It will only be the luck of the draw if the North Bay Battalion ends up receiving the first overall selection this spring for the upcoming Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection.
While the Priority Selection remains its customary 15 rounds in length, the League will be determining the order of selection by way of its first-ever Priority Selection Draft Lottery on Wednesday, May 5 at 7 p.m..
The league will live stream the proceedings on the OHL YouTube channel.
The news comes on the heels of last week's announcement that the league is cancelling any plans to pursue a short Ontario Hockey League season of 24 games this spring.
Last spring, the Battalion selected Ty Nelson with the first overall choice in the draft.
Adam Dennis, the General Manager of the Battalion, believes this was the league's only way to determine the selection order.
"It really has become impossible how to predict how 2020-21 season would have played out," Dennis told BayToday.
"I don't think we would have been picking first overall again if we would have played games but every team would have their own individual thought on this so really what happens is this is the only fair way for all 20 teams and I think that is the reality here.
"With all the uncertainty, and if's, and's, but's, this is the only way we could have done it and we are excited to have some forward progress with the league, that is for sure."
The real event will take place online on June 4 and 5 from the league's ontariohockeyleague.com website.
For the first time since the implementation of the annual Priority Selection online in 2001, the event will be held over the course of two days, with Rounds 1-3 being held on Friday, June 4 beginning at 7 p.m. Rounds 4-15 will take place on Saturday, June 5 beginning at 9 a.m.
“We’re very excited to welcome the next wave of promising young players to the Ontario Hockey League,” said Commissioner David Branch. “On behalf of the League, I’d like to wish all players the best of success now and going forward as you pursue your hockey goals.”
OHL member teams participating in the first round will have an equal chance of securing the first overall pick, with the order of selection to be determined by a computerized random number generator lottery process to be overseen by legal representative Robert Bayne of Filion Wakely Thorup Angeletti LLP.
Unlike past years, the 2021 Priority Selection will see member teams select in a serpentine arrangement, with the order of selection in the first round being reversed to begin Round 2 and alternating each round thereafter.
The 2021 OHL Priority Selection will largely see the top-ranked players born in 2005 within OHL jurisdiction eligible to be selected on June 4-5.
Both the OHL Priority Selection and Draft Lottery will be streamed on the OHL’s YouTube channel and covered extensively on Twitter, Instagram and Face
