Ekblad Goes First Overall, No Chatham-Kent Players Selected in OHL Draft

Aaron Ekblad - Photo copyright Aaron Bell/OHL Images

It was another dry year for the OHL draft in Chatham-Kent. After two seasons ago having Seth Griffith, Dane Fox, Kyle Hope, and Jarrod Oliphant all selected in the OHL Priority draft, this marks the second consecutive season Chatham-Kent has been shut out.

Aaron Ekblad of the Sun County Panthers was selected first overall by the Barrie Colts after being granted exceptional status last month allowing the young defenseman to enter the OHL draft one year early.

Bo Horvat who played for the Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs, and resides just outside the Chatham-Kent borders in Rodney, was selected 10th overall by the London Knights, where he will join Wallaceburg’s Seth Griffith and Thamesville’s Dane Fox on the Knights’ roster next season.

Other regional top picks included Hunter Smith from Windsor who was selected by his hometown Spitfires in the second round, Trevor Murphy of the Sun County Panthers who went in the third round to Peterborough, and Michael Levesque, also of Sun County, who went to the Guelph Storm.

Although several Chatham-Kent players received consideration for the OHL draft, none were selected. Now, the minor midget aged Cyclones will be battling for the few Junior B and Junior C roster spots available next season, or will be returning to the Chatham-Kent system to play Major Midget ‘AAA.’