Olivier late selection in OHL draft

North Bay's Jamie Olivier was the lone local player taken in Saturday's OHL Draft.

The North Bay Trappers forward who scored six goals in 33 regular season games with the local Midget AAA's was taken in the 15th round, 281st overall by the Erie Otters.

Ray Irwin, the Erie Otters Northern Ontario Regional Scout
says they took a chance on Olivier because of the intangibles. Irwin says James' father Perry Olivier, also a scout with the Otters, was a later bloomer who ended up playing professionally in Europe.

"Sometimes it is the little things that you know about the family," said Irwin in a phone interview from Erie Saturday afternoon.

"At 15 (his Father) was just another kid. I see a lot of that in Jamie. He understands the game well. He's on the smaller side but we think he'll follow the way his Dad did and get bigger and stronger. He just may need an extra year or two of development," added Irwin.

The news wasn't as good for the other two Trappers eligible to be selected in the OHL Draft. Nick Huard wasn't selected in his first year of eligibility while Joel Senecal, the Great North Midget League's MVP and leadng scorer, was not selected for the second year in a row. However, sources close to the Trappers organization say Senecal has already been fielding calls from Quebec League clubs looking to bring him in as a free agent much like the way the Moncton Wildcats brought in the undrafted Matt Marquardt two seasons ago.

A Perfect 10?

The Great North Midget League saw 10 of its players taken in the 2007 OHL draft.

Valley East's Jamie Haines was the first GNML player taken in the 2nd round, 33rd overall by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. The Sudbury Wolves kept their bloodlines intact by selecting Sudbury Nickel Capital forward Marcus Foligno (son of Wolves coach and G.M. Mike Foligno) only a few picks later in the second round, 39th overall.

Photo courtesy Great North Midget League Website