven picks including Tortora, Willms, Aidan Brown, Christian Propp, Jaden Peca and Kade Landry. It will be interesting to see what Jake Tortora opts to do as much of the Colts draft success depends on this first round selection. If he reports and opts out of his collegiate commitment, he’s a game changer. Goaltender Carter Pearen had a strong season with Elgin and was a great pick in the 12th round. Likewise, Kyle Heitzner flashed some natural scoring skills and could develop into an impact forward as a 11th round selection.

ROUND-BY-ROUND FAVOURITE PICKS

There were three players noted in every round that I consider above-average picks based on their skill and value moving forward. There are several rounds with an additional player listed (in italics) because a team took a calculated gamble on a player with NCAA commitment in a draft spot that could prove extremely valuable.

Round 1
Ryan McLeod (3rd to Flint)
Jack Studnicka (21st to Oshawa)
Liam Hawel (22nd to Sault Ste. Marie)

Round 2
Nicholas Grima (25th to Peterborough)
Jacob Paquette (31st to Kingston)
Mackenzie Entwistle (40th to Hamilton)

Round 3
Quinton Hughes (49th to Sarnia)
Brett Neumann (53rd to Erie)
Finn Evans (60th to London)
Anthony DeMeo (61st to Sault Ste. Marie)

Round 4
Simon Boyko (66th to Peterborough)
Ian Blacker (70th to London)
Corey Andonovski (75th to Ottawa)
Luke Richardson (79th to Kitchener)

Round 5
Nicholas Celotti (63rd to Erie)
Quinn Hanna (94th to Guelph)
Corson Green (101st to Sault Ste. Marie)

Round 6
Jaden Peca (102nd to Barrie)
Donovan Cowan (105th to Sudbury)
Matthew Woroniuk (108th to North Bay)
David Farrance (114th to Guelph)

Round 7
Jack Phibbs (133rd to Saginaw)
Cedric Ralph (140th to Guelph)
Taylor Carlson (141st to Sault Ste. Marie)

Round 8
Nick Pryce (143rd to Owen Sound)
Ben Evans (155th to Ottawa)
Ryan Horvath (161st to Sault Ste. Marie)

Round 9
Cole Purboo (163rd to Windsor)
Kyle Waters (164th to Flint)
Matthew Philip (172nd to Niagara)

Round 10
Jordan Di Cicco (196th to London)
Tyler Gratton (199th to Erie)
Brad Cocca (200th to Kingston)

Round 11
Alex Formenton (216th to London)
Barrett Mundell (220th to Oshawa)
Isaiah Payne (221st to Sault Ste. Marie)

Round 12
Skyler Brind’Amour (228th to Hamilton)
Scott Del Zotto (231st to Kitchener)
Matt Stoia (240th to Oshawa)

Round 13
Devlin Shanahan (243rd to Windsor)
Curtis Egert (249th to Sarnia)
Sean Dhoogie (256th to London)
Eric Allair (257th to North Bay)

Round 14
Adrian Bilic (262nd to Sudbury)
William Sirman (263rd to Windsor)
Liam Dennison (276th to London)

Round 15
Ryan Wells (285th to Mississauga)
Jacob Golden (295th to London)
Curtis Abbott (297th to North Bay)
Benjamin Fox (302nd to Niagara) – Classy Move!

UNDRAFTED TOP 250 RANKED PLAYERS

The following players were ranked in my personal Top 250 (not including Americans without viewings) who did not get draft this time around.

