WINDSOR `BEST PLACE TO BE' FOR TOP PICK
Belchetz weighed all his options before agreeing to join Spitfires
Having the top pick did not guarantee the Windsor Spitfires would land the top player.
In the end, the Spitfires got their man in hulking forward Ethan Belchetz, but it took time for the two sides to finally come together before announcing him as the No. 1 pick in this year's Ontario Hockey League Draft.
“Players of this calibre have all kinds of options,” Spitfires general manager Bill Bowler said. “We can't control what people choose to do, but we're confident this is the best place for him to play and develop his talents.”
The six-foot-five, 230-pound Belchetz explored the United States Hockey League, which made a hard push for him, as did NCAA schools Michigan and Michigan State.
“I think during this process, and I credit Ethan's family — (dad) Lance and (mom) Tanya were absolutely the most thorough people I've seen go through the process and made sure that their son had every opportunity presented to them,” said Newport Sports Management agent Pat Morris, who represents Belchetz.
When the Spitfires won the OHL draft lottery on March 27 to secure the top pick for the first time since 1976, Belchetz was in no mood to talk. Bowler was in Toronto for the OHL Cup at the time, which is where Belchetz was competing with his Oakville Rangers team.
“I started discussing with Windsor about halfway through the season, but when playoffs rolled around I really wanted to tell my family and my agents that I don't want to talk to any teams right now,” Belchetz said. “I really just wanted to focus on playoffs and winning that OHL Cup. That was the biggest thing for me, and it worked out. Me and my teammates, we did it and won the OHL Cup.”
After the Spitfires secured the top pick in the lottery, Windsor captain Liam Greentree admitted he went to the OHL Cup to catch some of the action and potential prospects for the pick.
“Obviously, this is huge,” Greentree said. “It's super cool and the guys are really excited for this. You come off last year and the 18 wins and you get the first overall pick, it's motivation to get going here. I went to a couple OHL Cup games. I heard names of who it might be. I watched (Oakville) play and (Belchetz) looked great. It's exciting.”
It was nearly a week later, and two days after the tournament had finished, that Bowler finally spoke with the family and arranged a visit to Windsor.
“I came down on the Wednesday to see the whole organization and the facilities,” Belchetz said. “It was (quite) a day and I loved it. It was so much fun. They were all super respectful to me and my family.
“They're a great organization. Big thing for me and my family was just see every option, flip every stone and know all the information you can have.”
And in the end, being a Spitfire is what Belchetz, his family and representatives felt was the best fit for his hockey future.
“They're a great organization,” Belchetz said of the Spitfires. “We made the decision that Windsor was the best place to be for my development and my career as a junior hockey player and I can't wait to get started.
“There were a couple of teams in the USHL I was interested in, and they're great organizations as well, but right now, with my development program, I think Windsor is the right place to be.
I've always dreamed of being an OHL player. When I was little, I used to go to Mississauga games all the time. Seeing the OHL, and that's kind of where I've always wanted to go, and Windsor was unbelievable.”
Morris has been in the business for 38 years. He represented former Spitfires owner Bob Boughner when he was just 15 and has served with other local Nhlers such as D.J. Smith, Ed Jovanovski, Dan Jancevski and Matt Puempel and sees a bright future for Belchetz.
“He's just plays a power game,” Morris said of Belchetz. “You don't want to put pressure on people, but you watch a lot of players over your career and this guy plays like a lot of guys. He plays a bit like Todd Bertuzzi. He plays like Rick Nash (and wore No. 61 with Oakville in his honour). He plays a bit like Tom Wilson. He plays a little bit like Eric Lindros. That's a unique player.
“He's got the size and strength with that frame and he hits. Great strength, great reach, an NHL shot already and he's got soft hands. He scored a Michigan (lacrosse style) goal this year. Power along the wall and he's got a bright, bright future. It's an honour to represent him.”
Many scouts have used the term unicorn when describing Belchetz because of his rare combination of size and skill, but he knows he's not a finished product.
“It's great, it's an honour for people to be calling me a unicorn,” Belchetz said. “It's cool, but there's so many parts of my game I still need to develop if I want to exceed at the next level and I'm willing to put in all the work.”