ERIE OTTERS 2023 OHL UNDER 18 PRIORITY SELECTION DRAFT PRIMER

Erie, Pennsylvania – Draft season continues for the Erie Otters to close out the month of April, as the team will participate in the Ontario Hockey League’s seventh Under 18 Priority Selection Draft on Wednesday, April 26.

The final OHL-specific Draft of the year, the Under 18 Priority Selection arrives following last weekend’s highly-anticipated OHL Priority Selection Draft, which saw the Otters select 16 new prospects aged 15 to 17 over 15 rounds, including first overall pick Matthew Schaefer. The U18 Draft started in 2017 as a way to give teams the opportunity to select any draft-eligible player under the age of 18 – giving overlooked players a second-chance at catching scouts’ eyes.

While the U18 Draft doesn’t share the same pomp, circumstance, or acclaim that the standard Priority Selection Draft receives – as team’s select players overlooked initially in the Draft process – it is the perfect time to find diamond-in-the-rough and under the radar prospects. In the 2022-23 season, two players selected during U18 Drafts hit the ice for the Otters: forward Bruce McDonald (#41 overall, 2022) and goaltender Marshall Nicholls (#28 overall, 2020).

In the 2023 version of the draft, the Otters are eligible to select three players from the three rounds, with a ‘Linear Draft’ being executed – ensuring Erie and all OHL member teams the same draft order in each round. Unlike the Priority Selection, there are no compensatory or traded picks. The 2023 U18 Priority Selection picks are as follows for Erie:

1. Round 1, #1 pick
   1. Erie will pick first overall due to winning the Lottery Process on March 29 for the Priority Selection.
2. Round 2, #22 pick
3. Round 3, #42 pick

Erie has selected 18 players all-time in the Under 18 Priority Selection, with four U18 Draft players* making the regular season roster for the team all-time.

• Daniel D’Amato (2018 Round 1, #4): 2018-22 with Erie
  • The first-ever U18 draftee to appear in a game for the Otters, ‘Captain Dan’ D’Amato left an impressionable mark and high-bar for future picks from either Draft to follow
  • D’Amato would play in 189 games across his three OHL seasons, becoming the first and only U18 pick in league history to score 100+ career points
    • In the 189 games, D’Amato would grab 110 points (46G+64A), including an incredible point-per-game 63 points (24G+39A) in his final season’s 63 games
  • D’Amato would serve as Otters captain during his final OHL season, marking him the first U18 Otter to accomplish such a feat
    • The Maple, ON native also appeared in five professional hockey (AHL) games during his last OHL season, posting three points (1G+2A).
  • Captain Dan will always sit as the gold-standard for U18 players, setting many benchmarks in his three seasons.
• Ryan Thompson (2019 Round 1, #8 by North Bay): 2021-22 with Erie
  • While not an Otters U18 pick, Defenseman Ryan Thompson became an Otter by way of a trade ahead of the 2021-22 season – marking him as one of the more experienced blueliners on the team
  • In his 50 games with Erie during 2021-22, Thompson scored seven points (2G+5A) – including his first-career goal and game-winning goal all at once
    • Thompson was traded from Erie to Soo ahead of the 2022-23 season for picks
• Marshall Nicholls (2020 Round 2, #28): 2021-2022 with Erie
  • Goaltender Marshall Nicholls had the distinct honor of being the lone U18 goaltender selected by Erie to appear in at least a game
  • The Waterloo, ON native would appear in 15 games with the Otters in 2021-22 for a 4.42 GAA, .849 SV%, and a 2-9-0-1 record. In 2022, Nicholls would appear in six games with a 3.48 GAA, .869 S%, and 1-3-0-1 record.
    • Nicholls would finish out the 2022 season in the QMJHL with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens.
• Bruce McDonald (2022 Round 3, #41): 2022-23 with Erie
  • Forward Bruce McDonald is the latest U18 player drafted by Erie to appear in a game, spending the entirety of the 2022-23 season with the team
  • The latest player selected by Erie to crack the roster, McDonald would play in 67/68 games for the Otters – scoring 18 points (7G+11A) with one game-winning goal.
  • A gritty, grinding, depth centerman for Erie during the season, McDonald was a true late gem for the team in the U18 Draft.

* Ryan Thompson played the 2021-22 season for Erie after being selected #8 overall in the 2019 U18 Priority Selection by North Bay.

As the Otters look forward to the first full season under head coach Stan Butler, players selected in the 2023 OHL U18 Priority Selection will have the chance to make their mark and earn their spot in Training Camp.

All three rounds of the 2023 OHL U18 Priority Selection Draft will take place starting at 7:00 P.M. on Wednesday, April 26. While there will be no live draft show, fans can keep up with the results in real-time on OntarioHockeyLeague.com.

2023 OHL Under 18 Priority Selection Order of Selection:

1. Erie Otters
2. Niagara IceDogs
3. Soo Greyhounds
4. Kingston Frontenacs
5. Oshawa Generals
6. Mississauga Steelheads
7. Brantford Bulldogs
8. Sudbury Wolves
9. Kitchener Rangers
10. Owen Sound Attack
11. Peterborough Petes
12. Guelph Storm
13. Flint Firebirds
14. Saginaw Spirit
15. Sarnia Sting
16. London Knights
17. Barrie Colts
18. Windsor Spitfires
19. North Bay Battalion
20. Ottawa 67’s

Player Eligibility
North American players under 18-years-old born between 2005 and 2007 are eligible for selection in the three rounds of the 2023 OHL Under 18 Priority Selection.

Selected Players in the OHL
OHL Member Teams were permitted to register a maximum of four 16-year-old players selected in the OHL Priority Selection Draft. Those 16 year old players that are allowed to be signed are the first two 16-year-old players selected and a maximum of two additional 16-year-old wild carded players in any round of the OHL Priority Selection.

All other 16-year-old players selected are eligible to be called up as an “affiliated player” or “floating affiliate player” for a maximum of 10 games or for any OHL regular season or playoff games when such player’s team has been eliminated from competition for that season.

Keep up with all three of the Otters picks and results on OttersHockey.com or across the Otters’ social media. For all results of the 2023 U18 Priority Selection, please head to OntarioHockeyLeague.com. 

For the latest Otters news, visit OttersHockey.com, or follow the team on Facebook (Facebook.com/erieottershockey), Twitter (@ErieOtters), and Instagram (@ErieOtters). 

For further information on the Erie Otters and for media inquiries, please contact Shawn Bednard at shawn.bednard@ottershockey.com. 

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