G - Kristian Hufsky

G - Michael Leach

G - Garrett Boyonoski

D - Eric Sutherland

D - Zach Hart

D - Jordan Russell

D - Adrien Bisson

D - Justin Freeman

D - Daniel Marchese

D - Bryan Brant

D - Ben Derrough

D - Blake Kryska

D - Elliott MacDermott

D - Ben Schoch

D - Jackson Oswald

D - Brendon Clavelle

D - Jackson Brown

D - John MIllar

D- Robert Haak

D - Kyle Lefebvre

F - Tanner Hertel

F - Brenden Stanko

F - Jonathan Lakhani

F - Ryan Shaw

F - Steven Agriogianis

F - Kole Scott

F - Karter Renouf

F - Mark Tassone

F - Mackenzie Lowry

F - Adam Johnston

F - Zach Bramwell

F - Oliver Castleman

F - Lucas Stefano

F - Felix Cote

F - Nick Hoey

F - Jon Sanderson

F - Jacob Brown

F - Vincent Bonailuto

F - Robert Welsher

F - Sean Josling

F - Travis Yawger

F - Michael Cabral

F - Joshua Battistella

F - Eric Eschweiler

F - Harrison Craffey

Youngblood: 2015 OHL Draft Guide & Rankings

Brendan Ross — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 21:49:16 +0000

David Levin (Aaron Bell/OHL Images)

With the Sudbury Wolves scheduled to announce the winner of the Jack Ferguson Award, awarded annually to the 1st overall selection, a new face of the frachise will don the Sudbury jersey in need of some electrifying talent. All signs point to that player being skilled winger David Levin of the Don Mills Flyers but that will need to be confirmed at their press conference on Friday, April 10th at 11am EST.

Born in Israel and a late beginner to the game of hockey, David Levin is a player with an interesting back story. He started the game as an inline player who eventually moved to the Toronto area to live with family in order to chase his dreams of playing in the NHL. Despite his fascinating and journey outside of the rink, Levin's dazzling skills on the ice are the true grounds for excitement. His ability to create offense with elite level puck skills, paralyzing one-on-one skills and breath-taking passing abilities will surely be welcomed in Nickel City, who are eager to add a game-breaking forward talent.

Unlike the 2014 OHL Priority Selection when Jakob Chychrun was the unanimous choice as the top ranked skater, David Levin is only one player in a tightly packed group at the top of many draft rankings. Levin is joined by top rated skaters Gabriel Vilardi, Ryan McLeod and Owen Tippett as potential 1st overall selections. On the blue line, Hamilton's Hayden Davis, Brampton's Ian Blacker and Toronto's Quinn Hughes draw the most praise from scouts. For teams eyeing help between the pipes, look for Titans' puckstopper Brendan Bonello, Canada Winter Games' standout Michael DiPietro, North Central's Luke Richardson or London's Aidan Hughes to draw interest early.

The 2015 OHL draft crop is a unique group as the variance of opinions is quite extensive. Simply put, as teams call out their selections be prepared for the unexpected because draft lists and rankings lack any sort of consensus. Regardless of the 1999-crop being void of that "can't-miss" prospect, it does provide good depth and will certainly be a fun group to follow as they journey through their development. Years down the road when the selections can fairly be analyzed, we many later picks match the success of earlier selections, at least - more than we traditionally expect.

April 10th will mark an exciting day for players and their families as over 300 prospects get drafted into the Ontario Hockey League, taking the next step in their hockey careers.

After spending long days and many weekends in the rink and on the road travelling to scout the '99 age group, I can proudly present readers of "Youngblood Hockey" with my personal rankings, observations, lists and much, much more in the 2015 Youngblood OHL Draft Guide. Inside readers will find my Top 250 ranked players, 50 candid scouting notes, and an additional 200+ Players to Watch (including Americans without personal viewings). In addition, Youngblood Hockey has included "Sleeper Lists", "Best Of.." groupings and a two-round Mock Draft.

It's been a fun year! Enjoy and good luck to all of the players!

DOWNLOAD (FREE): Youngblood Hockey - 2015 OHL Draft Rankings

Brendan Ross

@RossyYoungblood

Youngblood: OHL Cup Hits Primetime

Brendan Ross — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 18:16:08 +0000

The 2015 OHL Cup Championship game was held at Mattamy Arena, formerly Maple Leafs Gardens, between the Don Mills Flyers (left) and Toronto Marlboros (right)
(Aaron Bell/OHL Images)

One of the best parts about sports, and specifically hockey, is that it always delivers on the entertainment factor – regardless of the league. Six-year-old newcomers to hockey can be equally entertaining as 20-year veterans of the game. No scripts are needed. A sheet of ice and two teams driven to prove their worth are the only necessary ingredients.

