The West Division Champion Saginaw Spirit have wrapped up their participation in the 2011 State Farm OHL Priority Selection, adding 13 new prospects to the team’s depth chart in the annual draft.  The Spirit focused on building the offensive corps in the early rounds of the draft, selecting winger Nick Moutrey in the first round with the 15th overall pick then following with the selection of center Sam Povorozniuk 36th overall and center Jimmy Lodge 62nd overall.  The Spirit selected five Americans in the draft, including Detroit Honeybaked defenseman Alexander Smith, and seven Canadians.

“We are thrilled with the way our draft went and we ended up getting a great number of the players we wanted early in the selection,” stated Spirit Assistant General Manager and Director of Scouting Jim Paliafito, “This draft class features a lot of skill and speed, and we are excited to get them on the ice at the upcoming May rookie camp.”

A full breakdown of the Spirit draftees are listed below.

The OHL Priority Selection presented by State Farm.  Pictured above are Spirit prospects, left to right, Ian McCoshan and Sam Povorozniuk (photos by Steph Regenold and Jason McDonald).

15th Overall: Nick Moutrey

The Spirit selected winger Nick Moutrey with the 15th overall pick in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection.  The 95-born forward tallied 43 goals and 46 assists for 89 points last season with the York Simcoe Express.  The 6’1”, 185 pound forward hails from Shelburne, Ontario.

OHL Scouting Report: Moutrey is a forward that played all three positions this season. He has been blessed with an abundance of physical tools. He has size, a very good stick and he can get up and down the ice effectively. He makes a lot of smart touches with the puck and makes pretty solid decisions.  He is at his best in the offensive zone, especially below the top of the face off circles. He plays in all of the tough areas and he uses his size quite effectively. He protects the puck quite well, and works hard to get it to a teammate in a good support position.

36th Overall: Sam Povorozniuk

The Spirit selected Sam Povorozniuk with the 36th overall pick, a center that played with the Chicago Steel Jr. A team last season with 11 goals and 15 assists for 26 points.  The 5'8", 165 pound winger hails from Northbrook, Illinois.

OHL Scouting Report: Povorozniuk (Povo-Rose-Nook) is a highly skilled and smart offensive minded forward who has had a great start to the season and produced offensively on a very consistent basis. He possesses a ton of natural ability, has high end stick skills, displays the ability to make plays and carry the puck while at top speed. He also has great feet, speed and quickness. His acceleration is excellent and he has the special ability to find that extra gear that can create time, space and most importantly separation from defenders.  He has shown that he can play the game at a very quick pace.

62nd Overall: Jimmy Lodge

The Spirit selected Jimmy Lodge, a center from Downing, Pennsylvania, with the 62nd overall pick.  He posted 18 goals and 25 assists for 43 points last season with the Toronto Titans.  Lodge comes in at 5'11", 150 pounds.

77th Overall: Alexander Smith

The Spirit selected defenseman Alexander Smith of the Detroit Honeybaked program with the 77th overall pick.  The 6'0", 175 pound blueliner tallied 8 goals and 23 assists for 31 points last season.

OHL Scouting Report: Smith is an aggressive puck moving defender who plays an active and involved game. He likes to force the issue and competes a very high level. He is the type of defender that will fight you for every inch of ice and do whatever he has to do to make a play. He possesses a good mix of size and skating ability. He has quick feet, showing the ability to take away time and space quickly and effectively. He doesn’t turn up an opportunity to finish a check and uses his mobility and quickness effectively in one-on-one situations. He works real hard to recover, never giving up on a play.

96th Overall: Ramon Lopez

The Spirit selected winger Ramon Lopez with the 96th overall pick.  The 6'1", 175 pound forward posted 14 goals and 15 assists for 30 points last season with the Toronto Titans.

112th Overall: Ian McCoshan

The Spirit drafted defenseman Ian McCoshan with the 112nd overall pick.  McCoshan, a 6'2" 190 pounds Wisconsin native, posted six assists for six goals last season in the Waterloo Jr. A program.

OHL Scouting Report: McCoshan is a two way defenseman who keeps his game pretty simple, playing mainly between the dots while showing a little bit of grit. He uses his long reach and an active stick to take away shooting and passing lanes. He tries to keep the play in front of him at all times and mainly looks to move the puck up ice to the open man. He also isn’t afraid to carry the puck out of the zone when he has an opening. McCoshan has a good collection of physical tools, including legitimate size and good feet. He moves around the ice quite well.

157th Overall: Nickolas Hirst

The Spirit selected defenseman Nickolas Hirst with the 157th overall pick.  The 6'0", 175 pound blueliner tallied three goals and 16 assists for 19 points with the Waterloo Wolves last season.

177th Overall: Josh Miller

The Spirit tabbed defenseman Josh Miller with the 177th overall pick, a 6'02", 175 pound skater who tallied 7 goals and 5 assists for 12 points in the Peterborough Petes junior system.

197th Overall: Josh Pace

The Spirit selected winger Josh Pace 197th overall.  Pace posted 40 goals and 42 assists for 82 points with the Hamilton Jr. Hamilton Bulldogs last season.

217th Overall: J.T. Comper

The Spirit selected center J.T. Comper 217th overall.  The Northbrook, Illinois native tallied 16 goals and 21 assists for 37 points last season in the Team Illinois U16's program.  Comper is 5'10", 165 pounds.

OHL Scouting Report: Comper is a very effective and productive two way forward that has played both down the middle and on the wall this season. He is the type of player that just goes out and plays a very subtle, almost business like game, but by doing so he contributes immensely to his teams success. He is a very intelligent forward who also possesses a solid collection of physical tools. He has increased his size and strength and has added a more prominent physical element to his offensive and defensive game. He displays some real top end north and south speed.

237th Overall: Lucas Pressini

The Spirit picked goalie Lucas Pressini 237th overall in the selection.  He posted 6'1", 160 pound netminder posted a 1.65 goals against average in 900 minutes of action last season with the Mississauga Senators.

257th Overall: Rylee McKinnon

The Spirit tabbed defenseman Rylee McKinnon with the 257th overall pick.  The 6'0", 150 pound forward tallied 3 goals and 12 assists for 68 points last season with the Whitby Wildcats.

297th Overall: Troy Crema

The Spirit picked Troy Crema with the 297th overall pick.  The winger tallied 13 goals and 21 assists for 34 points last season with the Mississauga Senators.

Get your season Tickets!  The Saginaw Spirit will be celebrating ten years of Spirit hockey in the Great Lakes Bay Region next season, and fans are invited to join in on the excitement!  Season tickets for the 2011-2012 season are on sale now, with full season plans starting at $386 per seat! For more information contact the Spirit at 989-497-7747 or visit the Spirit store at 5789 State Street in Saginaw.