The Guelph Storm went looking to upgrade its skill level in Saturday’s OHL draft and feel they did just that.
The Storm had four picks in the first three rounds and used three of them to draft highly skilled, competitive centres. The other was a puck-moving blueliner.
Overall Guelph drafted 16 players: five defencemen, 10 forwards and a goaltender.
“We wanted to improve our skill and all four of these bring skill to the table for sure,” said Storm general manager George Burnett during a break from the online OHL Priority Selection late Saturday morning.
In the first round they took Matthew Poitras, a 5-foot-10, 165-pound centre who had 66 goals and 75 assists in 71 games for the Whitby Wildcats.
“He has huge skill and is tremendously competitive,” Burnett said of Poitras. “He was the straw that stirs the drink for his team for sure.”
Burnett compared Poitras to current Storm captain Cam Hillis, only slightly bigger at this age.
“He’s dangerous every time he’s on the ice and we just loved his competitiveness.”
Poitras said he knew the Storm was interested in him as they talked to his family after the season.
“I’m just excited, it’s a privilege to be picked by a great organization like Guelph,” he said.
Poitras said he sees his strength playing in the offensive zone and is a fast skater, but needs to work on his skating strength.
“I just wanted to come to the league, it didn’t really matter to me which team picked me,” he said over the phone.
“I’m just glad the draft is over. It was very stressful.
With their first of two picks in the second round, 24th overall, Guelph took left-shooting defenceman Michael Buchinger, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound defenceman off the powerhouse Toronto Jr. Canadiens minor midgets. He had nine goals and 24 assists in 54 games last season.
Buchinger and Poitras attend the same private school in Vaughan.
“He’s a very smooth-skating, heady defenceman who has the ability to run the power play,” Burnett said.
He can create offence off the rush and makes a good first pass, said Burnett, emphasizing that Buchinger’s skating is one of his biggest assets.
With their other pick of the second round, 32nd overall, Guelph took homegrown talent Jake Karabela, a five-foot-11, 160-pound centre on the Guelph Jr. Gryphons minor midgets.
Carabela had 36 goals and 32 assists in 45 games.
Carabela was one of two locals picked early, with teammate Madden Steen, a defenceman, going in the third round to Owen Sound.
In the third round they took another centre, five-foot-10, 160-pound Ryan McGuire, who had 28 goals and 24 assists in 29 games for the Burlington Eagles.
“He plays much bigger than his size,” Burnett said of McGuire. “He’s an in-your-face, gritty guy.”
Guelph drafted just one American, defenceman Vinny Borgesi, a Philadelphia native and Northeastern University commit who had 87 points in 53 games playing prep hockey.
Burnett said the Borgesi family is well aware of the league and the Guelph Storm and is at least willing to have a conversation at this point.
First pick overall was defenceman Ty Nelson to North Bay. Adam Fantilli, who would have been first overall had he not committed to Michigan, was taken 18th overall by Saginaw.