Over the past week, twenty teams from across Ontario and northern USA converged on Toronto’s Scotiabank Pond (Buckingham Arena) looking to capture the OHL Cup, a showcase tournament for the provinces’ top teams and regional winners. Mixed in among the hundreds of scouts and agents were eager hockey fans looking to get a glimpse at the next superstars of hockey - Steven Stamkos, Drew Doughty and soon to be NHL-star Connor McDavid are just a few of the OHL Cup alumni group.

The OHL Cup peaked on Monday night as the Don Mills Flyers and Toronto Marlboros took the ice at Mattamy Athletic Centre as the last two standing teams in front of Sportnets’ national cameras. Leading up to the Championship event was a week of emotional highs and lows including a nervous few hours for the defending champs (Toronto Marlboros) as they waited to hear whether they’d advance into the quarterfinal games after a three-way deadlock in the Nash Division. Fortunately for the Marlboros, they held the tiebreaker over the Mississauga Reps and would move onto playoff rounds where they eventually picked up steam.

Fast forward to Monday’s thrilling OHL Cup Championship game and it was a rematch of the GTHL Championship series between Don Mills and the Marlboros. That previous series went the distance needing all eight games plus two overtime periods before Toronto’s Elijah Roberts played hero sending the blue and white into celebration. On Monday, March 23^rd, the Flyers scored a late goal to send the OHL Cup into extra time but again, it was the Marlboros who’d eventually win as Matthew Strome, younger brother to Islanders forward Ryan and 2014-15 OHL scoring champion Dylan, found the back of the net to cap off an outstanding week of hockey and thrilling year of minor midget hockey.

Aaron Bell/OHL Images

That was the Toronto Marlboros second consecutive OHL Cup championship.

Now that the tournament is behind us and all eyes have turned to the OHL Priority Selection draft on April 11^th, it’s a perfect time to take a look at the players who impressed over the course of the week.

Notes: The following is not a draft ranking but rather a list of players who performed particularly well at the 2015 OHL Cup. The 2000-born prospects were not included in the ranking.

There is a Top 10 for the 2000-born OHL Cup performances at the end of the article.

OHL Cup Top 50

Toronto Marlboros' Ryan McLeod was named GTHL Player of the Year and OHL Cup MVP (Aaron Bell/OHL Images)

1. Ryan McLeod, C, Toronto Marlboros

For a player who’s struggled with consistency in his production over the course of their draft season, McLeod certainly found a great time to peak. After an outstanding Canada Winter Games showing and a dominant GTHL playoff run, McLeod has vaulted himself into discussion as a potential top overall selection. He rightfully won MVP honours at the OHL Cup which he can add to his GTHL Player of the Year honours that he captured last Thursday. McLeod is a two-way pivot who excels at playing at a high pace, showing crafty hands and a pro-level shot.

2. Jacob Paquette, D, Ottawa Jr. 67’s

In my opinion, Jacob Paquette had one of the most eye-opening OHL Cup performances from start to finish. An extremely poised defender with no panic threshold, Paquette exudes a calming influence throughout the Jr 67’s lineup. Uses a long powerful smooth stride to propel himself up ice and he isn’t afraid to jump into the rush. His skating stride looks very similar to Sean Day’s in the way that it’s effortless. Showed outstanding gap control and never allowed attacking forwards to gain the zone, closing the gap at the blueline. Paquette found open seams under pressure and senses pressure well, using reversals or spinning off and regrouping. Simply put, this low-maintenance, big-minute defenseman had an outstanding tournament.

