Two Peterborough players taken in Top 9 of OHL major midget draft
Creed Jones, James White and Blake Curran realized lifelong dreams of being drafted to the OHL even if it took longer than expected.
Jones, who turns 17 on May 31, was the sixth overall pick in the inaugural OHL Under-18 Priority Selection Wednesday night going to the Ottawa 67’s.
White, who turns 17 on Sept. 25, was picked ninth overall by the Flint Firebirds.
Curran, who turns 18 on Saturday, was a third-round pick by his hometown Peterborough Petes.
Jones and White are St. Peter Secondary School students who play for the Central Ontario Wolves last season after years in the Minor Petes system. Curran, a Crestwood student, played for the major midget AAA Petes.
Jones is a six-foot-one goalie who posted a 1.61 GAA this season. His brother Dane is attending Carleton University in Ottawa.
“My parents are definitely happy about that,” Jones said. “I got talking to Ottawa’s head scout and I think it’s a good fit for me. It’s definitely a promising team. They have a lot of young guys, especially on the D corps, so the future is bright. I feel like I definitely have a crack at making the roster.”
Any disappointment at not getting drafted last year is a distant memory.
“This year was a much stronger year for me and I feel like I do deserve this,” he said. “This year was a fresh start.”
White is a six-foot-three, 215pound left wing who had 20 goals and 28 points in 31 games.
“Last year I knew I probably wasn’t going to get drafted,” White said. “This year I had another year to develop and got a lot better and played on a really good team.”
Seeing his name come up was special.
“First thing I looked up is how far a drive it is,” he said. “I was pretty happy it happened.”
Curran’s original draft year was two years ago. He attended Petes’ camp last year as a free agent.
“I was just honoured to go to such a historic franchise and to get a second shot,” Curran said. “it shows how much hard work pays off. Growing up watching the Petes as a kid and playing for them my whole life it will be special putting on their jersey.”
Having been to an OHL camp will help, he says.
“I’ve seen the speed and the shots and everything the game holds at that level. I’ll be prepared,” he said.
The Petes made five selections beginning with Eric Conley, a sixfoot-one, 187-pound right wing from the Kemptville 73s. He scored 17 goals and 35 points in 41 games.
“Eric is a big forward who caught our eye,” Petes GM Mike Oke said. “He’s smart with the puck, the puck seems to follow him around.”
In the second round they chose six-foot-two, 176-pound right defenceman Liam Israels of the London Jr. Knights. He had a goal and six points in 32 games.
“He was somebody we had considered for selection last year,” Oke said. “He’s got good size, is a good skater who moves the puck well. Our reports indicated he’s a pretty reliable defender.” The Petes know Curran well. “He’s a local goalie our goalie coach Andrew Verner has spent quite a bit of time with. He had a lot of work with the major midget team and did a good job,” Oke said.
Round four pick Alderic Denis is a five-foot-nine, 156-pound left defenceman from the Ottawa Senators who had five goals and 24 points in 45 games.
“He advances the puck up the ice with a good pass or can skate it out of trouble,” Oke said. “He’s not physically imposing but he’s got a thick frame and is somebody who caught our eye each time we watched him.”
Fifth-round pick Graeme McCrory, son of former Oshawa Generals star Scott McCrory, is a five-foot-nine, 155-pound centre who recorded eight goals and 23 points in 27 games for the Whitby Wildcats.
“He’s a real competitive player,” Oke said. “We saw a lot of improvement in his game.”