Spirit Draft 14 Total Players at 2026 OHL Priority Selection
OHL Saginaw Spirit

Spirit Draft 14 Total Players at 2026 OHL Priority Selection

Published on June 13, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


Kingston, Ont. - The Saginaw Spirit concluded their first in-person draft on Saturday afternoon with rounds 2-15 of the 2026 OHL Priority Selection at Slush Puppie Place. Beforehand, Saginaw took center Drew Bate of the London Jr. Knights with their sixth overall selection on Friday night.

In total, the Spirit selected seven forwards, five defensemen, and two goalies. Eight players came from Ontario, two from both Michigan and Pennsylvania, one from Indiana and one from New York.

"I thought it was great, we got a lot of the players we really targeted," said GM Dave Drinkill. "I know our scouts are really happy with the way this turned out, now it's all about development. For these families to come and take tours and see what we have to offer in Saginaw, I'm excited for them to see what a great place it is to play junior hockey."

2nd Round, 24th Overall: (F) Kyler Lauder

The Spirit took Lauder (LAW-durr) with their first selection of day two at the OHL Priority Selection. Lauder led the Central Ontario Wolves U16 AAA team with 35G-34A-69P in 32 games played as an alternate captain. He is a left-shot forward standing at 5'9.75", 156lbs, and was named the OMHA East's Player of the Year. In the playoffs, Lauder added 7G-9A-16P in eight games.

"Kyler is a complete player," said Head Scout Greg Hammell. "You look at the skating ability, the skill, the motor - we were really happy with the pick. He was a player that we didn't think would be available for us at pick 24, so we were ecstatic when we could draft him. He'll play up your lineup, contribute on both sides of the puck, and has shown that he can produce consistently."

3rd Round, 45th Overall: (G) Egor Sokolov

Sokolov (SOCK-oh-lov) of the Toronto Marlboros U16 AAA team was the first goaltender taken by the Spirit at the 2026 OHL Priority Selection. The 16-year-old stands at 6'2, 192lbs and catches with his left hand. He posted a 2.20 goals against average (GAA) and .910 save percentage (SV%) with a 21-10-2 record. Sokolov also won his lone appearance at the 2026 OHL Cup.

"Egor stood out to us immediately as a top-tier goalie in this draft class," said Goaltending Coach Kevin Delamarter. "From his fundamental skills, size, and ability to read the play, to his excellent skating and high compete level on the ice, he's a player with a very high ceiling. He is mature, disciplined, and incredibly dedicated to his overall game, and I'm excited to work with him in Saginaw."

3rd Round, 58th Overall: (D) Brayden Barkic

Defenseman Brayden Barkic (BARK-ik) was the first player at his position to be taken by the Spirit in the 2026 OHL Priority Selection. A left-shot defenseman standing at 6'1.5", 182lbs, Barkic spent this past season with the Don Mills Flyers U16 AAA team, registering 2G-9A--11P in 61games played.

"Brayden is a kid that is a rare breed as far as his size and presence coupled with how mobile he is," said Director of Player Development Jordan Selinger. "We think bringing that element and edge of physicality into the way Chris Lazary and his staff coach the game can really bring out some offense."

4th Round, 71st Overall: (D) Griffin Carver

Flat Rock, Michigan's Griffin Carver became Saginaw's first American drafted at the 2026 OHL Priority Selection. He captained the Detroit Little Caesars 15U AAA team in 2025-2026, posting 23 points (6G-17A) in 21 games in the regular season. Carver followed up with four assists in three playoff games, as well as five assists in five games at the 2026 OHL Cup. In April, Carver was named to the 2026-2027 US National Team Development Program Under-17 Team.

"Anyone that has seen us play knows that we love offensive defensemen like Levi Harper, Zayne Parekh and Pavel Mintyukov. Carver fits right into that mold," said Assistant GM Brian Prout. "We have a good history of allowing the NTDP to do what they do best, and that's develop the players. They get bigger and stronger and more ready to step into the OHL when the time comes."

6th Round, 121st Overall: (F) Jacob Curic

Jacob Curic (CURR-ik) is a left-handed forward from the Toronto Nationals U16 AAA team. He stands at 6'3.75", 192lbs. From Etobicoke, Ont., Curic scored three goals in 20 games with the Nationals while adding 132 penalty minutes. He added another four points (1G-3A) in eight games with the Oakville Rangers U16 AAA program.

"I think physicality is the thing he brings most," said Director of Player Development Jordan Selinger. "As a guy with a lot of size, he skates really well and is a presence on the ice. He's got an intriguing skill set and there are some things we can help him with to get more offense out of his game."

7th Round, 127th Overall: (D) Johnathan Tait

Johnathan Tait comes to Saginaw from the Mississauga Senators U16 AAA team. He is a native of Burlington, Ontario and stands 6'1.25", 168lbs. A left shot defenseman, Tait had nine assists in 32 games with the Senators in 2025-2026.

