Mark Seidel, operates Northern American Central Scouting Services and was the director of hockey operations for Team NOHA's minor midget AAA team this past season.
He believes North Bay’s Ben Gaudreau is a special talent and arguably the best minor midget goalie prospect he has seen in the past 25 years.
Gaudreau has a lot of scouts drooling over his ability as the scouts and general managers prepare for the OHL Priority Selection which takes place this Saturday.
“In this business there are guys that are technically sound, guys that are athletic, there are guys that are big, there are guys with the right mindset but very rarely do you get all four of those in one goaltender,” said Seidel, who saw Gaudreau first hand with Team NOHA at the OHL Cup.
“They are like unicorns, people tell me they exist but I am not really sure that they do until I met Ben Gaudreau and watch Ben Gaudreau for the last year and a half.”
That bodes well for the local netminder who is still playing for the Major Midget AAA Trappers at the Central Regionals this week in Clarington. Seidel believes Gaudreau will be the first goalie selected in the draft and could even be a first round pick.
Another player with North Bay ties should hear his name called early in the draft. Defenceman Connor Punnett, who played his minor midget season with the North Central Predators and affiliated with the Powassan Voodoos, is expected to be taken in the top two rounds and, according to Seidel, could be a first round selection.
“There’s not a lot of good defencemen so his value certainly goes up as being one of the more elite defencemen in the entire draft so there is a premium for that so teams may jump earlier on that,” Seidel stated about Punnett.
“It won’t shock me if he goes in the first round.”
Other minor midget area players who have a shot at going in the draft include goalie Owen Wray, son of Battalion assistant coach Scott Wray, and forward Cameron Lemcke.
“Cameron Lemcke is another big kid, plays with passion and is a physical player that teams may look at for that minor midget team that struggled a little bit this year,” said Seidel.
As for the North Bay Battalion in this draft, Seidel believes skill will be the key to a successful draft.
“They have a number of picks Saturday and they really got to upgrade their skill,” noted Seidel.
“The league is getting so fast and so skilled that I think every team has to try to upgrade in the skill and speed area. North Bay is no different than anyone else.”
Seidel believes the Northern issue for Southern players not reporting up North is starting to disappear in his opinion.
“Obviously Stan’s record and longevity speaks for itself,” noted Seidel.
“I think the Battalion play a very defensive style and sometimes some high offensive guys are concerned but you look at what Stan has done with guys like McKenzie, Goodrow and Brazeau, guys like that.
“What agents basically say about North Bay is a place where Stan is going to turn players into pros so I don’t think there’s a real bias, I think it’s about finding the right guy to fit in to what they are trying to do.”
Seidel would not reveal who he believes will be selected 9th overall by the Troops but the name Liam Arnsby from the Don Mills Flyers has been rumoured to be on the Battalion radar.
Arnsby is only 5’10”, but plays a physical style and added four goals and seven assists at the OHL Cup to finish fourth in tournament scoring.
Another rumoured option is forward Daniel Michaud of the Quinte Red Devils. The Belleville, Ontario product, who plays centre, is considered a premier power forward in this draft class.
