For the second straight draft, the North Bay Battalion stay local for their top pick.
At the 2018 OHL Priority Selection the Battalion took Pacey Schlueting with their top choice, 9th overall and tonight in the 2018 Under 18 Priority Selection the Troops took Major Midget AAA Trappers defenceman Jacob Peterson-Galema with the 9th overall pick.
The 6’2”, 180-pound defenceman recorded 12 goals and 40 assists for 52 points in 37 games with the Great North Midget League finalists.
"We really liked Jacob’s upside, he improved a lot over the summer, he is a big body with a great hockey IQ, thinks the game very well led the league in points only to another prospect of ours Nick Davis," said Matt Rabideau. Battalion Assistant GM.
"We are hoping for a great summer for Jacob for when he comes to camp."
In the second round, the Battalion added more goaltending depth by selecting Burlington’s Cal Schell. The 6’2”190-pound goalie and Ancaster product played for the Burlington AAA Major Midget Eagles last season.
"He’s a big goalie with decent athleticism and he has got a ton of upside," noted Rabideau.
"This was his first year playing AAA so we are not sure where Cal’s ceiling is but we are hoping it is very high."
In the third and final round, the Troops stayed in the north by selecting Gabby Kioki. The Sudbury native played this past season for the Timmins Majors. The Majors forward had 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 points in 36 games with the Majors this past season.
"He’s a great skater, great on his draws, he put up decent numbers for the Majors and we love his work ethic, his physicality and he was a fun player to watch all year," concluded Rabideau about their final pick.
Meantime, North Bay’s Ethan Allair was selected 19th overall by the Sarnia Sting. The small, but skilled defender had 10 goals and 21 assists totaling 31 points in 31 games with the Major Midget AAA Trappers this past season.
This is the second season for the Under 18 draft. Last year’s top pick, Rylan Mosely played Jr. B for the Carleton Place Canadians (CCHL2) and received an NCAA Division I commitment from the University of Alabama-Huntsville for the fall of 2019.
