OHL Owen Sound Attack

OHL Draft Goes this Saturday - Draft Day Party in Shore Room

Published on April 3, 2012 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Owen Sound Attack News Release


The Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection will take place this Saturday and the Owen Sound Attack are inviting you to participate in the festivities by attending their annual draft day gathering in the Shore Room of the Bayshore Community Centre beginning at 9:00am. Coffee and other refreshments will be provided, while a light lunch will be served at approximately 12:00pm. Attack General Manager Dale DeGray will also be on hand to speak to fans regarding the Attack's selections following the 2nd Round. Also, while certainly not guaranteed, there is a small possibility that the Attack's 1st Round Selection may be in town on Saturday.

The Attack will select 8th overall behind Erie (1st), Kingston (2nd), Peterborough (3rd), Sault Ste. Marie (4th), Windsor (5th), Guelph (6th) and Oshawa (7th). General Manager Dale DeGray will also have Sault Ste Marie's pick in the 2nd Round, which should be 26th overall after Kingston and Niagara were granted compensatory picks in the 1st round for players who did not report to their clubs.

Attack have picks in the 1st, 2nd (SSM), 3rd, 4th(BAR), 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th (x2), 14th and 15th rounds of this years OHL Priority Selection. Last year's OHL Priority Selection produced forward Zach Nastasiuk in the 1st Round and defenceman Chris Bigras in the 2nd Round and 17 year old forward Joseph Blandisi in the 3rd Round. 18 of the Attack's 22 players on their 2011/2012 Roster were drafted or signed by the Attack, including 2 1991 born players, 2 1992 born players, 4 1993 born players, 8 1994 born players and 2 1995 born players.

There will not be a lot of holes to fill come training camp as 19 of the Attack's 22 players are eligible to return to the Ontario Hockey League next season.

For fans wondering who the Attack may select at 8th overall, there is a list of players below who are highly touted prospects by OHL Central Scouting.

Samuel Bennett, Toronto Marlboros: 5'11 160 LW

Samuel is a player that does all the little things that most coaches love. One of his bigest attributes is his hockey sense, he reads and understands the game at a level higher then most players his age. Samuel has very good hands whether it's chipping pucks to his teammates, making a cross ice pass or capitalizing on a scoring chance in the offensive zone. He is not afraid to go to the dirty areas to score goals or prevent goals in his own end. He is a player that complements all the other highly skilled players on his team very well, because even though he is not as quick as them he uses his smarts and compete level to make those players better. Bennett finished the 2012 OHL Cup with three goals and eight assists for 11 points in seven games.

Eric Cornel, Upper Canada Cyclones: 6'2 165 RC

Eric is an offensive minded centre that can create offense in a number of ways, beating a defender off the rush, using his shot from the point on the power play or setting a teammate up for a tap in goal. Eric has a very hard and accurate snapshot which he also has the ability to get off while in full stride which most players at this level cannot do. At the next level with skilled wingers to play with he is going to be a very dominant centre and will put up some big numbers in his Junior career.

Michael Dal Colle, Vaughan Kings: 6'2 170 LC

Michael is a big centre with high end offensive skills. He is most effective when he has the puck on his stick and is setting up his teammates. Michael's strongest part of his game is in the offensive zone from the top of the circles down. He controls and protects the puck extremely well off the cycle, where he creates the majority of his scoring chances. He is one of the better playmakers in the draft but when he gets the opportunity to score he usually finishes his chances. Michael led the Kings in scoring at the 2012 OHL Cup with four goals and seven assists for 11 points in five games.

Robert Fabbri, Mississauga Rebels: 5'10 150 LC

Robert is a winner and does whatever it takes to win. Whether it means taking a hit to get a puck out, blocking a shot while killing a penalty, scoring the big goal in the third period or matching up against another teams top centre and being asked to shut him down. Robert plays like he is 6'2 and will not back down against anyone no matter how big they are. He is definitely a big game player, the bigger the game the better he plays. When his team needs a big goal he is usually the one that they turn to. As captain of the OHL Cup Champion Rebels, Robert led the team in scoring with eight points in seven games.

Joshua Ho-Sang, Toronto Marlboros 5'11 160 RC

Joshua is one of the most gifted players in the draft. It seems like there isn't anything he can't do with the puck on his stick. He has the ability to beat a defenseman 1 on 1 and make them look like they were standing still. Joshua has many gears which makes him very hard to defend off the rush. He is also not afraid to take the puck to any area of the ice if it will create a scoring chance for himself or his teammates. At top speed there are very few players at this age that can keep up with him and he seems like he can skate forever and not get tired. In five OHL Cup games he recorded six points for the Marlies.

Graeme Brown, Greater Kingston Frontenacs: 6'0 175 LD

Graeme is one of the smoothest skating Defensemen in the draft and makes it look very effortless and easy. Graeme is going to be a very effective player at the next level because of how well he skates. Graeme also has the skill set to impact a game offensively whether it's by making a tape to tape stretch pass, quarterbacking the powerplay from the point or jumping up in the rush and capitalizing on scoring chances. He uses his skating ability to close gaps and challenge opponents at the blueline which eliminates the time and space they have to make offensive plays.

Conor Cummins, Whitby Wildcats: 6'3 196 RD

Conor is a defenseman that catches your eye right away because of his obvious physical stature but has a lot more to offer then just his size. He is a very complete defenseman with the ability to play in all situations and does a very good job doing so. Conor has a very good skill set with the ability to make a good first pass whether it's under pressure or not. He is able to transition the puck well when it is turned over in the neutral zone, and he has the abilities to join the rush when the opportunity is available.

Daniel Desousa, Toronto Marlboros: 6'0 170 RD

Daniel is a defenseman that most players don't like to play against. Since he is so competitive he usually wins most battles for the puck in the defensive zone. Daniel is the type of defenseman that any team would love to have because he can play in all situations. He is a very good skating defenseman who moves well in all four directions. His best attribute is his competitiveness which will make him successful at the next level.

Dylan Di Perna, Mississauga Rebels: 6'1 165 RD

Dylan is one of the better skating defensemen in the draft. He can jump up in the rush and create offense for his team and still be able to be one of the first players back to defend. Dylan's overall skill level is very high, he can beat a forecheck with his skating abililty or by advancing the puck to his teammates with an accurate outlet pass. Dylan is also very effective on the point on the power play, whether it's distributing the puck to the half wall or geting the puck on net with his very heavy and accurate point shot.

Liam Herbst, Mississauga Rebels: 6'3 180 G

Liam backstopped the Rebels to an OHL Cup title making a lot of big saves along the way. At 6'3 180lbs he takes up a lot of the net and doesn't give the shooters a lot to shoot at which makes it hard to beat him. Liam looks like a player that loves to play the game and loves to win. He is at his best when he is playing confident and is out challenging the shooters.

Check out the Owen Sound Attack Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from April 3, 2012


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