Soo trio of top OHL prospects


By
April 3, 2017

Three forwards from Sault Ste. Marie are projected to be taken within the top two rounds of this Saturday’s Ontario Hockey League draft.

The trio of 2001 birth-year skaters includes Nick Porco, Camaryn Baber and Cole MacKay.

Porco and MacKay both left Sault Ste. Marie to play their minor midget season in southern Ontario for the 2016-2017 campaign while Baber chose to remain at home and skate for the Soo Greyhounds of the Great North Midget Hockey League.

Porco was named Greater Toronto Hockey League minor midget player-of-the-year while starring for the Vaughan Kings and scoring 22 goals, 19 assists, 41 points in 33 regular-season games.

MacKay was a goal-a-game standout for the Kitchener Rangers minor midgets with 32 tallies.

And Baber produced at a goal-a-game rate as a fearless, feisty, highly-skilled skater with the Greyhound midgets.

Porco is said to be a sure-fire first-rounder for this Saturday’s draft, which begins at 9 a.m. and will be conducted via the Internet.

Baber and MacKay are both being widely projected as second-round picks — third rounders at the least — in the 15-round session.

Porco is one three players from the Vaughan midgets who could well be selected in the first round.

The others are defensemen Thomas Harley and Nathan Staiois.

From a Sault Ste. Marie standpoint, Vaughan head coach Beau Moyer has plenty good to say about Porco.

“He’s a coach’s dream, a great kid kid from a great family,” Moyer said of Porco. “He is always willing to learn to make himself better. He’s a first-rounder, no question about it.”

GREAT NORTH NOTABLES

Led by the aforementioned Camaryn Baber, about a dozen 2001 birth-year players from the Great North loop could be selected at Saturday’s OHL minor midget draft.

Baber placed third on the Greyhound midgets in scoring during the 2016-2017 regular season with 32 goals, 30 assists, 62 points in 32 games — while racking up 99 minutes in penalties. He then added 5 goals, 2 assists, 7 points in 6 playoff contests.

A likeable kid who is known for his strong work ethic and great attitude in addition to his hockey skills, Baber’s gritty style only adds to his all-around game and makes him the consensus first pick from the Great North loop for the upcoming OHL draft.

In capping off a splendid season, Baber was named Northern Ontario Hockey Association minor midget player-of-the-year for the 2016-2017 campaign.

Payton Vescio, a slick, smart, cool-under-pressure defenseman with the Ontario Hockey Federation bronze-medal champion North Bay Trappers, is projected to be the second player from the Great North to be chosen at Saturday’s lottery.

A quiet leader and character kid, Vescio is viewed as a third-to-fifth round pick.

Three more players from North Bay and one from the Sudbury MM Wolves are seen as fifth-to-eighth-round picks.

They are Trappers forwards Matt Hardwick and Ryan Mills and goalie Joel Rainville and Wolves forward Joe Mazur.

Others from the Great North loop who are being mentioned as possible late picks in the 15-round draft are North Bay forward Cole Craft and defensemen Jake Peterson-Galema and Kobe Seguin, Soo defenseman Tristan Cicchello and Sudbury forward Alex Fowke.

Cicchello is seen by some as a dark horse sleeper who could be a steal as a late-round pick.


What you think about “Soo trio of top OHL prospects”

  1. TheDuggler,

    Thanks. I categorize forwards generally, not as centres or wingers. But thanks again.

    Regards, Randy

  2. Sadly, there could’ve been several more contenders from this group Randy, such as Rutledge, Findlay, Arbour, Gavey Jr., Doucette …….as for next year’s group…. unless Sault Major adds a Minor Midget team , their odds are likely similar to the odds of winning the 649..

  3. Not to mention Jordan Ritchie, Jacob Bumbacco, Carter Metenger, Jonathan Mackin , Nick Trunzo, Nate Medaglia, Zak Provenzano and Josh Mannarino to name a few more talented 2001

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *