OHL Priority Selection, Day 2 Recap

The Owen Sound Attack added 12 new prospects to the prospect pool on day two of the OHL Priority Selection Presented by Real Canadian Superstore.

With the first pick of day 2, Attack General Manager Dale DeGray used his 72nd pick overall to select Matthew Koprowski, a 6-foot-2-inch, 173-pound goalie from the Elgin Middlesex Chiefs.  The Komoka, Ontario goalie had a 2.17 goals against average in 17 games this past season.  Koprowski is a positional between the post goalie, that uses his size and plays with good athleticism, similar to the pipeline of Attack goaltenders before him.

Just two picks later, the Attack used the 74th pick to take Harry Nansi, a 6-foot-1-inch, 165-pound left winger from the Nepean Raiders.  Hailing from Nepean, Ontario, Nansi had 28 goals and 31 assists in 40 games this season.  Nansi is a raw tools forwards with lots of potential, very athletic and has high end skill and compete level, that will develop over the his time in Owen Sound.  This past winter Nansi had the opportunity to represent Team Ontario at the Canada Games.

With the 5th round selection, 91st overall, the Attack went back to Eastern Ontario taking Lucas Prud’Homme a 6-foot-1-inch, 193-pound left winger from the Renfrew Wolves.  The Ottawa, Ontario winger had 25 goals and 32 assists in 49 games this season.  Prud’Homme is arguably the toughest player in this years draft.  He plays with a chip on his should and supports it with good puck movement and good feet.

The Bears used the first of two sixth round picks to take a local player Hudson Wiles with the 116th overall pick.  The Port Elgin, Ontario defensemen is 5-foot-8-inch from the Barrie Jr. Colts.  Wiles had 11 goals and 18 assists in 46 games this season.  Wiles is an offensive puck mover with good feet and a strong offensive sense and a very underrated physical side to his game.

Just 6 picks later,122nd overall, the Attack went back to the GTHL to take Anthony Di Carlo, a 5-foot-8-inch, 164-pound defensemen.  The Toronto, Ontario defensemen had 9 goals and 7 assists in 35 games with the Toronto Marlboros this season.  Di Carlo was one of the better puck moving defensemen on the powerhouse Toronto Marlboros this year.  He has quick feet, plays with pace and likes to attack the offensive zone.

The Attack used their 7th round, 132nd pick  to take Evan Elliott, a 5-foot-9-inch, 135-pound right winger.  Playing for his hometown Whitby Wildcats Elliott had 22 goals and 22 assists in 39 games this season.  Elliott has a high compete level and is a well rounded player with good feet, and fits the Attack mould.  Elliott represented Ontario this past winter at the Canada Games with fellow Attack draft pick Harry Nansi.

With the 8th round selection, 152nd overall the Attack took from the Mississauga Rebels, a 5-foot-5-inch 124-pound right winger, Michael Dec.  The Mississauga, Ontario winger had 14 goals and 25 assists in 39 games this season.  Dec is one of the best pure skilled players in the GTHL.  Despite his small frame he doesn’t back off from physical play or lose battles which will only improve as he gets stronger.

The Attack used their 8th selection of the day, to take Owen Meli, a 6-foot 164-pound centre from the York-Simcoe Express with the 172nd overall pick in the 9th round.  The Freelton, Ontario centre had 32 goals and 30 assists in 45 games this season.  Meli is a high compete two way forward that supports this with quality puck skills and offensive zone hockey sense.  He

In the 10th Round, the Attack used their 192nd overall pick to take Ajay Rai, a 5-foot-9-inch 161-pound left winger from the Toronto Nationals.  The Etobicoke, Ontario winger had 23 goals and 23 assists in 25 games this season.  Rai plays the game with high pace and high skill and is considered as a very underrated player on a secondary GTHL Team, where he led his team in scoring.

The Attack stayed in the GTHL with their 11th round selection taking Curtis Freeman 212th overall.  The Mississauga, Ontario winger had 9 goals and 15 assists in 40 games with the Mississauga Rebels in 2022-23.  Freeman is a quick compete guy who plays a hard game on a well coached team.

After having no pick in the 12th round, the Attack selected Christopher Paolone 252nd overall in the 13th round.  The Toronto, Ontario defensemen is 5-foot-9-inch 159 -pound.  He had 2 goals and 10 assists in 35 games with the North York Rangers of the GTHL.  Paolone is an offensive puck moving right shot that likes to attack the zone with pace and has good offensive zone awareness.

The Attack then made their final selection of the 2023 OHL Priority Selection, taking Tate Collins 272nd overall in the 14th round. The Newmarket, Ontario winger had 20 goals and 27 assists in 38 games for the York-Simcoe Express in 2022-23.  Collins is a crafty offensive player who plays the game with good pace and skill that will grow as he develops his game over his career.

Over the two days of the OHL Priority Selection the Attack selected 15 new prospects, 11 forwards, 3 defensemen and 1 goalie.  The new prospects came from four leagues, seven from the Greater Toronto Hockey League, five from the OMHA ETA, two from Hockey East Ontario and one from the MHAO.

The Attack braintrust will now turn their attention to the OHL Under-18 Priority Selection on Wednesday, April 26th at 7pm.  You stay up to date with all your Attack at the Draft coverage present by Bumstead Financial and Insurance.

The OHL Priority Selection allows Ontario Hockey League teams to draft North American players born in 2007 and non-overage players that were not registered with an Ontario based U16 AAA team from protected OHL territories are eligible for selection in the 15 rounds of the 2023 OHL Priority Selection.