Greyhounds nab McInerney with first overall selection

The Soo Greyhounds selected Ryan McInerney with the fourth overall pick in the Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection.

Shortly after 9 a.m. on Saturday, Greyhounds general manager Dave Torrie selected the 15 year-old centre from Junior A Milton Ice Hawks of the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League.

"We're thrilled with Ryan," said Greyhounds general manager Dave Torrie. "He's a very skilled player, sees the ice well and is an outstanding skater. He's a kid that is going to be exciting for the people of the Sault and he's very offensive minded.

"We're excited. We've been watching him and tracking him for the past couple of years. He's a kid that we were happy to have the ability to take fourth overall."

McInerney is listed as five-foot-11 and 170 pounds. In 58 games this past season, he scored 19 goals and added 15 assists for 34 points to go with 12 penalty midgets.

"Some teams had him rated number one and he is a very skilled offensive player," said Greyhounds head coach and assistant general manager Marty Abrams.

"There is connection with him as him and Chris Lawrence played together the year before last. Fans will be able to see a player that will be able to come in and contribute right away.

"He is one of those you expect to make the jump and not miss a beat. He scored 18 goals in Tier II so he has some junior hockey experience. His skill level has already been recognized by some National Hockey League scouts. We need to score goals and I think Ryan will contribute."

One thing Abrams is excited about is the chance to add some instant offense to a lineup that struggled to score goals last season.

"He will be given an opportunity to play right away and he'll play left wing or centre depending n the situation with guys coming back. It's a trickle effect from the National Hockey League."

McInerney, an Oakville native, is considered a character player and his 87 per cent average at Oakville Trafalagar Secondary School is a testament to his intelligence.

"I have heard a lot about the team and the city and about how great the fans are. It's great to be selected so high," said McInerney in a release.

Elsewhere in the first round, in an announcement made on Friday, the Belleville Bulls selected high scoring centre John Hughes with the first overall selection.

Hughes lit up the scoreboard this past season as a centre with the Whitby Wildcats Minor Midgets. The right-hand shot scored 66 goals and added 48 assists for 114 points in 56 games.

With the second overall pick, Saginaw selected defenseman Matthew Corrente from Junior A Vaughan. In the third spot, Peterborough grabbed centre Jordan Staal from the Thunder Bay Kings.

The Sudbury Wolves rounded the top five by choosing centre Ryan McDonough from the minor midget Jr. Canadiens.

In the second round, the Greyhounds selected defenseman Josh Day from the Pembroke Lumber Kings of the Central Ontario Jr. A League. Day, a Newfoundland native, is described a physical defenseman who will be able step in and play next season.

"Josh Day is a kid that played in a really good Tier II league and he played 25 to 30 minutes a night on a competitive team. We thought he was the one of the most ready defenseman to come and play," said Torrie.

"He really wanted to come here and we had some talks with him. We're excited because we think he can come in and play a good solid role on defense next year. His upside is good and he makes really good first passes coming out of the zone. We needed to draft a left handed D and we were happy that he was still there."

"I think he could come in and do what Brad Good did this year although he maybe is not as physical but more mobile," said Abrams.

With their second pick in the second round, the Hounds snagged left winger Jacob Lalonde from the Thunder Bay Kings at 34th overall. Lalonde is described a solid two-way forward with a tireless work ethic.

In the third round, the Soo took another Thunder Bay King in Darren Miller at 44th overall. Miller is another player who the Greyhounds feel could step in and play next season and develop into a top player in two or three seasons.

The Greyhounds organization took a serious look at the characters and personalities of the players available before the selections were made.

"I don't think it's a science to pick good hockey players. The scouts, myself and everyone goes out to watch these kids but you are not genius to pick good hockey player," said Torrie. "You really have to do your homework and our second and third round picks are two Thunder Bay kids and we really liked their character.

"We liked the fact that they both got some size and good skill level and both improved dramatically over the year. They wanted to come here and both said that Sault Ste. Marie was probably their first choice. We get excited about players like that. We think that those are the type of guys who will win character games and playoff type games."

The locals selected their first goaltender of the draft in the fourth round. Matt Hache was taken 71st overall from the Guelph Minor Midget program. Hache recorded a 2.16 goals against average in 37 games.

In the fifth round, the Hounds used the 84th overall pick on left winger Ryan Oliver from the Minor Midget Whitby Wildcats. The gritty forward scored 25 goals and added 15 assists for 40 points to go with 73 penalty minutes in 31 games.

With their sixth round pick, the Hounds took right winger Jeff Hogan from the Sun County Panthers Minor Midgets. Hogan notched 39 goals and 21 assists to go with 99 penalty minutes in 56 games.

The Greyhounds did not have a pick in the seventh round but in the eighth took centre Jonathan Bacon from the Mississauga Senators Minor Midgets. In 36 games, Bacon scored 10 goals and added 19 assists with 57 penalty minutes.

In the ninth round, the Greyhounds selected right defenseman Brett Halstead from the Burlington Eagles Minor Midgets. Halstead is listed at five-foot-11 and 170 pounds.

Oakville Minor Midget Left Winger Garrett Ince became property of the Soo Greyhounds with their first pick in the 10th round.

With their second pick, the Hounds chose right winger Kyle Verbeek from the Minor Midget Detroit Honeybaked 88's. Verbeek scored 19 goals and added 29 assists in 51 games this season.

In the 11th round, the locals chose centre Neil Ruffini from the Junior Detroit Motor City Chiefs. In only 14 games, Ruffini scored nine goals and six assists.

The Greyhounds then took defenseman Ryan Ramage from the Junior B Fort Erie Meteors in the 12th round. Ramage scored seven goals and 28 points to go with 50 penalty minutes in 26 games.

In the 13th round, the Hounds snagged left winger Patrick Tiesling from the Detroit Compuware Midgets. In 54 games, Tiesling scored 19 goals and 23 assists.

In the 14th round, the locals took another Thunder Bay King in left winger Jeff Manryk, who scored 27 goals and 49 points in 47 games.

To conclude the draft, the Hounds had two picks in the 15th round. They took defenseman Andrew Campbell from the Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs before selecting centre Kraig Wright from the Lambton Jr. Sting.

For information on local selections, click here.

PHOTO: Torrie (right) and Abrams (left) discuss potential draft selections.