OHL draft rehash
D-day is done for another year. With the 2020 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft in the books, Hockey News North rehashes six picks who we deem notable.
CONNOR TOMS
Standout defenseman Connor Toms of the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Midget Hockey League became the first local to be picked at the recent OHL priority selections draft.
Toms, who netted nine goals, 17 assists, 26 points in 38 regular season games for the Jr. Greyhounds in 2019-2020, was taken by the hometown Soo Greyhounds in the third round, 44th overall.
He is the son of Jeff Toms, who as a hulking left winger, played three full seasons in the OHL with the Soo Greyhounds after being a lowly 13th-round draft pick from the Oakville midgets back in 1991.
Jr. Greyhounds head coach Jamie Henderson has plenty good to say about young Toms and his OHL future.
“Connor has put in a lot of time to develop his craft both on and off the ice since he was a young player. He is a real student of the game and his skill set should definitely flourish at the OHL level as his all around game continues to mature,” Henderson said of Toms.
The youngster was understandably excited to be drafted by his hometown team and the one that his dad once starred for.
“It is such an honour to be drafted by the Greyhounds,” Toms relayed. “Obviously, I was hoping to be drafted by the local OHL team. It makes it more special that my dad played for the Greyhounds.”
The elder Toms was a member of the Greyhounds 1993 Memorial Cup championship team before ending his OHL career in superb style during the 1993-1994 season with 52 goals, 45 assists, 97 points.
He then became a ninth-round draft pick to the National Hockey League and went on to play in more than 230 NHL games before embarking on a lengthy pro career in the Swiss elite league.
As for his son becoming an OHL draft pick of the Greyhounds, Toms noted that, “as a family, we are beyond excited for this opportunity.”
(PHOTO: Mason Toms, with his dad, Jeff Toms. Photo by Allana Plaunt.)
MASON CHITARONI
Mason Chitaroni said he was hoping the London Knights would draft him.
And the Soo Jr. Greyhounds defenseman got his wish.
Chitaroni, who notched six goals, 13 assists, 19 points in 38 games for the Jr. Greyhounds during the 2019-2020 Great North Midget Hockey League regular season, was picked by London in the fifth round, 99th overall.
A smooth, fast-skating defender, Chitaroni is the son of Terry Chitaroni, a hard-nosed forward who played four full OHL seasons with the Sudbury Wolves from 1988 to 1992.
A blue-chip defenseman and a potential steal as a fifth-rounder, Chitaroni said he talked to personnel from the OHL Knights at length before the draft.
“It was definitely my first choice of where I wanted to go,” a happy Chitaroni told Hockey News North. “I am so excited right now. It is amazing to be drafted by such a really good organization like London.”
Chitaroni said that shortly after he learned that London had drafted him, he received a call from Knights scout Steve Warner.
“He told me that they are happy to have been able to draft me … and I am just so happy to be a part of the London Knights now,” Chitaroni gushed. “Like I said, I was hoping London would draft me.”
The younger Chitaroni’s skating ability stands out, said his Jr. Greyhounds coach, Jamie Henderson.
“Mason can flat out skate with the best 2004 birth-year players anywhere. His all around game has grown tremendously since last summer — and we have no doubts it will continue to improve over time as an OHL draft pick of the London Knights,” Henderson noted.
Born in the small, northwestern Ontario town of Marathon, Chitaroni and his family moved 255 miles from home to Sault Ste. Marie about four years ago.
His aforementioned dad, Terry Chitaroni, was drafted by Sudbury in the second round, 17th overall, in 1988 — the OHL was a 15-team league then — from the New Liskeard Cubs of the Great North Midget Hockey League.
As an OHLer, Chitaroni racked up 276 points — including playoffs — and spent 629 minutes in penalties as a Wolves standout who became team captain.
He then played pro in the American Hockey League and in Germany after being an NHL draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Meanwhile, the younger Chitaroni hopes to follow in his dad’s path and have a splendid OHL career of his own.
“It’s like a dream come true to get an opportunity like this,” the youngster added.
DEVIN MAURO
Speedy center Devin Mauro became the third member of the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Midget Hockey League to become a 2020 OHL draft pick.
The high-scoring Mauro — who finished second on the Great North scoring chart with 30 goals, 32 assists, 62 points in 38 games — was taken by the Sudbury Wolves in the 11th round.
The 2004 birth-year skater is the younger brother of Justin Mauro, who was a 15th-round pick of the Erie Otters at the 2018 OHL draft and who has played the past two seasons for the Blind River Beavers of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
Jamie Henderson, who coached the younger Mauro with the Jr. Greyhound midgets in 2019-2020, said the prolific pivot has a lot going for him.
“We are really excited for Devin and his family,” Henderson said of Mauro’s selection by the OHL Wolves. “He has a strong skill set and a real desire to continue to improve and make it to the next level.”
JAKE KOVACS
Bypassed at the 2019 OHL priority selections draft, the second time up proved to be a bonus for 2003 birth year forward Jake Kovacs.
The Sault Ste. Marie product was taken by the Barrie Colts in the 13th round of the 2020 OHL priority selections draft.
As a rookie, Kovacs led the Soo Thunderbirds of the NOJHL in scoring during the 2019-2020 season with 27 goals, 31 assists, 58 points.
BRYCE MCCONNELL-BARKER
Holding the fourth overall pick of the draft, the Soo Greyhounds made centre Bryce McConnell-Barker their first-round choice.
A 6-foot-1, 162-pound pivot, McConnell-Barker netted 30 goals, 19 assists, 49 points in 33 regular-season games for the London Jr. Knights in 2019-2020.
Greyhounds general manager Kyle Raftis took note of the “speed, hockey IQ, skill set and goal-scoring ability” of McConnell-Barker.
TY NELSON
North Bay Battalion made high-scoring defenseman Ty Nelson the first overall pick of the 2020 OHL draft.
Nelson played the 2019-2020 season with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens, leading Greater Toronto Hockey League defenders in scoring with 12 goals, 32 assists, 44 points in 44 outings.
“I like to describe myself as a two-way defenseman,” said Nelson, before adding: “I love playing in the offensive zone and really strapping down the defensive zone when necessary. I love to control the pace of the game. I love making those good outlet first passes, and I love quarterbacking the power play and playing on the penalty kill.”
Charles Abbott, who is North Bay’s director of scouting, relayed what Nelson will bring to the Battalion, which finished last overall in the 20-team OHL in 2019-2020 and thus had the first pick of the annual draft.
“Ty is a dynamic defenceman,” said Abbott. “He has got all the tools you want in a top pick — the way he skates, the way he shoots a puck, the way he processes the game in all situations.”
