NHL draft resumes Saturday with local talent available

As the 2016 NHL Entry Draft heads into day two, up to five members of the Ontario Hockey League’s Soo Greyhounds, and another player with local ties, could hear their names called as the final six rounds take place.

Greyhounds forwards Boris Katchouk, Tim Gettinger, Jack Kopacka and Hayden Verbeek and goaltender Joseph Raaymakers are all in the mix to be selected.

Katchouk was ranked by some as a possibility to go late in the opening round on Friday night and is expected to be selected early on Saturday. Kopacka and Gettinger have also drawn interest.

Raaymakers was ranked ninth among North American goaltenders on NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings and could also be selected.

No goaltenders were selected in Friday’s opening round.

Verbeek was ranked by Central Scouting and could be selected late in the draft.

Lake Superior State Lakers defenceman Owen Headrick, who hails from Garden River, was ranked by independent scouting service North American Central Scouting as a possible late-round pick.

The Toronto Maple Leafs surprised no one by selecting American Auston Matthews with the first pick. Matthews spent the 2015-16 with Zurich of the Swiss League where he scored 24 goals and 46 points in 36 games.

The Winnipeg Jets selected Finnish forward Patrik Laine second while the Columbus Blue Jackets used the third overall pick to draft Pierre-Luc Dubois of the Quebec League’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.

Forward Jesse Puljujarvi was selected fourth overall by the Edmonton Oilers while the Vancouver Canucks drafted Finnish defenceman Olli Juolevi of the London Knights fifth overall.

It was a record-setting day for American-born players on Friday as the first round of the two-day event saw 12 American players selected.

The previous high was 11 in 2010.

The second round is set to begin at 10 a.m. Saturday. The Maple Leafs have the first pick of round two.