Rising Spirit catches another
Two drafts after taking a sixth-round flyer on Caleb Everett, Saginaw Spirit has the 6-foot-2, 185-pound defensemen signed to an Ontario Hockey League standard player agreement.
Everett was rated as a late first-round or early second-round pick prior to the 2016 OHL draft but teams passed on the towering defender who was being pursued by a number Division 1, National Collegiate Athletic Association schools.
Rolling the dice in the sixth round, Saginaw general manager Dave Drinkill took the Pleasant Lake, Michigan native and the modest gamble paid off earlier this week when Everett signed with the Spirit.
Having chosen the OHL route, Everett is looking forward to joining a Saginaw squad that seems on the rise to contention after missing the Western Conference playoffs in 2016-2017.
“I am excited to get this decision behind me and focus on the season,” said a spirited Everett. “I am happy with the decision I made (to join the Spirit) and excited for (the coming season) with this group.”
Everett is fresh from a high performance, 2016-2017 season in which he had 36 points in 51 games for the Detroit Compuware minor midgets.
He is the second plum prospect from the 2016 draft to sign with Saginaw during this off-season. Earlier, forward Blade Jenkins inked with the Spirit after being its first-round pick in 2016.
Saginaw has also signed 2017 first-rounder Nick Porco, a forward from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario who the Spirit took fourth overall at the April 8 minor midget draft.