Sarnia Sting target competitive players in OHL draft

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When the Ontario Hockey League draft wraps up Saturday, the Sarnia Sting expect all 16 of their picks to share the same bulldog mentality.

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The team’s management and scouts made that clear to prospects when they spoke this season.

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“Every player will have that degree of identity,” Sting general manager Dylan Seca said. “Some may be naturally more physical than others. Some might skate a little better or some might have a little more higher-end skill, but they’ll be fiercely competitive.

“The good thing is we’ve talked to all these players and basically said, ‘This is our identity. If you’re in on playing to this identity, we’re excited to have you.’ There’s no secret to the type of player that we want and the type of style that we’re going to play.”

Rounds 1 to 3 were held Friday night after press time. Rounds 4 to 15 start Saturday at 9 a.m.

The Sting have the No. 2 overall pick after moving up two spots in the draft lottery.

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As widely expected, the Windsor Spitfires announced Thursday they’re taking six-foot-five, 234-pound forward Ethan Belchetz at No. 1. The Oakville 16-year-old led his hometown Rangers to the OHL Cup championship.

The Sting are expected to take a forward, too. Most of this year’s top-ranked prospects are forwards, plus the Sting need offence after scoring the third-fewest goals in the OHL this season.

“Once we knew who they (the Spitfires) were taking, who we wanted was an easy decision,” Seca said. “It was just the process of going through all the background checks, the character – that’s what takes some time.”

For the Sting, each pick is a balancing act. They weigh grabbing the best available player against the player who best fits their needs.

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“You always hear at the NHL level, it’s always take the best available player,” Seca said. “In the junior level, you’re building a team every year, but it’s a four-year cycle.

“You have to have enough offensive-minded defencemen, you have to have enough physical defencemen, you have to have centres, you have to have scoring wingers, you have to have physical power forwards, you need goaltenders. You’re always essentially going through the draft targeting certain positions.”

Last year, the Sting chose forward Ryan Brown 17th overall in the first round. Making the right pick in that spot is just as important as at No. 2, Seca said.

“This is not any more important than any other first-round pick, to be honest,” he said.

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“It’s important from the sense that it’s a cornerstone player and we’re a young team that’s taking big strides and this player is going to be a part of that. That part is very important. But it wouldn’t matter if we were picking 19th. We’d still have that same opinion on how important this first-round pick is going to be for us. . . .

“We’ll put a ton of emphasis on our two thirds. We’ll put thought into the 13th-round pick this year. You’re always analyzing, because if you just mail it in, you’re going to miss on a player.”

The Sting have no picks in the second round. They’ll choose in the third round at 45th and 46th and in the fourth round at 76th and 81st.

They have single picks in the fifth through 10th rounds, three in the 11th and single picks in the 12th and 13th. They have none in the 14th and 15th.

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Three projected top-10 picks already have signed elsewhere: forward Colin Fitzgerald with the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers, forward Caleb Malhotra with the BCHL’s Chiliwack Chiefs and defenceman Zach Nyman with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees. Others are rumoured to be considering similar paths to the NCAA.

“A lot of the time you see players take a different route, it’s more so because they’re of the opinion that they’re not quite ready to play in this league,” Seca said. “It’s a physically demanding league. It’s the best junior hockey league in the world.

“We play 68 games. It’s a busy schedule with school and development workouts, development skates, practices, travel. . . . Some of the families are just considering that they may not be physically ready for that or mentally ready for that.”

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What’s different this year is the number of prominent names that leaked out.

“It’s louder this year than ever, but I think in the end it’s the exact same number of players just considering what’s best for them,” Seca said.

NOTES: The Sting acquired the 76th pick this week from the Flint Firebirds in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2025 and a fifth-round pick in 2026 . . . Former Sting defenceman Ethan Del Mastro has been called up to the Chicago Blackhawks from the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. He has seven goals and 30 assists in 66 AHL games as a rookie . . . Former Sting forward Angus MacDonell signed an amateur tryout agreement with the AHL’s Texas Stars after the Mississauga Steelheads were knocked out of the OHL playoffs . . . Former Sting defenceman Chandler Romeo signed an amateur tryout agreement with the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears after the Guelph Storm exited the OHL playoffs.

mmalone@postmedia.com

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