2025 OHL Priority Draft Recap: Day 2

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OHL Kitchener Rangers

2025 OHL Priority Draft Recap: Day 2

April 12, 2025 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Kitchener Rangers News Release


Kitchener, ON - Following 3 selections on day one of the 2025 OHL Priority Selection, presented by Real Canadian Superstore, the Rangers added 10 more players on day two to finish the 15-round Priority Selection process. The Blueshirts selected 13 players: seven forwards, four defencemen and two goalies in this year's draft.

With the 83rd pick, the Rangers selected left winger Evan Nicholson in the fourth round to open day two. The Sutton, Ont., native spent the 2024-25 season with the Don Mills Flyers U16 AAA minor hockey club in the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) as teammates with the Rangers' third-round pick, Tommy Kut. Listed as 5-foot-10 and 173 pounds, Nicholson registered 13 goals, 23 assists, and 36 points in 30 regular-season games in the 2024-25 campaign to go along with seven points (5G, 2A) in seven 2025 OHL Cup Showcase games. A year prior, Nicholson averaged over a point per game, recording 51 points (21G, 30A) in 36 games with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens.

"It is surreal. Getting drafted by Kitchener is a dream come true," said Nicholson. "Thank you to the Kitchener organization for trusting me. I can't wait to get started."

In back-to-back years, the Rangers have selected a goaltender with their second pick on day two. In the seventh round, 142nd overall, the Blueshirts picked netminder Joshua Taylor from Toronto, Ontario. During the 2024-25 season, Taylor stayed local, suiting up for the Toronto Red Wings U16 AAA team in the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL). Competing in the OHL Cup Showcase, the six-foot, 150-pound goaltender posted a 1-1-0 record, a 2.02 goals-against average, and a .925 save percentage.

Slotted in at the 145th pick in the eighth round, the Blueshirts selected right-handed centre Logan Anderson as their first American-born skater of the 2025 Priority Selection. Anderson is from Fort Myers, FL and competed with the Florida Alliance South 15O AAA team in the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League (T1EHL 15U) during the 2024-25 campaign. The 5-foot-10, 164-pound centreman netted nine goals, 14 assists, and 23 points in 16 regular season games before adding six points (4G, 2A) in six contests during the playoffs as the team's captain.

At pick 182 in the ninth round, the Blueshirts selected 5-foot-11, right-handed defenceman Logan Massimi from Scarborough, Ont. Listed at 174 pounds, Massimi of the Toronto Titans U16 AAA club in the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) had three goals, 16 assists, and 19 points in 33 regular-season games during the 2024-25 year. Massimi also laced up for the OHL Cup Showcase, tallying four assists in six appearances. Across three seasons with the Titans, Massimi totalled four goals, 29 assists, and 33 points in 74 games.

With the 202nd pick in the 10th round, the Rangers announced the selection of left-handed centreman Griffin Fox of the Kingston Jr. Gaels U16 AAA program in the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA). As the second centreman the Blueshirts have selected throughout this year's Priority Selection, Fox is listed at six feet and 160 pounds. Fox, from Amherstview, Ont., appeared in three regular and postseason games combined in the 2024-25 season, registering two assists. In the 2023-24 season, Fox amassed 19 points (9G, 10A) in 32 regular-season games before adding three points (2G, 1A) in six playoff appearances at the U15 level as the Gaels' captain.

In the 11th round, the Rangers took right-handed centreman Markus Harper off the board with the 222nd overall pick. Originally from Toronto, Ont., the forward played alongside seventh-round pick Joshua Taylor on the Toronto Red Wings U16 AAA team in the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL). At 5-foot-9 and 151 pounds, Harper had a commendable 2024-25 term, securing 10 goals, 21 assists, and 31 points in 33 games as a near-point-per-game contributor during the regular season. Harper also recorded one goal in four OHL Cup Showcase games with the Red Wings.

Left-shot defenceman Jayson Synnott was revealed as the Rangers' 242nd pick in the 12th round. At a stature of 6-foot-1, 191 pounds, Synnott helped backbone the North York Rangers U16 AAA team to a 30-22-4 record in the 2024-25 year, putting up three goals, eight assists, and 11 points in 33 games. Over the last two seasons, Synnott, the North Bay, Ont., native had 19 points (5G, 14A) with North York in the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL).

At pick number 262 in round 13, the Rangers selected American goaltender Mason Hriczov, their second netminder selection of the 2025 Priority Selection. Hriczov was a member of the New Jersey Rockets 15U AAA team in the Tier 1 Hockey Federation (THF), posting a notable 6-1-2 record, a 1.86 goals-against average, and a .891 save percentage in nine regular-season appearances in the 2024-25 season. The North Caldwell, NJ, native translated his regular-season success to the postseason, going a perfect 5-0-0 with an impressive 0.40 goals-against average and a .978 save percentage. Standing at six feet and 194 pounds, Hriczov also played 20 games for the Morristown Beard School in the USHS-NJ, holding a 16-3-1 record, a 1.57 goals-against average, and a .930 save percentage.

Hudson Hisey was taken 282nd overall in the 14th round by the Blueshirts in the 2025 Priority Selection Draft. Hisey, from Oakville Ont., played for his hometown Oakville Rangers U16 AAA team in the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) during the 2024-25 campaign. Weighing in at 5-foot-7 and 137 pounds, Hisey came close to a point-per-game efficiency last season, scoring 10 goals, 21 assists, and 31 points in 34 regular season games. In the postseason, the left-winger elevated his game, producing a goal and six assists for a seven-point total in six games.

To complete the 2025 OHL Priority Selection Draft, the Rangers selected right-handed centre Cole Crawford out of the York-Simcoe Express U16 AAA program in the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) at pick 302 in the 15th round. Crawford, a 5-foot-10, 152-pound forward, closed in on back-to-back point-per-game seasons with York-Simcoe, scoring 35 points (16G, 19A) in 35 games during the 2023-24 season and 31 points (7G, 24A) in 32 games this past year. In the 2024-25 postseason, the Barrie, Ont., native tallied two goals, four assists, and a six-point total in 10 games.

For all the latest information on the Rangers at the 2025 OHL Draft, stay tuned to KitchenerRangers.com.

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