Rangers target blueliner Betts in OHL U18 draft

KITCHENER — The Kitchener Rangers picked defenceman Dakota Betts with their first selection in the Ontario Hockey League’s Under-18 online draft Wednesday night.

The six-foot, 184-pounder had nine goals and eight assists in 36 games for the Clarington Toros this past season.

The Rangers also grabbed centre Anthony Pinelli from the Niagara North Stars in the second round.

Three Waterloo Wolves were selected — goalie Riley McCabe (London, first round), winger Jacob Code (Niagara, second round) and rearguard David Mabey (Guelph, third round). London also chose Kitchenerborn Eric Maltby in the third round.

The draft is open to any player carded with a midget club in the Ontario Hockey Federation, Hockey Northwestern Ontario or Hockey Eastern Ontario that is not already on a protected list of a Canadian Hockey League team. The event, which launched last season, was scaled back from four to two rounds this time around. Though, any team that selected a goalie was allowed to make a third pick.

Five players from last year’s draft saw OHL action this past season, none with the Rangers.

Last year, the Blueshirts selected forward Kobe Desmond with their first pick as well as winger Reece Bolton, defenceman Jackson Norlock and goalie Anthony Tremonte.

Desmond had 16 goals and 18 assists for the Powassan VooDoos in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League while Bolton had 42 goals for the Carleton Place Jr. Canadians on the Central Canada Hockey League Tier 2 loop.

Norlock played for the Pembroke Lumber Kings in the CCHL while Tremonte backstopped the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Thorold Blackhawks.