The Sarnia Sting chose two centres and a defenceman on the opening day of the Ontario Hockey League Draft, Friday.
They selected Centre Angus MacDonell from the Toronto Marlboros with the 13th overall pick.
Angus MacDonell (Photo courtesy of Ontario Hockey League)
The 16-year-old had 23 goals and nine assists for 32 points in 27 games played during the 2019-20 season.
The Toronto native stands at 5'10'' and 172 pounds.
In a post on OHL Prospects, Scout Ryan McArthur said the following about MacDonell:
"He's a complete, 200-foot forward that does everything well. As an elite lacrosse player, Angus has excellent hand-eye coordination and balance," he said. "He is very firm on his skates and does well working in small areas with elite puck skills and fast hands. MacDonell’s skating is something to behold with his elite top cruising speed and shiftiness. He attacks open ice like a dart with his quickness and accelerates in a hurry. Angus can be relied on in any game situation and steps up for his team when the pressure is on during crucial moments."
With their second selection of the day, the Sting chose Centre Ben Lalkin from the Toronto Jr. Canadiens U16 program.
Lalkin, a Mississauga native, had 34 goals and 15 assists in 18 games with the Mississauga Reps. in 2019-20.
Ben Lalkin (Photo courtesy of Ontario Hockey League)
Josh Bell from OHL Prospects said the following about Lalkin:
"You’ve likely already seen Lalkin without realizing it was him. In a viral video, Lalkin undressed a defender with three impressive, consecutive dekes before potting the goal – shorthanded. He has excellent hands and the ability to work them well in tight spaces. He oozes confidence with the puck, has an impressive release and has good patience. While there’s room to improve defensively, Lalkin is a very intriguing offensive talent."
Here's the video of Lalkin's deke as a 14-year-old, courtesy of NextProHockey on Instagram:
To round out Friday's picks, the Sting took Defenceman Alexis Daviault from the Navan Grads U18 AAA program in the third round, 52nd overall.
In 2019-20, he had 11 goals and six assists in 28 games with the Eastern Ontario Wild U15 AAA team. He also had three assists in two games with the Navan Grads.
Sports Illustrated's Matt Eichhorn said the following about Daviault:
"A spectacular prospect, Alexis Daviault shows an astounding level of potential as his game matures. Daviault has shown moments of greatness but not at a consistent level. Daviault is fantastic on special teams, able to use his top-tier athleticism to apply pressure on the puck on the
Alexis Daviault (Photo courtesy of Ontario Hockey League)
penalty kill, as well as able to expose defences with great vision and a stellar shot. Daviault's ability to move the puck and position himself on offence is his greatest strength, able to read defences well and find the weakness within them. Daviault is a fantastic skater able to push the puck with power and speed in transition, leading the charge into the offensive zone."
On Saturday morning, Sarnia selected Left Winger Ethan Tierman in the fourth round from the Mississauga Rebels U16 AAA team, and Gabriel Perreault from the Chicago Mission 15's in the fifth round.
Gabriel is Sting forward Jacob Perreault's younger brother.
With their sixth round selection, the Sting took Blenheim native Brayden Degelas from the Chatham-Kent Cyclones U16 AAA team. In 2019-20, Degelas led the Alliance U15 league in assists, while putting up 53 points in just 32 games.
The Sting made history by picking Goalie Taya Currie in the 14th round. She's the first ever female to be taken in the draft.
Three players were chosen from the Lambton Jr. Sting, including Jaxon Priddle by the Sting in the 11th round. Tanner Winegard-Bartlett was taken by Windsor, and Jace McGrail was selected by Peterborough.
Here's a full list of the Sting's 2021 draft picks:
1 (13) MacDonell, Angus C - Toronto Marlboros U16 AAA GTHL 2 (30) Lalkin, Ben C - Toronto Jr. Canadiens U16 AAA GTHL 3 (52) Daviault, Alexis LD - Navan Grads U18 AAA HEO Midget 4 (71) Tierman, Ethan LW - Mississauga Rebels U16 AAA GTHL 5 (92) Perreault, Gabriel RW - Chicago Mission 15'S Youth (USA) 6 (107) Degelas, Brayden RW - Chatham-Kent Cyclones U16 AAA MHAO 7 (132) Thomas, Owen RD - Notre Dame Hounds U16 Prep Other (CDN) 8 (147) Brown, Connor C - Florida Alliance 15'S Youth (USA) 9 (161) Bray, William LD - Mississauga Reps U16 AAA GTHL 9 (172) Wainwright, Easton C - Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs U16 AAA OMHA - SCTA 10 (187) Walos, Tanner C - Milwaukee Jr. Admirals 15'S Youth (USA) 11 (204) Priddle, Jaxon LW - Lambton Jr. Sting U16 AAA MHAO 12 (227) Rolston, Stone RW - Detroit Little Caesars 15'S Youth (USA) 14 (267) Currie, Taya G - Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs U16 AAA MHAO 15 (282) Alexander, Paul C - Markham Waxers U16 AAA OMHA - ETA 15 (292) Rizzo, Antonino G - Mississauga Rebels U16 AAA GTHL