Thanks for checking out this year’s edition of our 1st Round OHL Mock Draft. As always, the OHL Draft is difficult to project as some of the top players bypass the OHL to take the NCAA path, while other players may not report to certain teams due to location, personnel, or other concerns their families may have. With that being said, this year’s list is particularly interesting as you will notice the omission of some fairly highly touted American players who are eligible for the draft.

Players like Steven Santini and Will Butcher would assuredly be Top 10 picks if they were taking the OHL path, but both have already committed to the USNTDP. JT Compher would likely be at least a Top 15 guy as well, but he to has committed to play in Ann Arbor next season. From what I can tell, the last NTDP commit to be selected in the first round of the OHL Draft was Nick Petrecki back in 2005, which makes it seem very unlikely that any of this trio will be selected in the first round of the OHL Draft (Remember: Brandon Saad actually played a year in the NAHL before playing 09/10 with the U18 team).

Other Americans such as Alex Smith, Ian McCoshen or Michael McCarron could all be players that may report to certain teams, but it’s difficult to project at this time. Regardless, here’s the list I’ve managed to put together based on how I see things potentially shaping up. I had the opportunity to see a ton of AAA hockey during the first portion of the year, and actually managed to see most of the AAA teams, albeit a significant portion of which was only in tournament play. Hope you enjoy the list, and remember to tune into the 2011 OHL Priority Selection on May 7th!

1. Barrie Colts - RD Aaron Ekblad

Aaron Ekblad has big shoes to fill after being the first player since John Tavares to be granted exceptional status into the OHL Priority Selection as a 15 year old. While Tavares managed to put up a mind boggling 45 goals as a rookie, Ekblad will have a different role with the Colts. He’s a very mobile puck moving defenseman who will inject some much needed size into the Colts blue-line, as well as providing them a big shot from the point. It’s tough to gauge what type of numbers to expect from a 15 year old defenseman in the OHL, but he’ll be a huge component of the Colt’s rebuild and will not be draft eligible for three full OHL seasons, as a 2014 NHL Entry Draft eligible.

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2. Peterborough Petes - RD Darnell Nurse

The Petes have a lot of holes to fill, both up front and on defense, but Nurse provides them with another defenseman to build around, and could arguably fill the role of being the BPA at this pick as well. A bit of an enigma on the blue-line, Nurse has the tools to be a dominant player but is often guilty of over committing and trying to do too much. He’s going to need a lot of coaching at the next level, but his combination of size, skating ability and offensive potential present an enticing package. The addition of Nurse would create a solid nucleus of young defensemen including last year’s first round pick, Slater Koekkoek.

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3. Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds - RC Nicholas Baptiste

I didn’t get much of a chance to see Ekblad this season, but of those I saw the most frequently, Baptiste is the guy who I think is the best of the crop. Having him available at #3 would be a great pickup for the rebuilding Greyhounds as they get a dynamic center who is an offensive threat every time he’s on the ice. The addition of Baptiste could make Nick Cousins readily available, but is a nice dilemma to have for the Hounds. He had some injury trouble this past season, although Catenacci battled injuries in his MM year and it has yet to deter his OHL career.

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4. Sarnia Sting - RW (LS) Nicholas Ritchie

Sarnia hit a pair of homeruns with rookie of the year Nail Yakupov and last year’s first overall pick Alexander Galchenyuk, who potted 31 goals and 83 points. While the Sting are probably hoping for Nurse to be available at this pick, if he’s gone it looks like Nicholas Ritchie will be the likely target. The brother of current Sting forward Brett, Nicholas is another big body who has a similar skill-set to Rick Nash. He’s a big guy that can fly up and down the wing and is very opportunistic. Has a good shot and a quick release and overall, a true sniper’s instinct. Could stand to use his size more, but he’d be yet another addition to what will be a very dangerous offense in Sarnia.

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5. Belleville Bulls - RD Jordan Subban

I don’t think Subban is the fifth best player available in this draft, but given the lineage to the organization, I’d be very surprised if Belleville doesn’t scoop him up at 5. His play does resemble that of his oldest brothers as he has a lot of the same “swagger” or on ice flair that P.K. has become famous for. Subban will likely struggle a bit at the start, but he should be a pretty effective player as he improves his strength and adjusts his game to the OHL level. It will be critical for him to understand what type of moves work in AAA, and which ones don’t work at the next level and I expect a bit of an adjustment period before he finds a comfort zone in the OHL.

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6. Sudbury Wolves - RW Jordan Maletta

The Wolves could go in a lot of directions with this pick but Maletta seems to be a good fit for their organization and can contribute right away. There are strong rumours that the Wolves will nab “local” Ryan Kujawinski at 6, which could be a very realistic possibility, but keep in mind he’s actually from Iroquois Falls, not Sudbury. Maletta has the size and strength to play in the league from day one and is a very strong skater with powerful acceleration. Doesn’t quite have the offensive polish you might want out of a guy at 6, and in that case might even remind Wolves fans a bit of John McFarland, but I think Maletta brings some more intangibles to the table, making this a solid pick up for a team that will have some offensive holes to fill.

