Half a dozen U16 Oshawa Generals ranked in top 100 for OHL entry draft

The top three spots in the Ontario Hockey League draft rankings are held by players who appeared in the OHL Cup final but the Oshawa Generals U16 team – which reached the final eight of the showcase midget tournament won by the Oakville Rangers – have six players ranked in the top 100 for this weekend’s junior draft.

Oakville winger Ethan Belchetz – the MVP of the provincial championships held March 30 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto – and teammate Callum Cosskery are slated to go first and third in the draft (with Vaughan King centre Allessandro Dilorio sandwiched in the middle), according to Neutral Zone Scouting.

Oakville won the championship 1-0 over Vaughan while Oshawa fell 2-1 to Peterborough in the quarter-finals.

Oshawa U16s beat Thunder Bay 4-1 in round robin action at the 2024 OHL Cup

The Oshawa AAA team, which had its best performance in years in its final season before the organization merges with neighbouring Clarington Toros to form the North Shore Whitecaps, peppered the back half of the top 100 with half a dozen prospects, including Noah Gaudet-Barton at #65.

The right-shot defenceman was called the “anchor” of Oshawa’s solid defensive core by OHL Central Scouting this year.

Other Oshawa Generals on Neutral Zone Scouting’s list for the draft include LW Jeremiah D’Ornellas at #67, LD Brady Smith at #80, C Layne Gallacher at #84, LD Tanner Nettleton at #88 and GK Chase Petrova at #100.

The organization’s U14C team and U15 AA squad won OMHA championships this year.

The Oshawa Generals major junior team – set to open their second-round playoff series against Ottawa Friday – will select 17^th in the draft. Neutral Zone Scouting has C Jordan Perrier of the Ottawa Valley Titans ranked at #17.

Windsor, Sarnia and Peterborough will draft 1-2-3 in the OHL Entry Draft. Rounds 1-3 will go Friday with rounds 4-15 scheduled for Saturday.