"Johnny is someone that definitely caught our eye with him early on and we were definitely pleased to get him where we did in the draft," said Selinger. "He plays a game that we're looking for in Saginaw as far as moving pucks from the back end and I'm excited to see him at development camp."

8th Round, 147th Overall: (G) Mason Martin

Martin was the second goaltender taken by the Spirit at this year's Priority Selection. From Byron, Mich., he played for the Fox Motors 15U AAA team in 2025-2026. Martin posted a 1.49 GAA, two shutouts, and an 8-2-0 record through ten regular season games. He is also a left-catching goaltender, and listed as 6'1", 141lbs. His season also included an appearance with Team Gold at USA Hockey's Boy's Select 15 Player Development Camp.

"He came very highly wanted going into this draft," Michigan scout Ethan Range. "Watching him throughout the season, he showed very consistent and high-end compete along with his athleticism. He also showed great maturity in a lot of tough games and clutch moments where he really put the team on his shoulders."

8th Round 155th Overall: (F) Cole Connolly

A late-September birthday, Connolly was drafted from the Nichols School Prep B 16U team. He hails from Tonawanda, New York, and is listed at 6'2", 176lbs. The right-shot forward put up an impressive 86 points (40G-46A) in 52 games of prep school action this season. He was teammates with current Spirit forward Sawyer Schmidt during the 2024-2025 season when the two were rostered with the Buffalo Junior Sabres 15U team.

"Last year, he was definitely a player that we were following along with the Jr. Sabres and that we wanted to continue to follow this year," said Range. "He's a much stronger player this year in terms of physical strength and it's really translating on the ice for him."

9th Round, 167th Overall: (D) A.J. Foyt

Foyt (FOY-t) was selected from Mount St. Charles Acadamy's 15U AAA team. In 62 games with the team, he recorded 51 points (7G-44A). Foyt is a left-shot defenseman from Carmel, Ind., who measures in at 5'9.5", 138lbs. He appeared at USA Hockey's Boy's Select 15 Player Development Camp this season.

"I felt that he was a pretty dynamic defenseman. He creates a ton of offense by manipulating the other team," said eastern US scout Jeff Beauparlant. "He can see multiple levels in his passing game and we're pretty excited in where he can go. One of the big things is that his compete level continued to grow, and we know he does a lot of work away from the rink."

10th Round, 187th Overall: (D) Gryson Gill

Gryson (gr-ICE-on) Gill was selected out of the York Simcoe Express U16 AAA

team. He is a right-shot defenseman from Brooklin, Ont. who measures in at 6', 154lbs. He had 23 points (4G-19A) in 34 regular season games. Gill added an assist in ten playoff games for the Express and appeared in four games with them at the OHL Cup.

"He played on a real good team in York-Simcoe. Gryson really executes that first pass out of the zone and has some very quick feet," said OMHA scout Jamey Hicks. "There's no panic in his game, he plays with confidence, and I'm excited to keep seeing him develop in the right direction."

13th Round 247th Overall: (F) Luke McLean

McLean (mick-LANE) was selected by Saginaw after playing with the Huron-Perth Lakers U16AAA team. The London, Ont. native stands 6', 159lbs and is right-handed. In 30 games with the Lakers, McLean tallied 9G-13A-22P in 2025-2026. He added a goal and an assist in eight ALLIANCE playoff games and skated in four OHL Cup games with Huron-Perth.

"I thought he really improved as the year went on," said ALLIANCE scout Adam Simpson. "He's a versatile, two-way forward and is a good athlete that we think is just going to get better. His aggressiveness, skating, and willingness to compete all improved. We think the puck skill and the offense will come in time, but he has a really strong foundation to work with."

14th Round, 267th Overall: (F) Hayden Ferra

Hayden Ferra (FAIR-uh) of Pittsburgh, Penn. was selected as Saginaw's 14th

round pick. He spent the season with the Pittsburgh Predators 16U AAA team and recorded 45 points (18G-27A) in 54 games while recording 214 PIM. Ferra is a right-shot forward standing 5'9", 160lbs.

"He's a player we watched last year and that we had a lot of time for," said Assistant GM Brian Prout. "We continued to watch him as a reentry player this year. We loved his hard work, his energy level, and the way that he hunts pucks. When he gets the puck, he's a point-per-game player."

15th Round, 287th Overall: (F) Daniel Vasko

Saginaw's final pick in the 2026 OHL Priority Selection, Vasko is a right-shot forward from Scranton, Penn. His season was spent with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Jr. Knights Premier 15's program where he scored 40 points (10G-30A) in 39 games. Vasko measured 5'11", 150lbs.

"He's a player that we thought had a lot of upside. At that point in the draft, you're just trying to throw a dart, find a shooting star, find an elite quality, and we thought in this case it was a dart worth throwing. There are aspects of his game that we believe can really translate to the next level."

The new Spirit prospects will now head to Saginaw and Bay City for development camp on June 20th and 21st. Details on fan attendance, media availability, and camp scheduling will be made available shortly.

Saginaw Spirit draft coverage is presented by Parlor Doughnuts.

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