It’s all about timing for Guelph Storm general manager George Burnett.
Looking to build a strong young group that can evolve together, Burnett made a draft picks-only deal with the Flint Firebirds that gives Guelph an extra second round pick in Saturday’s OHL Priority Selection.
Guelph acquired a second round pick this year and a third rounder in 2022 from Flint. Going the other way is a second round pick in 2023, a third rounder in 2022 and a pair of fourth rounders (2021 and 2020).
“It was really, for us, to get a chance to get another top young player in this particular draft,” Burnett said over the phone Monday.
“This gives us a chance, I believe, to get a player who can help us in September.”
The deal leaves Guelph with the 12th, 24th and 32nd overall picks in Saturday’s online draft.
Essentially Guelph gave up a couple of fourth rounders to get an extra second rounder this year.
The second round pick Guelph acquired Monday from Flint originally belonged to Sault Ste. Marie, who pick fourth overall this year.
“Everybody will agree to disagree on this year’s draft, everybody’s got their own opinions on it, but I think at pick 24 it gives us a better opportunity. Both those second round picks could be in our lineup (next season),” Burnett said.
Some believe this year’s draft is not that deep and next year’s will be very deep.
“People say it’s not real deep … but we’ve got a good list of potential candidates and I think it’s really what you make of it.”
Burnett said the team needed to add depth to the lineup now, with few ‘01 born players in the mix next year and uncertainty at the overage situation.
“Ideally, we’d like to add depth at both the forward and defence positions in the first two rounds.”
Burnett said the new rules around trading draft picks (teams are now limited to trading picks only four years into the future) is putting greater value on second and third round draft picks.
“I think we got away from that a little bit when we were able to trade six, eight, nine years out. Now we’re seeing fewer moves, which is positive, and I think we’re seeing value come back into second and third round picks.”
Another element that makes this Saturday’s draft interesting is there is a bumper crop of American players, several of whom have indicated they want to play in the OHL.
“There’s an elite group of American players … a real strong group of American players. Some are undecided and some are coming,” Burnett said. “I’m sure they will be a factor on Saturday.”
Last year Guelph drafted three highly-regarded Americans, two who are now in the U.S. national program (Jack Devine and Sasha Pastujov) and another who played in the USHL (Dylan Gratton). All three are committed to the NCAA.
“I’m not telling you today that any of them are coming,” Burnett said. “We continue to work on it.
“If we can maybe put one of them into our lineup over the next year or two, it would make a big impact in our lineup. We’ll continue to work on it.”
