Guelph Storm look forward with OHL draft selections
The Guelph Storm’s draft class of 2024 is forward heavy.
Of the 17 selected in the annual Ontario Hockey League priority draft Friday and Saturday, 13 were forwards including their first two and every one from their second pick of the seventh round up to and including their first pick of the 15th and final round, a total of nine players.
The Storm selected 5-foot-9.5 centre Alex McLean in the first round, ninth overall, from the Barrie Junior Colts U16 AAA team. He had 108 points (44 goals) in 43 regular season and playoff games this season and also had a goal and seven assists in five games in the OHL Cup.
In the second round, 35th overall, the Storm picked 6-foot-1 centre Carter Stevens from the Ottawa Valley Titans U16 AAAs. He collected 62 points (25 goals) in 38 regular season and playoff games and four goals and four assists in four OHL Cup games.
The Storm got away from selecting forwards in the third round when they had two picks and used them to get 6-foot-4.5 defenceman Eric Frossard from the London Junior Knights U16 AAAs 43rd overall and 6-foot-1.25 goaltender Colin Ellsworth from the York-Simcoe U16 AAAs.
Frossard had 23 points (five goals) in 30 regular season games, three assists in four games at the OHL Cup as well as two assists in a single game with the London Nationals junior B squad.
Ellsworth posted a 1.26 goals-against average in 16 regular season games, 1.43 GAA in five playoff games and a 1.79 GAA and .941 save percentage in three games at the OHL Cup.
Other non-forwards picked by the Storm were 5-foot-11.75 defenceman Dawson Morris from the Sudbury Wolves U16 AAAs in the seventh round, 131st overall, and 5-foot-9.5 goaltender Ethan Madden of Puslinch and Guelph Junior Gryphons U16 AAAs in the 15th round, 291st overall.
Morris had 24 points (seven goals) in 41 regular season and playoff games.
Madden had a 2.00 GAA in 16 regular season games and 0.57 GAA in three playoff outings.
Madden’s selection made it back-to-back 15th-round picks of local players as they grabbed Guelph’s Callan Newton, a 5-foot-11.25 centre from the Toronto Marlboros U16 AAAs. Newton had nine points (four goals) in 30 regular season games and two points (one goal) in five OHL Cup games.
The Storm picked 5-foot-9.75 centre Logan Rivard, the lone New Liskeard Cubs U18 AAAs player selected in the draft, in the fifth round, 91st overall. He had 59 points (29 goals) in 38 regular season and playoff games.
Guelph Gryphons U16 AAA 6-foot-1 centre Micah Della Croce of Guelph in the seventh round, 136th overall. Della Croce had 35 points (17 goals) in 41 regular season and playoff games and two assists in his lone junior B match with the Elmira Sugar Kings.
In the eighth round, 151st overall, the Storm selected 5-foot-11.5 centre Reggie Taylor from the Whitby Wildcats U16 AAAs. Taylor had 41 points (23 goals) in 45 regular season and playoff games.
The Storm grabbed another 5-foot-11.5 centre in Alex Carscadden from the Mississauga Rebels U16 AAAs in the ninth round, 177th overall. Carscadden had 25 points (12 goals) in 35 regular season games.
The Storm’s other picks were 5-foot-6.75 left winger Jake DiCapo from the Toronto Marlboros U16 AAAs in the 10th round (191st overall), 5-foot-9.5 centre Aiden Atkinson from the Halton Hurricanes U16 AAAs in the 11th round (211th overall), 5-foot-6.75 centre Matthew Miller from the Cambridge Hawks U16 AAAs in the 12th round (224th overall), 5-foot-7 left winger Jake Brown from the Buffalo Junior Sabres 15s in the 13th round (251st overall) and 6-foot-1 right winger Julian Walters from the North York Rangers U16 AAAs in the 14th round (271st overall).
DiCapio had 15 points (six goals) in 28 regular season games and two points (one goal) in five OHL Cup games.
Atkinson had 46 points (21 goals) in 40 regular season and playoff games.
Miller had 36 points (19 goals) in 30 regular season games.
Brown had 63 points (32 goals) in 56 games with the Los Angeles Kings 14s in the 2022-23 season and 12 points (five goals) in 16 games this season with the Buffalo Junior Sabres 15s.
Walters had five points (two goals) in 33 regular season games and played in six games in the OHL Cup.
- Guelph Sports Journal