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7. Brampton Battalion - LC Bryson Cianfrone

After addressing their blueline in last season’s OHL Priority Selection, the Battalion really need to add forwards this year. Bryson Cianfrone will be a pretty good local option at this point despite it being a little high for his range. Cianfrone was the captain of the Marlies last year, and a good one that that. He’s a hard working guy with great speed and plays a lot bigger than his size would indicate, somewhat like Christian Thomas used to when he was on the Marlies. He might struggle a bit at the beginning due to his size, but in the long-term, he could be a productive offensive player with a lot of character for the Battalion.

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8. Kingston Frontenacs - LC Max Domi

A major wildcard in the draft, Domi has arguably the most natural talent in this draft, but his father has indicated that he will take the USHL route before moving onto an NCAA program. Rumours do indicate that Frontenacs head coach Doug Gilmour may bring Tie into the fold if Max is drafted by the Kingston, and at this point, it doesn’t seem to unreasonable for this to happen. Domi is a very crafty forward with tremendous hockey sense and creativity. He makes players around him better and can hold his own for being undersized. If Kingston could get him to report, it would be a major addition for a team that has a lot of uncertainty heading into next year.

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9. London Knights - LD Steven Varga

It was a bit of a retooling year for the Knights, but London saw some of their younger forwards emerge and contribute at a young age. With some holes to fill on the backend, a defenseman like Varga will come in ready to log some quality minutes from the get go. Varga isn’t an overly physical defenseman, but plays a solid all-around game and has a very high hockey IQ. He won’t be the most glorious pick, but he can play the PK and moves the puck well enough to eventually be a dependable two-way guy as well.

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10. Guelph Storm - LC Bo Horvat

Guelph’s roster in 2011/12 will take a major hit from this season, losing almost all of their top scorers. Horvat could be a player that might be able to make an immediate impact with the Storm and should get plenty of opportunity to do so in a line-up looking to fill some substantial voids. Horvat is the top scoring minor midget player in the draft and also played exceptionally well at the Canada Winter Games, scoring 9 points. Horvat is a very creative offensive player who sees the ice well and distributes it even better. He needs to work on bringing a more consistent effort and competing every shift, but he certainly has the tools to be a very productive player at the next level.

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11. Plymouth Whalers - RD Anthony DeAngelo

The youngest defenseman to ever play in the USHL, DeAngelo cracked the Roughriders roster as a 14 year old this season. A naturally gifted offensive defenseman, DeAngelo makes great decisions with the puck and is a very adept puck moving defenseman. Skates well and has shown he can already handle playing against older competition. DeAngelo has already committed to Boston University for 2014 and could be a bit of a wildcard, but Plymouth has a decent track record getting Americans to report and they should have a legitimate shot at getting him to deviate from the NCAA path.

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12. Erie Otters - LD Michael Vlajkov

The Otters will have an interesting dilemma next season as they have numerous overage considerations to debate as they put together their roster. One thing is clear, the team lacks young defenseman in a major way, which is something that needs to be addressed in this draft. Vlajkov has a big shot and should help the team’s powerplay moving forward while also being able to log some hefty minutes. He’s a big guy that plays pretty well defensively and would be a nice pickup for the Otters in the 12 hole as they look to stockpile some younger players on defense.

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13. Windsor Spitfires - LW Mitchell Dempsey

Dempsey is a big winger who really carried the load offensively for a fairly mediocre Cambridge team this season. He’s not an overly dominant player despite his size, and doesn’t quite have the jam you’d like to see out of that stature, but his skill level will alleviate some of those issues. In a draft that’s a little weak up front, Dempsey is a pretty solid value pick for the Spits at 13 and will be a solid forward for them in the long-run.

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14. Kitchener Rangers - LD Charlie Pelnik

Pelnik is currently committed to the University of North Dakota, but has yet to be offered a spot with the NTDP program, which could open up the potential for an OHL team to lure him away from the college path. Kitchener has a veteran defense and adding Pelnik would solidify their depth moving forward. He’s a big guy who I understand is very raw but has some solid upside. From speaking with scouts in the first half of the season, I got the feeling that most teams have him all over the map in terms of where he might be on their lists.

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15. Saginaw Spirit - LD Adam Bateman

The last time Saginaw took a defenseman from the Don Mills program was in 2006, when they selected Nick Crawford, which ended up working out pretty good for the Spirit. After taking only one defenseman in their first ten picks last season, Saginaw could certainly use Bateman to help solidify the defense moving forward. He’s not an overly dynamic player, but Bateman is a workhorse who competes every shift and isn’t afraid to finish a check despite his size. He’s a good skater who is an adept puck mover and should be able to log a lot of situational minutes in his OHL career.

