Cyclones Prospects Look To Impress In OHL Draft Year
Last years Chatham-Kent Cyclones Minor Midget team featured several OHL draft picks. Will anyone from this years edition hear their name called? – Photo by Brian Watts/ OHL Images
Despite sporting a winless record, the 2014-15 Cyclones have a ton of hockey left to play and with that comes an opportunity on a team and individual level to improve vastly. It’s often difficult for players to come together from neighbouring centres and strike instant chemistry (just ask the 2013-14 Cyclones who started their draft year 0-5-1). With each passing shift and game, executing passes will become easier and goals will find the back of the net more frequently. As this team begins to gel, both individual and team pressure will begin to ease and it’s at that moment that individual and team success will start to become easier to achieve. In saying that, Chatham-Kent will face some extremely tough competition across the Alliance as Hamilton, Kitchener, London, Waterloo and Elgin-Middlesex ice some very competitive rosters. In addition, Lambton, Sun County, Huron-Perth, Brantford and Cambridge are icing some solid teams as well and won’t be pushovers. Winning won’t come easier in the Alliance but the Cyclones have time on their side to show off their true talents.
After covering the Alliance and OHL Draft for three seasons now, here are a few of the Cyclones that have shown good promise early on and eventually could receive consideration for next spring’s draft.
Kadin Ritchie
Forward, April 23, 1999
Chatham-Kent Cyclones
Ritchie is a well-rounded winger playing who possesses the competitiveness, projectable size and hockey sense to become an impact forward at the next level. Competing for a struggling Chatham-Kent squad, Ritchie owns the potential and ability to become an effective checker or complementary scorer. Unfortunately, his team early season struggles in possession have resulted in limited scoring chances halting all individual offensive opportunities. However, he’s shown promise on both sides of the puck and remains engaged in the action. He has a good sense of finding scoring areas and can unleash a snap-shot quickly and accurately. Not an overly quick skater and a little slow in start-up, Ritchie still possesses a powerful and efficient stride that is maximized in traffic around the net, where he is especially dangerous. The young Cyclone is a hungry and competitive forechecker who loves to score but he could stand to use his sturdy frame and engage more in puck battles. Adept at shifting the puck out wide to protect possession, Ritchie also shows the ability to make quick decisions with clever give-and-go touch passes. Defensively, Ritchie has been trained well using his positioning with body and stick placement to take away time and space. It’s unlikely that Ritchie or any of his teammates post gawdy offensive numbers but he remains Chatham-Kent’s most projectable forward for the upcoming OHL Draft. He will need to remain consistent in all three zones throughout the season to maintain scout’s interest.
Projected Draft Position: 10th-15th
Kier Cumming
Forward, July 26, 1999
Chatham-Kent Cyclones
Cumming is a high energy forward who is always engaged in the action, often causing the opposition to become frustrated with his relentless pursuit. The passionate and competitive pivot is an above-average skater who slashes in and out of traffic like a torpedo. He owns the ability to quickly dart into open space, exploiting slow or poor footed defencemen by changing speed or direction abruptly. His aggressive pursuit can sometimes cost him as he can often cross the line into carelessness, which resulted in a three-game suspension already this season. By trade he is not a pure puck handler and he occasionally struggles at top speed but his high-tempo pace could equate as a great depth option at the next level. The Cyclones’ captain is effective among his Alliance peers but he (and his teammates) will need to step up their games against tougher competition in major tournaments to be considered true draft prospects – much like their 2013-14 predecessors accomplished last season.
Projected Draft Position: 12th-15th
Tyler Hotham
Defence, March 22, 1999
Chatham-Kent Cyclones
There’s no Levi Tetrault on the CK blue line this season but make no mistake, Tyler Hotham is the team’s most promising defenceman. The tall and lanky defender is very, very raw but he has shown flashes of good potential over the past two seasons. Not overly confident in his own abilities, Hotham comes off passive and uncertain in his decisions at times but if he can shake these insecurities then he will certainly draw some draft attention. He’s a very intuitive defender who can play both sides of the puck well. His lengthy fluid skating stride propels him up ice easily and he’s shown some isolated puck-rushes that hints at some long-term upside. It will be a challenging campaign for Hotham and his fellow defencemen as they look to improve on exiting the zone with efficient and low-risk first passes – something that the team has been struggling with. Despite showing passiveness in his game, Hotham has made several big open-ice hits that have re-energized his squad. Overall, as Hotham gains confidence, adds strength and learns to engage physically more, he could end up being a legitimate OHL depth pick.
Projected Draft Round: 12th-15th
The season is still very much fresh and there are certainly no guarantees that any Cyclones member will be drafted. There are thousands of minor midgets vying to be drafted by one of the twenty OHL franchises and its certainly not an easy task. In addition to the trio of skaters outlined above, keep these Cyclones on the radar as well: Zach Lindley (G – no 2014/15 viewings), Brett Smith (F), Tyler D’Alessandro (F), Logan Calhoun (F), and Ryan Humphrey (F).
Thanks for reading and check back again as I help CKSN keep tabs on the futures of Chatham-Kent hockey. Follow @RossyYoungblood on Twitter