Battalion adds 16 recruits
The North Bay Battalion made centre Quinn Kipfer the first of its 14 picks Saturday as the Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection continued to completion on its second day.
On Friday night, when the first three rounds were conducted, the Battalion selected centre Ryder Carey of the Oakville Rangers U16s in the first round, 16th overall, and defenceman Kent Greer of the Barrie Jr. Colts U16s in the second round, 29th overall. Both are right shots.
North Bay’s 16 picks in the 15-round process numbered nine forwards, comprising six centres, two right wingers and one left winger, with six defencemen and one goaltender. All were born in 2008.
“We’re really happy,” said Adam Dennis, Battalion general manager. “The longer we do this the more we dial in exactly what we need, what we’re looking for and what works for us.
“We were very happy with Day 1. For Day 2 it was much the same. We got a lot of the guys we wanted who were high on our list. We added a lot of depth to our organization and a lot of guys who could have gone earlier. There was a lot of uncertainty in this draft, but we’re done and the next step is getting to know everybody and work on development plans. We’re happy now, but the work is just beginning.”
Players registered in Ontario and a number of U.S. states in the OHL’s draw area, primarily those born in 2008 but extending to 2005, were eligible for selection. The 20 OHL clubs made a total of 302 selections via the Internet from command centres connected to the league office in Toronto.
The Battalion, which didn’t own a third- or fourth-round selection, in the fifth round used the 90th overall pick on Kipfer, a right shot from the Huron-Perth Lakers U16s. A five-foot-nine, 165-pound resident of Milverton, Ont., he scored 16 goals and added 24 assists for 40 points in 34 regular-season and OHL Cup games. Kipfer turned 16 on March 22.
“He’s a captain,” said Dennis. “He’s a 200-foot guy. He’s a worker bee, and he does things the right way. We really value coachability and competitiveness, and he brings that in spades.”
North Bay had two picks in the sixth round and used the first, 118th overall, to take centre Kam Hodgson of the Culver Academy Eagles 16U of Culver, Ind. Hodgson, who hails from Barrie, produced 13 goals and 20 assists for 33 points in 43 games. The five-foot-11, 168-pound Hodgson, a right shot, turned 16 on April 2.
“He’s a player we’d known about,” noted Dennis. “What sealed it for us was his OHL Cup. He came in and was very good, and he followed that with a great interview. He’s a guy who, if he was playing in Canada, maybe gets drafted sooner. He’s a guy we feel can push for a spot on our team, if not next season then the one after that.”
Three picks later the Troops tabbed right defenceman Devran Brown of the Ottawa Myers Automotive U16s. A Nepean, Ont., resident, left-shot Brown had 25 points, including seven goals, in 36 regular-season, playoff and OHL Cup games. At six-foot-one, 170 pounds, he turns 16 on April 23.
In the seventh round, 138th overall, the Battalion chose six-foot, 188-pound left winger Austin Brekelmans of the Elgin-Middlesex Canucks U16s. Brekelmans, a resident of Strathroy, Ont., had 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 points in 31 regular-season and OHL Cup games. He turned 16 on March 8.
The Troops returned to Elgin-Middlesex in the eighth round at No. 158, selecting left-shot centre Lucas Van Steensel. A five-foot-11, 142-pound resident of Ilderton, Ont., who turned 16 on Feb. 21, he had eight goals and 14 assists for 22 points in 32 regular-season and OHL Cup games. He’s the brother of Battalion veteran Owen Van Steensel.
The Battalion had two picks in the ninth round. With the first, 172nd overall, the club claimed centre Jack Foley of the Kingston Jr. Gaels U16s. A five-foot eight, 149-pound resident of Cobourg, Ont., left shot Foley produced 20 goals and 42 assists for 62 points in 44 regular-season and playoff games. He turned 16 on March 4.
North Bay used its second pick in the round, 178th overall, on right-shot defenceman Jackson Webster of the Fox Motors HC 15s, based in Byron Center, Mich. Webster, a resident of Portage, Mich., had one goal and 10 assists for 11 points in 16 games. The six-foot-one 163-pounder turned 16 on Jan. 7.
The sole goaltender selection came in the 10th round, in Jacob Ceranic of the Oakville U16s, with the 198th overall choice. A six-foot, 150-pound resident of Ancaster, Ont., Ceranic posted a 1.34 goals-against average in 18 regular-season games. He turns 16 on Oct. 30.
In the 11th round, 218th overall, the Battalion chose North Bay resident Samuel Rivet, a left-shot defenceman who played with the Halton Hurricanes U16s. Rivet, five-foot-11 and 196 pounds, registered six goals and 16 assists for 22 points in 28 regular-season and playoff games. He turned 16 on Feb. 27.
With the first of two 12th-round picks, the club tabbed left-shot centre Javian Nei of the Toronto Jr. Canadiens U16s at No. 231. The Markham, Ont., resident scored 22 goals and added 21 assists for 43 points in 35 games. Nei, five-foot-11 and 167 pounds, turned 16 on Jan. 24.
Seven picks later, at 238th overall, the Battalion named right winger Max Wetherup of the Whitby Wildcats U16s. A five-foot-11, 181-pound resident of Whitby, Ont., who turned 16 on March 4, he produced 21 goals and 14 assists for 35 points in 43 regular-season and playoff games.
Liam Watson, a right-shot blueliner from the Soo Jr. Greyhounds U18s, was taken in the 13th round, 258th overall. Watson, a Sault Ste. Marie resident, had seven goals and 16 assists for 23 points in 41 regular-season and playoff games. The five-foot-six, 156-pound Watson, who turns 16 on June 11, scored one goal in four OHL Cup games with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association entry.
The Battalion took a pair of players from the North Bay Trappers U18s in the final two rounds, starting with right defenceman Aydin Beharie in the 14th at No. 278. Left shot Beharie, six feet and 175 pounds, recorded nine assists in 39 regular-season and playoff games. The North Bay resident also played four games with Team NOHA at the OHL Cup without registering a point. Beharie turns 16 on Nov. 17.
Right winger Cameron Lockhart was chosen with the second-last pick, 301st overall. A six-foot-one, 178-pound North Bay resident, he scored 13 goals and added 18 assists for 31 points in 36 regular-season and playoff games. Lockhart turned 16 on Jan. 17.
“There are a lot of people who know each other, and we have players who grew up in North Bay,” Dennis said of the three hometown products the club selected. “Of the three players we got, we’ve known about them for some time and we’ve followed them. We feel really good that they were players who got drafted, not because they’re local, but they’re guys who fit into our mould. We’re thrilled to have all three of them. Anytime we can support local, it’s what we like to do.”
The Windsor Spitfires selected left winger Ethan Belchetz of Oakville with the No. 1 overall pick. Windsor won a weighted lottery among the four non-playoff clubs for the right to choose first.
