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OHL Saginaw Spirit

Spirit Make 14 Selections at 2023 OHL Priority Selection

April 22, 2023 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


Saginaw, Mich. - The Saginaw Spirit completed Rounds 4-15 of the 2023 OHL Priority Selection on Saturday, the first step in preparing for the 2023-2024 season. The Spirit selected 14 players total over the course of the entire draft.

"I feel great about this year's draft," said GM Dave Drinkill, "I think last night in the first three rounds we got players we were targeting and we didn't think that we would get. Any time you can do that, it's a good draft.

Round 1, 16th Overall - Aiden Young

"This guy plays our style," said Drinkill. "He hangs on to pucks, he makes plays, he's ultra-competitive. When you start bringing those qualities to me, I'm going out to watch him play."

At 5'10" 160lbs, Young skated in 34 games for the London Jr. Knights this season. Wearing the "A", the left winger tallied 30 goals and 27 assists for 57 points. During the 2023 OHL Cup, Young tallied six goals and two assists for eight points in five games.

"This day is super special to me and my family and it definitely means a lot," said Young. "I am also very excited to be picked by such a great organization and can't wait to get started."

Round 2, 36th Overall - Jacob Cloutier

Cloutier comes to Saginaw as the 36th overall selection of the 2023 OHL Priority Selection. Hailing from Ottawa, Ont., the right winger tallied 30 goals, 51 assists, and 81 points in 65 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 15'S.

"You look at the way his brother [Justin] plays, he's very similar," said Drinkill. "He's a complete player. He plays offense but doesn't cheat the play defensively and really works well in his own end."

OHL Central Scouting Report: Jacob is a skilled and versatile player that can play all three forward positions. He is a good skater that gets off the mark quickly, has a good top-end speed, excellent edge control and balance which makes it hard to knock him off the puck. He loves and wants to have the puck on his stick to make plays that will create offence for himself or his teammates. He uses his quickness in the neutral zone and offensive zone well to create space for himself. He also has very good vision and makes creative plays to help his teammates score.

"I am so happy to be selected by the Saginaw Spirit," said Cloutier. "This was the team I hoped to be drafted by. The Saginaw Spirit are a great team and organization. They have a promising future with great players and coaching. I am fortunate to be a part of it."

Round 3, 44th Overall - Carson Harmer

The Spirit selected Harmer, a center, from the Huron-Perth Lakers with the 44th overall selection in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection. In 33 games with the Lakers this season, Harmer had 20 goals and 20 assists for 40 points.

"He's a player that really reminds us of former captain Damien Giroux," said Drinkill. "He was always a constant guy down the middle and would do anything to win. Carson is very much the same type of player. We've had a lot of people telling us unbelievable things about him as a person and we can see him wearing a letter for us further on down the road."

Round 5, 96th Overall - Charlie Tretheway

The Spirit were excited to begin the second day of the 2023 OHL Priority Selection by drafting right-shot defenseman Charlie Tretheway from the Detroit Little Caesars U15 program. At 6'1, 191lbs, the Woodbine, MD native piled up 86 points (20G, 66A) in 81 games during the 2022-2023 season.

Assistant GM Brian Prout: "Charlie's a good-sized D, going to play at the program for a little while. They do a great job of getting players pro-ready. We anticipate he's going to be a high NHL pick and we think it's going to be a worthwhile pick at this position."

Round 5, 98th Overall - Will Horcoff

Will Horcoff followed his Little Caesars teammate in Tretheway just two picks later. Horcoff, a 6'3" center from Bloomfield Hills, MI, also churned out points this past season. In 80 games, Horcoff scored 80 goals and 93 assists for 173 points.

Will's father Shawn played 1,008 games in the National Hockey League, tallying 511 points between Edmonton, Dallas and Anaheim.

Assistant GM Brian Prout: "He's a player with pro-pedigree, obviously with his dad playing in the league, going to the NTDP. He needs to get stronger, but he's got a good frame, he's lanky and was a two-points-per-game player on a very good Little Caesars team."

Round 6, 113th Overall -Tyler Vorstadt

Another right-handed defenseman, Vorstadt was selected from his hometown Whitby Wildcats. In 36 games this season, Vorstadt notched four goals, 15 assists and 19 points.

Frank Robinson - ETA/Major Midget Scout "I was very consistent with Tyler all year, I saw a lot of his play. He was the captain of his team, never took a game or a shift off. He was always making plays in both ends of the ice and you love his consistent play that you don't get in a lot of 15-year-olds."

Round 7, 136th Overall - Graydon Jones

Graydon Jones comes to Saginaw as the 136th overall selection in 2023. The left-shot defenseman saw 35 games of action with the Peterborough Petes in 2022-2023, tallying four goals, 14 assists, and 18 points. From Fraserville, Ontario, Jones stands at 5'11", 154lbs. He notched seven points (4G, 3A) in seven games during the Minor Pete's OMHA Championship run this year.

