Niagara hockey hopefuls on OHL radar

A total of five players from triple A minor midget teams based in Niagara were selected in the 2017 Ontario Hockey League Priority Draft. Owen Diodati, a 6-foot-1, 193-pound left winger from Niagara Falls, was taken by the North Battalion in the seventh round with the 123th pick overall in a 15-round, day-long draft Saturday conducted over the internet. He scored 14 goals, collected nine assists for 23 points in 30 games for the Southern Tier Admirals. Diodati’s Southern Tier teammate, Liam Del Mastro, a left-shooting defenceman from Hamilton, was drafted in the 12th round. The Kingston Frontenacs made the 5-foot-8, 150-lb. rearguard the 231st overall selection after he collected three assists in 20 games in triple A minor midget last season. Two players from Welland, who both played for the Admirals, were the next to go. Right-shooting defenceman Maxime Blanchard, 5-foot-9, 142 lbs.; was picked by the Hamilton Bulldogs in the 13th round, 250th overall; and a blue-liner with a left-hand shot, Marcus Gillard, 6-foot, 174 lbs.; was the Erie Otters’ 13thround pick with the 260th overall selection. Last season Blanchard had two goals, 11 assists for 13 points in 33 games with the Admirals, and one assist in six league games and four playoff games for the junior B Pelham Panthers. Gillard had two goals and six assists for eight points in 32 games, all with Southern Tier. Right-shooting defenceman A.J. Cook of St. Catharines, 5-foot-10, 167 lbs.; was selected in the 15th round, 296th overall, by the Niagara IceDogs.