1 week Ago By Don Brennan
The Ottawa 67’s hoped Brock Chitaroni would be available when they picked third overall in the Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection on Friday night. Turned out they were able to get what they wanted. The 67’s are adding a 5-11 centre from the Barrie Jr.
Colts U16 team in Chitaroni, who scored 29 goals and 30 assists in 31 games this season. Chitaroni is the son of Terry Chitaroni, a feisty and productive winger who played for the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves for four seasons (1988-92) and was drafted by the National Hockey League’s Toronto Maple Leafs. “Chitaroni is one of the most dynamic playmakers in this draft,” said Brenan Collins, the general manager/director of scouting at Neutral Zone.
“H e is a puck possession style centre, a dual-threat scorer and distributor who can play all five positions on the power play. He disguises his release and delivers the puck with real power in his shot with little windup. He’s elusive in heavy traffic areas and the puck sticks to his blade.
He has high-level 1-on-1 skill plus the vision and poise to create odd-man opportunities. “ Selected first overall by the Peterborough Petes was Kaden McGregor, a centre from Braeside who played for the Ottawa Valley Titans U16 team. “McGregor has good size and plays an honest game: he’s a 200-foot centre,” Collins said.
“ He’s strong in the faceoff circle, not a burner as a skater, but he has balanced edges and a powerful stride. He shoots to score with a quick and accurate release, plus he can handle hard passes cleanly with a soft first touch. He is competitive: he wins a high percentage of 50/50 pucks.
He slips off checks and has a rare combination of power and finesse plus the versatility to play up and down the lineup at the next level.” The Guelph Storm selected centre Jaakko Wycisk with the second pick..
