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This year’s Ontario Hockey League Draft might be a bit of a waiting game for local prospects.
The first three rounds of the draft are set for Friday with the final 12 rounds going on Saturday with seven area players rated by the OHL’s Central Scouting Bureau for the event.
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Below, Windsor Spitfires’ director of scouting and hockey operations Frank Evola provides his thoughts on the area prospects. Also included is a stats line for games played, goals, assists, points and penalty minutes.
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While seven local players are rated for the two-day draft, all minor midget players are eligible for selection in the draft.
Vincent Bondy
Team: Sun County Panthers
Hometown: Belle River
Position: Left defenceman
Height: Five-foot-11
Weight: 150 pounds
Stats: 30-4-13-17-14
Rated: Rounds 11 to 15
Comment: “A good, solid, reliable defenceman,” Evola said. “Plays a simple game, but he plays in all situations.”
Eddie Hickson
Team: Sun County Panthers
Hometown: Essex
Position: Left centre
Height: Five-foot-nine
Weight: 165 pounds
Stats: 30-20-28-48-18
Rated: Rounds seven to 10
Comment: “He was second in the ALLIANCE (league) in scoring and captain of his team,” Evola said. “A hardworking, two-way centre that is solid on his skates. He shows good vision and playmaking ability.”
Santiago Jimenes
Team: Windsor Jr. Spitfires
Hometown: Windsor
Position: Right wing
Height: Five-foot-10
Weight: 165 pounds
Stats: 30-16-14-30-10
Rated: Rounds 11 to 15
Comment: “He was a point-a-game player,” Evola said. “He’s got a really shot and release and he utilizes space to get the shot off. He has to work on his quickness, but he has really good hands.”
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Brayden Kane
Team: Windsor Jr. Spitfires
Hometown: Windsor
Position: Left wing
Height: Five-foot-nine
Weight: 140 pounds
Stats: 29-11-17-28-20
Rated: Rounds 11 to 15
Comment: “He’s got a good mixture of skill,” Evola said. “He plays with pace and gets under your skin. He was almost a point-per-game player. He’s hard on the forecheck, plays fast and was one of the leaders on that Windsor team.”
Cooper Otterman
Team: Halton Hurricanes
Hometown: LaSalle
Position: Right defenceman
Height: Six-foot-one
Weight: 190 pounds
Stats: 33-6-15-21-52
Rated: Rounds three to six
Comment: “A real hardworking kid that was put in a shutdown role with a Halton team he helped lead to (an OHL Cup) wildcard berth,” Evola said. “Plays an old school brand of hockey that many teams look for. He’s a real athletic kid and a strong kid. He has a high compete level, is strong and battles in front of the net. He’s a quality kid with good character.”
Landon Pickersgill
Team: Markham Majors
Hometown: Windsor
Position: Left defenceman
Height: Six-foot-one
Weight: 170 pounds
Stats: 34-8-6-14-52
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Rated: Rounds 11 to 15
Comment: “He’s a real good skater and played a little bit of forward and defence,” Evola said. “He plays fast and gets under your skin. Plays aggressive, which shows with his penalty minutes, and his skill is probably underrated.”
Nicholas Rosati
Team: Windsor Jr. Spitfires
Hometown: LaSalle
Position: Right wing
Height: Five-foot-five
Weight: 150 pounds
Stats: 29-8-15-23-14
Rated: Rounds seven to 10
Comment: “He’s captain of his team, leads by example and has a great work ethic,” Evola said. “He plays at both ends of the rink and plays bigger than his size. He takes the puck hard to the net, plays in all situations and he’s just a worker, spark plug kind of player.”
jpparker@postmedia.com
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