OHL Erie Otters

Otters Grab Three in Rounds 1, 2 of 2022 Priority Selection Draft

Published on April 30, 2022 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Source: Erie Otters News Release


Erie, Pennsylvania - Day one of the 2022 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection Draft closed last night with the Erie Otters grabbing a two Forwards and a Goaltender in Rounds 1 and 2. With the three top 50 selections, Erie finished with three players selected from the first three rounds.

Erie came into the day with the #2 overall pick, and two picks Round 2 - Sault Ste. Marie (#38 overall) and North Bay's (#41) 2nd Round picks. Erie acquired Sault Ste. Marie's 2022 2nd Round pick in January 2018 in exchange for Taylor Raddysh, Jordan Sambrook, while North Bay's 2022 2nd Round pick came

earlier this week in a trade with Peterborough for future Otters' picks. The #2 overall selection was a result of being 'runners-up' in the inaugural OHL Top-Four Selection Lottery.

General Manager Dave Brown and Director of Hockey Operations Scott Grieve made all three selections official Friday evening, using the 2nd overall pick on GTHL Player of the Year and Forward Malcolm Spence (Mississauga Senators U16 AAA), the 38th overall pick on Goaltender Jacob Gibbons (Markham Majors U16 AAA), and the 41st overall pick on Left Winger Logan Sawyer (Vaughan Kings U16 AAA) in the 2022 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection Draft.

In his latest season in the GTHL, 2nd overall pick Spence had a two-point-per-game average season with 56 points (29G+27A) in 28 games. During the OHL Cup, Spence would grab an additional 13 points (6G+7A) in seven games enroute to the Senators' OHL Cup Championship - and being named to the OHL Cup All-Star Team.

"The number of where I'm being drafted doesn't really matter to me, it was about getting to the right place. For Erie to be where they were [in the Draft], it was a no-brainer for me and my family. It's such a historic organization with all the success it's had, and I'm just hoping that I can contribute to it and have more success." said Spence, "I'm excited to play for the amazing fans in Erie, and how historic the organization is - to play and wear that jersey is truly an honor. It's a dream come true."

Spence became the fourth GTHL Player of the Year to be selected by Erie (Jamie Drysdale (2018), fellow #2 pick Dylan Strome (2013), and Connor McDavid (2012).

"[Malcolm] was the guy from start-to-finish we had as the guy we wanted. We saw him early in the year, and we were excited about the opportunity of [him] being in the Draft." said Brown, "He plays a pro-style game, and we're just super excited to have him - not only his skill level, but his maturity and leadership that he brings off the ice. It's easy to talk about character, but it's even better when you know you've got it. He's lightyears above his age."

The #38 overall pick Gibbons, from Whitby, ON is a big-bodied, pro-size Goaltender measuring in at 6'4", 181 lbs. at 15-year-olds. Playing with the Markham Majors U16 AAA in the OHL Cup, Gibbons came away from four games played with a 1.54 GAA, .926 SV%, two shutouts, and a 3-1 record. Otters' Goaltending Scout Adrian Volpe liked a lot of what the young Goaltender had to offer.

"Jacob is a tall, athletic goaltender that reads plays well." said Volpe, "He has a high compete level with a ton of upside."

Sawyer, the #41 overall pick from Orangeville, ON joins the Otters as the last pick of day one, coming in from the Vaughan Kings U16 AAA. Measuring in at 6'0", 168 lbs., Sawyer was a point-plus-per-game scorer in the OHL Cup, grabbing seven points (2G+5A) in five games, with a +3 and just a single penalty. This comes after a point-plus-per-game regular season where the Forward grabbed 34 points (14G+20A) in 33 games.

"Logan is a high-energy player who uses his skill and size to create opportunities in the offensive zone. His high hockey IQ allows him to read and react in all three zones." said Grieve, "We're ecstatic to welcome Logan to the Otters organization."

Erie did not have a pick in Round 3, after trading its 2022 3rd Round pick to Barrie in January 2017 in exchange for Cameron Lizotte.

"We're thrilled. Adding a guy with Malcolm's caliber is a cherry on top, and then adding some goaltending depth with Jacob, and Logan on top of that, it's pretty exciting." said Grieve, "We're adding a group here of 06's."

The Erie Otters are thrilled to welcome Malcolm Spence, Jacob Gibbons, and Logan Sawyer to the Flagship City, and see what these highly-skilled players can bring in the Fall.

Day two of the 2022 Priority Selection Draft starts with the 4th Round at 9:00 A.M. today - the Otters War Room's morning won't start picking until Round 5. Follow along live with all the Otters' picks and notes on the live Draft Tracker.

DRAFT TRACKER

Day 1

Round 1, #2 - Malcolm Spence (F)

Round 2, #38 - Jacob Gibbons (G)

Round 2, #41 - Logan Sawyer (F)

Day 2

Round 5, #85

Round 6, #109

Round 6, #114

Round 7, #125

Round 9, #165

Round 10, #185

Round 11, #205

Round 12, #225

Round 13, #245

Round 13, #247

Round 13, #260

Round 14, #265

Round 15, #285

Erie has 13 remaining picks in the 2022 Priority Selection Draft, all on day two (5th, two in 6th [PBO, OS], 7th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, three in 13th [NIAG, FLNT], 14th, 15th).

Keep up with all the Otters picks and results on OttersHockey.com or across the Otters' social media. For all results of the 2022 Priority Selection, please head to OntarioHockeyLeague.com.

For the latest Otters news, visit OttersHockey.com, or follow the team on Facebook (Facebook.com/erieottershockey), Twitter (@ErieOtters), and Instagram (@ErieOtters).

Check out the Erie Otters Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from April 30, 2022


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