Jacob Paquette (Dan Hickling/Hickling Images)

3. Jake Tortora, LW, Don Mills Flyers

Easily my favourite player in the draft despite owning a 5-foot-6 slender frame, Tortora is a game-breaker who plays the game at an unrelenting pace. His jack rabbit-like acceleration is driven by quick sharp edges that reach top speed instantaneously. His ability to gain the offensive zone is impressive and he’s shown to be one of the most creative passers in the draft. It’s astonishing to see this small (yet very feisty) forward knock around players 8-10 inches taller than him. He has a knack for drawing defenders in and then blasting by them. Tortora masks his intentions well and certainly prefers to operate as a playmaker. Tortora is committed to Boston College but remains VERY high on my personal rankings.

4. Nick Suzuki, C, London Jr. Knights

After watching Suzuki all season, it was nice to see this highly intelligent center have an outstanding final tournament showing off the potential we’ve all believed him to have. There were times during the OHL Cup when Suzuki single-handedly took his team on his back and lifted them to victory showing elite defensive skills to force a turnover and elite offensive skills to capitalize the other way. It was exactly the type of showing that Suzuki needed to show scouts that he’s a top round player.

5. Quinton Hughes, D, Toronto Marlboros

Hughes missed Saturday’s playoff action because of he was in Ann Arbor at the US Under-17 NTDP camp but when he was in the lineup, he proved to be an absolute game-changer. Arguably the most intuitive puck-moving defenseman in the draft, Hughes’ ability to dissect the opposition and attack the middle of ice with speed is unmatched. In many ways, this University of Michigan commit reminds me of a younger Anthony DeAngelo (OHL’s leading defensive scorer).

6. Kyle Auger, D, Thunder Bay Kings

Right-handed shooting defenseman, Kyle Auger, was a shoe-in as a Top 10 OHL Cup performer after impressing with his smart puck rushing ability. Quick and deceptively agile on his skates, Auger navigated about the ice with ease showing an outstanding aptitude for gaining the zone. He utilizes subtle misdirection and fakes as he attacks through the neutral zone and certainly improved his draft stock.

7. Greg Meireles, RW, Ottawa Jr. 67’s

Meireles sat atop the OHL Cup scoring ranks for the majority of the tournament and finished there in a tie with five others (nine points). The projected Top 10 pick did nothing to hurt his draft stock and continued to play a hard-to-contain high-paced game. Continually impressed with his effort on both sides of the puck and it’s quite clear that his competitiveness may be unmatched in this draft. With Meireles, an OHL team is going to get an offensive player with high-end upside who just happens to be a determined defensive player as well.

Anthony DeMeo of Elite Hockey Group (Dan Hickling Photography)

8. Anthony DeMeo, D, Elite Hockey Group

The top skater on the Elite Hockey Group team, Anthony DeMeo is a gifted puck rushing defenseman whose ability to gain speed in possession and enter the offensive zone virtually untouched is elite. Elusive in four-ways and blazing top speed make him almost impossible to contain in flight. He appeared to struggle in identifying options once he gained the zone but that could also be a result from the lack of chemistry on this “all-star” team. DeMeo owns first round talent and has not committed to a college.

9. Matthew Woroniuk, G, Don Mills Flyers

There’s value in goaltenders who step up and shine in big games and Woroniuk did exactly that down the stretch in the GTHL playoffs and then again in a long OHL Cup run. When Woroniuk is on his game, he’s extremely focused tracking pucks with ease. He’s a big goaltender who takes up a lot of the net and his lower lateral coverage stems from quick pad reflexes that resemble pinball flippers. He does wander out of position occasionally but has the athleticism to make that much needed game-saving stop in recovery.

10. Jaden Peca, LW, Toronto Marlboros

The Marlies’ do-it-all winger had one of the more impressive OHL Cup performances. Peca battles for pucks and gets his nose dirty, forcing turnovers with his hounding competitive drive. His quick stick and strong routes collapse quickly on defenders and it opens up a lot of space for his linemates to operate. Peca led the Marlboros in scoring with eight points in the OHL Cup.

