Spits pay heavy price for Cuylle
Rychel sends multitude of draft picks to Petes for coveted power forward
Windsor Spitfires general manager Warren Rychel said it was simply an opportunity he could not let pass.
Power forward Will Cuylle had informed the Peterborough Petes not to select him in April’s Ontario Hockey League Draft. The Petes still opted to make him the third overall pick, but Cuylle, who has a verbal commitment to attend Penn State University on NCAA scholarship, was true to his word and did not report to camp.
“I told them (the Petes) before not to pick me,” the 16-year-old Cuylle said on Friday. “I didn’t really feel like Peterborough was the best place for me to play.” When Cuylle did not report, Petes general manager Mike Oke began to call around to gauge trade interest and on Friday he came to an agreement with Rychel to send the Toronto Marlboros minor midget product to the Spitfires. “You need good players and you don’t get a chance at the third overall pick very often,” said Rychel, who is in Buffalo where the Spitfires are taking part in the OHL Showcase.
“I got a call from Mike a few days ago when he (Cuylle) didn’t report, and we worked it out. He’ll be a force.”
The price did not come cheap for the Spitfires. Windsor sent Kingston’s second-round pick in 2019, Barrie’s second-round pick in 2022 and a conditional second-round pick in 2024, which the Spitfires acquired from Kitchener, along with Kingston’s third-round pick in 2020, Windsor third-round pick in 2021 and 2023 and the Spitfires’ fifth-round pick in 2020. “Cuylle is a big-time player,” said Mark Seidel, who is director of scouting for North American Central Scouting. “He has huge pro potential, with a pro shot and the size to become a dominant player in the OHL and ultimately the NHL.”
Should Windsor acquire a second-round pick in 2020 or 2021, that selection will be sent to Peterborough and replace Kitchener’s pick in 2024. As well, Peterborough will receive a first-round pick in 2019 and a second-round pick in 2019 from the OHL as compensation for Cuylle not reporting. “When we selected Will in the first round of this year’s draft, we did so with the intent that he would play in Peterborough,” Oke said in a team release. “We felt positively about him becoming a Pete and were working to show Will and his family that there would be a great opportunity for him here, but Windsor presented us with an offer that we couldn’t ignore. We feel that acquiring these nine picks was a great opportunity and is what’s best for the future of the Peterborough Petes.”
But Rychel said the timing was right for the deal after he picked up 12 picks in the second round, two of which are conditional, five picks in the third round, two picks in the fourth round and one in the fifth round during last year’s rebuild. “You never get the chance at the third overall pick,” Rychel said. “We still have ample picks and we’re in a good position. (Cuylle) is one of the best players in Ontario. He’s got size, can shoot and good character.”
Rychel now boasts five OHL firstround picks on the roster from the past two OHL Drafts with Cuylle joining Jean-Luc Foudy from this year’s draft and Nathan Staios, Cody Morgan and Grayson Ladd from a year ago.
“We’ve got good players now and we just have to wait and let them develop,” Rychel said. “It’ll be exciting for Windsor fans to witness this the next few years.”
The six-foot-two, 200-pound Cuylle was anxious to join his new teammates. Just hours after the deal, he was headed to Buffalo to join the Spitfires. “There were a couple of teams that were also interested, but Windsor was my first choice,” Cuylle said.
“It’s a nice team and a great hockey community.”
Cuylle, who had 33 goals and 62 points in 43 games in minor midget last season, went to school in Toronto with current Spitfires Louka Henault and Jordan Frasca and also knows Foudy.
“I know they’re pretty young,” Cuylle said of the Spitfires. “It was sort of a rebuild last year, and I’m excited for the next couple of years to grow as a team and a person.”
There were a couple of teams thatwerealso interested, but Windsor was my first choice.