Greyhounds select defenceman with top pick

For the second consecutive season, the Soo Greyhounds opened the Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection by taking a defenceman.

After selecting Ryan O’Rourke one year ago, the Greyhounds selected York Simcoe Express blueliner Jacob Holmes on Saturday with the 18th overall pick in the annual draft.

Holmes, who scored seven goals and 17 points in 33 games with the Express this season, is seen as a “mobile defender that can skate with anyone.”

OHL Central Scouting went on to say Holmes, “has good puck skills and vision from the back end.”

As the opening round wrapped up, the Ottawa 67’s selected Sault product Jack Matier with the final pick of the opening round.

The Soo Thunderbirds minor midget defenceman, who had 10 goals and 22 points in 21 regular season games, skates well and has good size at 6-foot-2 and 169 pounds.

Matier’s teammate, defenceman Tyler Dunbar was selected by the Flint Firebirds with the second pick of the third round.

Dunbar had four goals and 16 points in 23 games this season.

After not having a pick in round two, the Greyhounds selected winger Marc Boudreau of the Toronto Marlies in the third round.

In 68 games with the Marlies, the 6-foot, 158-pound Boudreau had 25 goals and 63 points.

The fourth round saw the Greyhounds select 6-foot, 174-pound centre Jordan D’Intino from the London Jr. Knights.

D’Intino scored eight goals and 24 points in 14 games this season.

In round five, the Greyhounds selected Waterloo Wolves winger Owen Parsons.

A 6-foot, 130-pound right wing, Parsons had 28 goals and 48 points in 33 games.

In the sixth round, the Greyhounds selected defenceman Luc Brzustowski of the Kitchener Jr. Rangers.

Brzustowski scored three goals and 21 points in 33 games this season.

Round seven saw the Greyhounds select its first goaltender of the day. The team selected 6-foot-4 netminder Coulter Taylor from the North Central Predators.

In round eight, the Greyhounds selected centre Luke Haymes from the Rockland Nationals.

The 5-foot-9, 162-pound forward scored 13 goals and 33 points in 44 games this season.

The Greyhounds selected winger Rhys Chiddenton of the Mississauga Reps in the ninth round.

Chiddenton scored 17 goals and 27 points in 48 games this season.

The tenth round saw the Greyhounds select 6-foot-1, 183 pound defenceman Hunter Brown from the Kemptville 73’s.

In the 11th round, the Greyhounds selected Peterborough Petes minor midget forward Tyler Savard.

The 12th round saw the Greyhounds select American goaltender Luca DiPasquo from Detroit Compuware 16U.

The Greyhounds selected centre Connor Miller of Detroit Honeybaked in the 13th round.

The team wrapped up the draft by selecting defencemen Luke DeVries of Huron-Perth in the 14th round and blueliner Logan Heroux of the New Jersey Devils Youth 16U team in the 15th round.

Sault product Stephen Pszeniczny was the final local player selected as the Niagara IceDogs drafted the Soo Thunderbirds defenceman in the 15th round.

The Kingston Frontenacs selected Shane Wright of the Don Mills Flyers with the first pick.

Born in 2004, Wright was granted exceptional player status to enter the draft a year early.

While playing with the Don Mills Flyers minor midgets, Wright scored 66 goals and 150 points in 72 games.

Of the top five picks in the draft, three game from the Flyers, including winger Brennan Othmann – selected second overall by the Flint Firebirds – and defenceman Brandt Clarke – selected fourth overall by the Barrie Colts.