11. Nick Celotti, C/RW, Toronto Jr. Canadiens

Celotti is another personal favourite prospect for the 2015 OHL Draft and it stems from his ability to dictate the offensive pace. His first step quickness is excellent and at top speed, he is difficult to contain. He has the ability to drive wide on defenders and cut hard to the net or pull up and hit a trailing teammate. He tends to operate more as a distributor than a shooter but with his skill he will flank a top-six line.

12. Aidan Hughes, G, London Jr. Knights

One of the biggest goaltenders available in the draft finished off a great second half with one of the best OHL Cup crease performances. He looked dialed in all tournament long and led this team to a semi-final showing. Few goaltenders can combine the size and mental focus as well as Aiden Hughes.

13. CJ Clarke, RW, Toronto Marlboros

When the Marlboros were desperate and needed goals, CJ Clarke answered the bell. Without Clarke’s two big goals against the Ottawa Jr. 67’s, Toronto may have never found the momentum they needed to get their offense on track and earn a quarterfinal berth. Clarke is a competitive and aggressive winger who uses sheer determination in puck pursuits. He engages, operates well on the cycle and can strike quickly walking off the half-wall. He uses his length well to protect the puck and knows how to use defenders as screens during attacks.

Jack Studnicka of TPH Thunder (Dan Hickling/Hickling Images)

14. Jack Studnicka, C, TPH Thunder

Studnicka entered the OHL Cup as one of my favourite first round sleepers, mainly because he’s such a talented player who owns some raw attributes that can easily be developed. The Belle Tire leading scorer oozes hockey sense and relies on his vision and anticipation skills to exploit time and space accordingly. He’s a big body with great length to his game, using his wide wingspan and long stride to shield off checkers. Because of his reach, Studnicka has the ability to hold the puck out wide and then quickly pull it in for a swooping toe-drag or fluid windup for his wicked shot. He prefers to be creative inside the top of the circles and is prone to passing when he should be utilizing his shot in that scoring area. His frame can carry a lot more muscle and when he physically matures, he should be a force to contain. Stylistic wise, Studnicka reminds me of Mark Scheifele.

15. Matthew Strome, LW, Toronto Marlboros

The OHL Cup hero after scoring the championship winning goal (adding an earlier goal too), Matt Strome is known best as the younger brother of Ryan Strome (Islanders budding star) and Dylan Strome (projected Top 5 NHL Draft pick) but he’s got skills of his own. A clever passer who reads the ice very well, Strome owns the offensive instincts to develop into an impact player. He continues to work on his skating, which is definitely a work in progress, but beyond that concern, there’s a lot to like with his game. At the OHL Cup, Strome strung together some great games when it mattered most and was very good at utilizing his size advantage to work the possession game and drive to the net.

16. Colin VanDenHurk, D, Quinte Red Devils

The Red Devils lean on VanDenHurk in all situations which is a testament to his overall hockey intelligence. He walks the blueline with his head up, always surveying his options, and promptly identifies his options. He is a flawless passer who supports the puck extremely well. With improved pace, VanDenHurk has the potential to become an extremely valuable top-four defenseman. His one-timer was especially effective at the OHL Cup and his overall playing style compares to a younger Chris Bigras (Owen Sound/Colorado Avalanche).

17. Skyler Brind’Amour, C, TPH Thunder

The son of former NHL star Rod Brind’Amour, Skyler was one player who immediately caught my eye at the OHL Cup. He’s a big kid with a great frame to build on and he owns some solid fundamental skills. At 6-foot-1, Brind’Amour has good length and he uses it as an advantage in his attacks. His puck skills, especially in traffic, are very impressive showing very little panic. His on-ice reads were excellent identifying soft areas and playing to them. Brind’Amour plays an OHL-style of game using quick touches and can extend possession time with his confident puck handling abilities. He came into the tournament as an unknown for me but quickly climbed my draft rankings.