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16. Oshawa Generals - LD Chris Bigras

The Gens are loaded up front and a little thin on the backend, so you have to think they’re going with a defenseman at 16 even if it’s a bit of a stretch. Unless they feel like they can get an American to report or someone like Bateman slips through, Bigras might be the lucky guy that works his way into the first round to Oshawa. I saw him several times and wasn’t overly impressed with his game, but he does have good offensive instincts and sees the ice pretty well. I’ve also seen him make some solid stretch passes and manage the powerplay pretty effectively, which would be a big asset moving forward for the Generals as they lose several veterans off this year’s team including Calvin de Haan.

17. Ottawa 67′s - LW Brody Milne

Milne could go anywhere between the 15-35 range depending on who likes him, but with some of the Americans unlikely to be drafted in the first as a result of their NCAA commitments, he could slide into the first. He’s got decent size and is a pretty skilled player, skates well and knows how to score goals. I think he still needs to bring it a little more in all three zones and win more puck battles, but if he has the work ethic to improve, he would be a nice pickup for Ottawa at this point in the first round.

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18. Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors - LW David Perklin (Compensatory Pick)

Mississauga’s roster will take a hefty hit after this year’s Memorial Cup run, and Perklin will be one of the keys to complimenting a veteran laden offense with some much needed youth. Perklin didn’t shine as much as he may have on less talented teams, but the big winger is a versatile player that protects the puck well and drives the net assertively. He competes pretty well and will be a guy that can finish checks at the OHL level. He’s the type of guy that should fit in well with Mississauga’s tight forechecking system and will be defensively responsible as well.

19. Niagara Ice Dogs - LC Ryan Kujawinski

The Wolves MM squad played a unique season, getting their only real exposure playing in a series of tournaments throughout the year as their league play was restricted to local rep loop around Sudbury. Kujawinski has good size, pretty explosive speed, and a strong ability to generate scoring chances. From the games I saw him, I was a little concerned about his lack of production given the amount of opportunities he had, which could especially hurt on the small ice, but he’s a solid pick at this spot. Don’t be too shocked if he lands at #6 with Sudbury, either.

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20. Owen Sound Attack - LW Mitchell Fitzmorris

Fitzmorris is a tremendous skater with great offensive instincts and really adds a lot to any line he plays on. He could slip into the second round, but I believe he has pretty good upside and has looked good playing against some of the better teams in his age group as well. He’d be a nice addition to the Attack, who stands to lose a few major offensive contributors including Joey Hishon and Garrett Wilson, and would be a player they shouldn’t have any issue getting to report.

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21. Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors - RW Stephen Nosad

The Majors would love to scoop a defenseman up here, but this draft is a little thin in that area in this range. Nosad is another player who really fits the Dave Cameron system as he’s a hard nosed player who does all the little things well. Competes every shift, has some solid grit, wins puck battles and is very tough to play against along the boards. He’s got some offensive upside, but he won’t be much of a producer in his first couple of years in the league. He reminds me a lot of Stefan Della Rovere from the Jr. Canadiens a few years ago.

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22. Barrie Colts - LC Nick Moutrey (Compensatory Pick)

I saw Moutrey quite a bit this year and he’s a guy that could certainly be a nice addition to a pretty promising group of forwards in Barrie. He’s got good size and a pretty solid skillset as well. He’s got good on ice awareness, battles for pucks and competes pretty hard. He can play the point on the PP and while he is dangerous, I don’t think he’s that much of a natural scorer as I’ve seen him fight the puck on some pretty glorious scoring opportunities. Barrie could go in a lot of directions with this pick, but it’s relatively safe to assume they’ll be taking a forward here, due in large part to the lack of quality defensemen available.

Tags: 2011 OHL Draft, 2011 ohl draft rankings, 2011 ohl prospects, Aaron Ekblad, Adam Bateman, Anthony DeAngelo, Bo Horvat, Brody Milne, Bryson Cianfrone, Charlie Pelnik, Chris Bigras, Darnell Nurse, David Perklin, Jordan Maletta, Jordan Subban, Max Domi, Michael Vlajkov, Mitchell Dempsey, Mitchell Fitzmorris, Nicholas Baptiste, Nicholas Ritchie, Nick Moutrey, Ryan Kujawinski, Stephen Nosad, Steven Varga

About the Author: Scott Campbell

Scott, 23, is the Managing Editor for TSR after helping to found the site in 2009. A 2010 graduate from Laurentian University's Sports Administration program, Scott currently attends Indiana State University as a graduate student majoring in Sports Management.