2023 OHL Priority Selection HQ

Stats and prospect information

At 5’10” 160lbs, Young skated in 34 games for the London Jr. Knights this season. Wearing the “A”, Young 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.”

GM Dave Drinkill: “This young guy plays our style. He hangs on to pucks, he makes plays, he’s ultra-competetive. When you start bringing those qualities to me, I’m going out to watch him play.”

Stats and prospect information

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.

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

“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.”

Stats and prospect information

GM Dave Drinkill: “He’s a player that really reminds us of former captain Damien Giroux. 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.”

Stats and prospect information

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.”

Stats and prospect information

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.”

Stats and prospect information

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.”

Stats and prospect information

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.”

Stats and prospect information

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.”

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.

Stats and prospect information

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.”

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.

Stats and prospect information

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.”

Stats and prospect information

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.”

Stats and prospect information

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.

Stats and prospect information

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.”

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.

Stats and prospect information

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.”