SCTA Scout Jordan Selinger: "He's from a great team with a great D-corps, he's a great skater who can make plays and is physical. Graydon is kind of an all-around D, who played in some big games in the OMHA final and OHL Cup."

Round 8, 156th Overall - Cooper Bordeaux

Another selection from the Detroit Little Caesars U15 program, Cooper Bordeaux grew up in the Saginaw area. In his 15U season, Bordeaux saw 81 games with Little Caesars and tallied 27 points (13G, 14A). Bordeaux was a member of the Saginaw Jr. Spirit while he was growing up as well as attending Saginaw Spirit games.

Assistant GM Brian Prout: "Cooper Bordeaux; relentless worker. On and off the ice he's going to continue to get better. He's got a very good shot, which is one of his best attributes. I know he's going to work very hard and end up passing a lot of guys that were drafted ahead of him."

Round 9, 176th Overall - Sammy DiBlasi

The first goaltender selected by the Spirit in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection, DiBlasi stands at 6'0 and is another Saginaw Native. He joined Detroit Little Caesars for the 2022-2023 season, posting a 1.56 GAA and .900 SV% in 28 games. DiBlasi, like Cooper Bordeaux, was a member of the Saginaw Jr. Spirit as a young boy.

Goaltending Coach Rick Ice: "Sammy's a really big-sized goalie with a lot of potential. He's smart and a kid that really knows how to move around the crease with his size. Seeing him play a lot with Little Caesars, he's someone we've seen a lot of and are very excited about."

Round 11, 216th Overall - Xavier Bussiere

Saginaw's 216th selection in 2023 and second goaltender of the draft, Xavier Bussiere hails from Grand Bend, Ont. He saw 16 games of action with the Cambridge Hawks U16AAA program in 2022-2023, posting a 3.11 GAA and a shutout.

Goaltending Coach Rick Ice: "Xavier's a goalie with high compete and speed with his edges. He moves quick around his net and when you combine those two skills in our league, that's something we're excited about. He's someone we watched a lot this year and when we saw him fall to us, we were thrilled."

Round 12, 236th Overall - Candon O'Neill

A native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., O'Neill comes to Saginaw after 28 games with the Soo Jr. Greyhounds U18 AAA program. O'Neill was nearly a point-per-game player this season, with 27 points (3G, 24A) in 28 games with the Jr. Hounds. With team NOHA, O'Neill saw four games of OHL Cup action as well, scoring a goal in the tournament.

Northern Ontario Scout Nick Tassone: "He's someone who really works hard on and off the ice and comes from a great family. He's really grown with confidence this year, and has the ability to skate the puck out of dangerous situations and contribute quite a bit offensively. Overall, we're really excited to have him and look forward to what he brings to camp."

Round 13, 256th Overall - Hayden Barch

Hayden Barch was Saginaw's second selection from the Huron-Perth Lakers U16AAA program at the 2023 OHL Priority Selection. He saw 32 games in his second season in the Lakers system this year. The 5'10" 180-pound defenseman had two goals and five assists for seven points in 2022-2023.

Assistant GM Brian Prout: "His ability to make plays stood out the most. There wasn't a moment he was out on the ice where you cringe because of a play that was made, he's a very smart player. We really like his brain and believe that will allow him to grow and play the way we want. At the end of the day, we're trying to find players who will play within our system.

Round 14, 276th Overall - Harrison Kaszubowski

Saginaw's first pick from the US HS-Prep system, Kaszubowski played for his hometown Alpena Wildcats. The 5'10" 170-pound center led Alpena with 30 goals this year, adding 30 assists for 60 points in just 25. Kaszubowski is the third alumnus of the Saginaw Jr. Spirit to be selected by Saginaw in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection.

Assistant GM Brian Prout: "High school hockey is always interesting because you have to take that into account, but he's a playmaker, a really good skater, and just an all-around good player. I think with some development, he has the potential to fight for a spot on our roster."

Round 15, 296th Overall - Cruz Ferguson

General Manager Dave Drinkill: "So Cruz Ferguson is a highly skilled player, one that needs to develop a little bit off the ice as he's a little bit undersized, but he's a late birthday. I know he puts in the work, he trains hard, he's from my hometown of Barrie, Ontario, and I know his family. He has a lot of skill and I know he will keep developing physically as a player."

With their 14 selections at this year's priority selection, the Spirit took two left wingers, four centers, one right winger, five defensemen and two goalies.

"We fought for some guys mid-draft and took some Americans that are committed to the program and could come and change it in two years like other guys have done in the past," said Dave Drinkill. "We also got some local flavor in Cooper Bordeaux and Sammy DiBlasi. We've known them since they were little boys and they deserve to be drafted."

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