The Windsor Spitfires had two of their players drafted into the NHL this weekend.
Forward Gabriel Vilardi and goaltender Michael DiPietro, both integral parts of this year's Memorial Cup-winning squad, were taken by NHL teams during the two-day draft, which ended Saturday in Chicago.
As expected, Vilardi, 17, was drafted in the first round on Friday night, with the Los Angeles Kings taking him with the 11th overall pick. The Kingston, Ont. native overcame an emergency appendectomy during the season to score 29 goals for 61 points in the regular season, plus two more goals in the playoffs and Memorial Cup tournament.
DiPietro, from Amherstburg, was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the third round. DiPietro, who turned 18 on June 9, played in 51 regular season games between the pipes for the Spitfires, compiling a 30-12-4 record and a 2.35 goals-against-average. During the playoffs and Cup tournament he went 3-4 with a 2.48 GAA.
Both players are expected to return to the Spitfires in the fall unless they are signed by their NHL team and assigned to their system.
Windsor Spitfires Goalie Michael DiPietro, June 2017. (Photo by Mike Vlasveld)