The Ontario Hockey League will introduce an annual Under-18 Priority Selection for Midget AAA players in Ontario, the league announced in a release on Tuesday.
The inaugural OHL Under-18 Priority Selection will take place on April. 12, 2017, beginning at 7:00 p.m..
Teams will submit their picks online, which will be displayed in real-time at ontariohockeyleague.com.
“Midget hockey in Ontario features hundreds of talented players who continue to develop their game,” OHL Commissioner David Branch said in the release. “Working with our Minor Hockey partners, the OHL Under-18 Priority Selection will serve to assist in the continued growth of Midget hockey and provide further opportunities for players at different stages of their overall hockey development.
The concept has developed with full support from Hockey Canada’s three Ontario Branches, the Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF), Hockey Eastern Ontario (HEO), and Hockey Northwestern Ontario (HNO).
The event will be held in addition to the league’s current Priority Selection process, which takes place on April 8, 2017, for all 2001 birth year players and those eligible players currently not playing Midget hockey.
Eligibility for the Under-18 Priority Selection includes all Midget players (1999 and 2000 birth years for 2017 draft) not currently on an OHL Member Team Protected List, who are carded with an Ontario based Midget AAA Hockey Club within the OHF, HEO, or HNO.
The order of selection shall be the same as the Under-16 Priority Selection format, which is determined through the final preceding regular season schedule.
The inaugural selection will be capped at four rounds, with all OHL Member Teams required to draft a minimum of four players.
To enhance opportunities for goaltenders, should an OHL Member Team select a goaltender with one of their selections, the club has the option to select another player (skater only). An additional round will also be added to facilitate the drafting of any additional skaters, utilizing the same selection order and process.