18. Nick Isaacson, LW, Mississauga Reps

Tall and rangy winger with tantalizing long-term potential, Nick Isaacson flashes creative puck touches, a strong powerful stride and the hunger to score. Isaacson enters the zone at top speed and drives wide on defenders before cutting hard to the net, shielding off defenders using his reach and long stretched-out legs. He is one of the drafts most appealing projects on forward because technically he has the raw physical tools but also combines that with smart instincts and elements of creativeness.

19. Robert Thomas, C, York Simcoe Express

Thomas is the spark-plug that drives the YSE offense and he’s the type of player that can make an offensive impact every time he touches the ice. His start-up gear instantly gets him to top speed and the agility he displays in flight is a bonus for a smaller player. Thomas utilizes quick cuts and tight curl-offs as he enters the offensive zone and then identifies his options, setting up as the quarterback. He owns a separation gear and one-on-one creativity to beat defenders as well.

20. Devlin Shanahan, LW, Mississauga Reps

From a pure upside perspective, Devlin Shanahan won’t immediately jump out at you but he’s the straw that stirs the drink on the Reps. He’s the type of forward that makes things happen all the time and he’s always around the puck. Shanahan isn’t blessed with paralyzing quickness but his sheer determination and puck pursuit suffocates the opposition and forces turnovers. In possession, Shanahan makes smart passes moving the puck crisply and most importantly, never concedes possession. He’s more likely to throw the puck into his feet if out of options and battle or send it to an open area to be retrieved by a teammate. Shanahan likely won’t be selected in the top rounds but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him be that late round pick that has a solid OHL career.

21. Noah Benjamin, LW, Waterloo Wolves

22. Carter Pearen, G, Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs

23. Michael Leach, G, Ottawa Valley Titans

24. Nicholas Grima, D, Toronto Titans

25. Liam Hawel, C, Ottawa Valley Titans

26.Jason Robertson, RW, Don Mills Flyers

27. Simon Boyko, RW, Toronto Jr. Canadiens

28. David Levin, LW, Don Mills Flyers

29. William Sirman, C, York Simcoe Express

30. Max Wright, G, Waterloo Wolves

31. Matthew Rehding, LW, Toronto Jr. Canadiens

32. Brenden Stanko, LW, TPH Thunder

33. Ryan Wells, D, Mississauga Reps

34. Nathan Schnarr, C, Waterloo Wolves

35. Owen Lane, LW, Kitchener Jr. Rangers

36. Kole Scott, LW, North Central Predators

37. Donovan Cowan, D, Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs

38. Jason Willms, C, Kitchener Jr. Rangers

39. Sullivan Sparkes, LW, Waterloo Wolves

40. Max Vinagradov, RW, London Jr. Knights

41.Eric Sutherland, D, Ottawa Valley Titans

42. Matthew Philip, C, Elgin Middlesex Chiefs

43. Matthew Stoia, D, TPH Thunder

44. Keegan Ferguson, D, Quinte Red Devils

45. Steven Agriogianis, C, Elite Hockey Group

46. Matthew Titus, RW, Ottawa Valley Titans

47. Cole Tymkin, RW, Thunder Bay Kings

48. Thomas Stevenson, D, Ottawa Jr. 67’s

49. Noel Hoefenmayer, D, Don Mills Flyers

50. Matthew Struthers, C, Halton Hurricanes

51. Alex Peterson, D, Thunder Bay Kings

EDIT: The original list was edited after it failed to paste one player in correctly, explaining the 51 players instead of 50.

