Draft Recap: OHL

Twenty-three percent of this year’s NHL draft class played in the Ontario Hockey League last season, the largest entity producing picks in the 2012 seven-round system.

Of the 211 players selected in the draft, 48 spent this past season with an OHL team. These players represent eighteen of the twenty teams in the league and have now been drafted by 22 different NHL teams.

The London Knights were the top pick producer, as six of their players were drafted. Five players from the Owen Sound Attack were selected, along with four players from each of the following teams: Belleville Bulls, Guelph Storm and Windsor Spitfires.

Three players from Kitchener, Plymouth, Saginaw and Sault Ste. Marie were drafted into the NHL as well as a pair of draftees each from Sarnia, Peterborough, Oshawa and Erie.

Finally, Ottawa, Barrie, Brampton, Mississauga and Niagara each had one player selected.

In terms of NHL representation, 31 of the OHLers went to an Eastern Conference team, with the remaining 17 moving to a Western Conference team.

To glance at the first OHLer selected in this year’s draft, you need look no further than the very top. The Edmonton Oilers took Nail Yakupov of the Sarnia Sting as the first overall draft pick, an often-predicted selection that ended up being correct. Yakupov’s teammate, Alex Galchenyuk, was selected third overall by the Montreal Canadiens.

In fact, the first round was the best for the OHL, as eleven of the draftees chosen on day one played in the league last season.

Some players of note from this list:

– Nail Yakupov, Edmonton Oilers (Sarnia Sting): Round 1, 1st overall

2011-12: 42 games — 31 goals — 38 assists — 69 points
2010-11: 65 games — 49 goals — 52 assists — 101 points

– Alex Galchenyuk, Montreal Canadiens (Sarnia Sting): Round 1, 3rd overall

2011-12: 2 games — 0 goals — 0 assists — 0 points
2010-11: 68 games — 31 goals — 52 assists — 83 points

– Olli Maatta, Pittsburgh Penguins (London Knights): Round 1, 22nd overall

2011-12: 58 games — 5 goals — 27 assists — 32 points

– Malcolm Subban, Boston Bruins (Belleville Bulls): Round 1, 24th overall

2011-12: 39 games — 2258 minutes played — 2.50 GAA — 0.923 save percentage
2010-11: 32 games — 1785 minutes played — 3.16 GAA — 0.900 save percentage
2009-10: 1 game — 13 minutes played; no shots faced

– Matthew Finn, Toronto Maple Leafs (Guelph Storm): Round 2, 35th overall

2011-12: 61 games — 10 goals — 38 assists — 48 points
2010-11: 60 games — 3 goals — 18 assists — 21 points

– Adam Pelech, N.Y. Islanders (Erie Otters): Round 3, 65th overall

2011-12: 44 games — 2 goals — 18 assists — 20 points
2010-11: 65 games — 1 goal — 12 assists — 13 points

– Brady Vail, Montreal Canadiens (Windsor Spitfires): Round 4, 94th overall

2011-12: 68 games — 22 goals — 30 assists — 52 points
2010-11: 61 games — 3 goals — 7 assists — 10 points

– Jesse Graham, N.Y. Islanders (Niagara Ice Dogs): Round 6, 155th overall

2011-12: 68 games — 4 goals — 37 assists — 41 points
2010-11: 63 games — 1 goal — 17 assists — 18 points

– Brady Austin, Buffalo Sabres (Belleville Bulls): Round 7, 193rd overall

2011-12: 68 games — 6 goals — 20 assists — 26 points
2010-11: 59 games — 1 goal — 12 assists — 13 points (Erie)
2009-10: 64 games — 5 goals — 10 assists — 15 points (Erie)

– Nick Ebert, Los Angeles Kings (Windsor Spitfires): Round 7, 211th overall

2011-12: 66 games — 6 goals — 33 assists — 39 points
2010-11: 64 games — 11 goals — 30 assists — 41 points

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