Top 10 OHL Cup Performances from Underage Players (2000-born)

Ryan Merkley, D, Toronto Jr. Canadiens
Eric Guest, C, Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs
Allan McShane, C, Toronto Jr. Canadiens
Blade Jenkins, C, TPH Thunder
Ryan Bangs, D, Ottawa Valley Titans
Aidan Dudas, C, North Central Predators
Jacob Goldowski, G, Elite Hockey Group
Brady MacDonald, D, Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs
Nathan Dunkley, RW, Quinte Red Devils
Dennis Busby, D, Don Mills Flyers

Honourable Mentions:

Jake DeBoer, F, Elite Hockey Group *son of Peter DeBoer*

Ian Vucko, RW, York Simcoe Express

The Youngblood series will return prior to the April 11th OHL Priority Selection Draft to post Brendan Ross' final draft rankings.

Feel free to follow @RossyYoungblood on Twitter for your OHL Draft needs

Ontario Player Notes: Observations at all levels from Sean LaFortune

Sean LaFortune — Sat, 31 Jan 2015 16:54:03 +0000

Photo by Terry Wilson/OHL Images

While I mentioned it on twitter the day of the trade, Saginaw Spirit fans have reason to be excited by the acquisition of new starting goaltender Evan Cormier. The former North Bay Battalion backup goaltender was arguably the top 97 born goaltender in the league, and could be among the top rated Ontario based goaltenders in Ontario next year. While it’s still fairly early in his Saginaw Spirit career, the early returns are promising, as he is sporting a .920 save percentage in his first three games with the team. So what's to like? He's a big, cool, comfortable goaltender who mixes positioning and economical play. He is smooth and confident, limits his movements and plays an economical style. Remember his name for next year, he should be at the top of the draft eligible goaltenders....Speaking of next year, Goaltender Jack Lafontaine has become one of the most sought after players in the OJHL. The 98 born goaltender leads the league in both GAA and SV, which is fairly amazing considering his young age. The Kitchener Rangers drafted him in the 3^rd round of last year’s OHL Draft and are in need of a goaltender next year with newly acquired Jake Paterson graduating to the Red Wings system, so it would seem a perfect fit. Not so fast, as Lafontaine has yet to commit to the Rangers and is expected to keep his options open, especially considering that some top NCAA programs are hot on his trail... While it’s extremely early, remember the name Bode Wilde. The 2000 born defenceman plays for Detroit HoneyBaked U14, and I had the opportunity to see him play a few weeks ago in the Port Huron SilverStick, where he took away tournament MVP Honours. It’s hard not to love what he brings to the table, an agile, 6'3" defender with excellent feet and offensive tools. His game screams ‘upside’. I wouldn’t put him in the Jakob Chychrun category, but he’s knocking on that door. Not sure what route he will take, but the Montreal-born skater who plays in Detroit will be at the top of either the QMJHL or OHL draft charts next year....Don Mills Flyers winger David Levin has been deemed eligible for the 2015 OHL Draft. Doesn't sound like big news, but when you consider the path that he took to become an elite prospect, it’s fairly important. Born in Israel, Levin didn't grow up playing on ice, his love for the game was born from roller hockey, and he didn't even start skating until he moved to Ontario at the age of 12. Now 16, there are a lot of teams suggesting that he would be their top pick if they were picking first in April. While it’s early for that, the fact that his name is even attached to that level of hockey is pretty incredible given his background and history with the game….I’m not sure if there is a more undervalued NHL Draft prospect that Sault Ste. Marie Greyhound forward Zachary Senyshyn. The big, mobile winger has impressive hands, good offensive instincts and a powerful skating stride. Add in the fact that he's playing a top role on the best offensive team in the OHL, it’s hard not to like what he brings to the table. If he falls past the third round, it'll be surprising, he could be this year’s Remi Elie...Liam Herbst play during the CHL Top Prospects game was rewarding to see. Anyone who knows me knows my affinity for the goaltender, who is the best I've ever seen at the Minor Midget level. He has all the tools, big, mobile focused and controlled, but has struggled to stay healthy over the past few years. While he's still got a long way to go (he has yet to complete his first full season in the OHL) but if he has his injuries behind him, look out, he has the ability to be a steal in the second half of the draft, especially considering that Ontario has a relatively thin goaltending group this year.