2019 OHL Draft Ranking: November’s Top-60

Quickly, we find ourselves nearly a third of the way through the Minor Midget regular season. Over this past month, we’ve gained an invaluable look into the top teams across the province, specifically those who have been able to play at a consistently high level and separate themselves amongst this year’s group of true contenders.

Related: Check out Prospect Pipeline’s Top 2019 OHL Draft Prospect Profiles

As well, another major tournament has been checked off the list; the 2018 Wendy Dufton Memorial Tournament, hosted by the London Jr. Knights. It was a familiar result, with the Don Mills Flyers rolling their way to another tournament championship, this time on a combined 8-0-0 record, with a remarkable 51 goals for and just 4 goals against.

The Flyers continue to dominate the GTHL as well, boasting a perfect 13-0-0 record, with only the Toronto Young Nationals on their tails, with an 12-1-0 record. The Alliance has been much more competitive at the top of the standings, with the Brantford 99ers and Windsor Jr. Spitfires leading in terms of points percentage at the time of writing. However, there are seven teams within six points of the league lead.

Related: Look ahead to March, with our 2019 OHL Cup Ranking – October Edition

In the ETA, the Whitby Wildcats have established themselves as a true force to be reckoned with, boasting a league-best 11-1-3 record. On their tails remain the York Simcoe Express and North Central Predators, who should both be considered threats for the OHL Cup. In the SCTA, the Niagara North Stars are earning some separation, but the Halton Hurricanes, Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs, Guelph Jr. Gryphons, and Burlington Eagles remain in a tight battle for the second seed.

3 Prospects on the Rise

Over the past month, a few prospects have been able to overcome sluggish starts and begin to show their true colours amongst this year’s crop of top prospects. Three players in specific have utilized a massive month of October to soar up the ranking.

Brennan Othmann:

While Othmann was already a highly touted prospect for the 2019 OHL Draft, October may have been enough to lock him down as a first rounder. At the Wendy Dufton Memorial Tournament, Othmann was unstoppable, piling up a ridiculous 16 goals and 25 points over just eight games.

One of the premier snipers in this year’s draft class, he boasts a pro-level release and precision accuracy. Othmann can get his shot off in tight spaces and changes up shooting angles with effectiveness. His recent play has been impressive enough to push him into consideration as a top-10 pick.

Kaleb Lawrence:

Lawrence has fallen into the shadows of the likes of Mason McTavish and Connor Lockhart for much of his minor hockey career. However, a blazing start to the 2018-19 campaign has brought his name forth in plenty of discussions. His 12 goals and 21 points in 14 games of HEO Midget action place him first among 2019 OHL Draft eligibles in points-per-game, with 1.50.

Further, his goals-per-game rate also places him second amongst the same group. Lawrence is an intelligent forward who processes the game at impressive rates. He can truly be a game-changer, and could push for the first round by year’s end.

Jesse Fishman:

When Pasquale Zito went down with an upper-body injury for parts of October, Fishman stepped up in a big way for the Rebels. Taking over the first line centre role, Fishman became an offensive catalyst for his team, proving that he has what it takes to be a leader of a top-tier squad.

A slick skater with impressive top speed, Fishman handles the puck with ease on the rush and is an intelligent playmaker with excellent vision, frequently dishing cross-crease passes. He has honed his shot as well, an accurate snap shot with a quick release, Fishman has been consistently improving his draft stock since game one.

November’s Top-60

Now five months away from the 2019 OHL Draft, we are beginning to get a feel for a consensus top-tier of prospects. Consistency is starting to show through for the best of players, who showcase an impressive compete level night in, night out. With that said, there’s still plenty of time for movement amongst the draft rankings as the 2003-born draft class continues to grow, mature, and develop.

Related: Look back and compare to our 2019 OHL Draft Ranking: October’s Top-20

A large theme in this year’s OHL Draft appears to be NCAA commitments. Among the top-20 prospects, six are currently committed to an NCAA program, with another four in the remainder of the list. Of course, these verbal commitments have a significant impact on the outcome of the draft. See Antonio Stranges, Owen Power, Stephen Halliday, and many more from the 2018 OHL Draft. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues throughout the year, or if some of those committed prospects end up in the OHL after all.

Note: This list compiles the Top-60 skaters available for the 2019 OHL Draft, as well as 10 honourable mentions (HM). The list does not include goaltenders, and is not a mock draft.

Rank	Player	Team	Position
1	Shane Wright	Don Mills Flyers	Centre
2	Brandt Clarke	Don Mills Flyers	Right Defence
3	Mason McTavish	Pembroke Lumber Kings	Centre
4	Roman Schmidt*	Don Mills Flyers	Right Defence
5	Maddox Callens	Brantford 99ers	Centre
6	Dylan Duke*	Compuware	Centre
7	Francesco Arcuri	Don Mills Flyers	Centre
8	Connor Lockhart	Kanata Lasers	Centre
9	Danil Zhilkin*	Toronto Marlboros	Left Wing/Centre
10	Francesco Pinelli	Toronto Red Wings	Centre
11	Luke Hughes*	Little Caesars	Left Defence
12	Brennan Othmann	Don Mills Flyers	Left Wing
13	Cole Hipkin	Brantford 99ers	Right Defence
14	Sasha Pastujov*	Compuware	Right Wing
15	Braeden Kressler	Mississauga Senators	Right Wing/Centre
16	Ryan Winterton	Whitby Wildcats	Centre
17	Pasquale Zito	Mississauga Rebels	Centre
18	Dylan Gratton*	North Jersey Avalanche	Left Defence
19	Daniel Michaud	Quinte Red Devils	Centre
20	Deni Goure	Chatham-Kent Cyclones	Centre
21	Artem Guryev	Toronto Marlboros	Left Defence
22	Colby Saganiuk	Pittsburgh Penguins Elite	Centre
23	Wyatt Johnston	Toronto Marlboros	Centre
24	Owen Watson	Smiths Falls Bears	Left Wing
25	Brett Harrison	London Jr. Knights	Centre
26	Ryan Del Monte*	Toronto Young Nationals	Centre
27	Cole Eichler	Don Mills Flyers	Centre
28	Kaleb Lawrence	OHA Maroon	Centre
29	Ethan Del Mastro	Toronto Marlboros	Left Defence
30	Cooper Way	Waterloo Wolves	Centre/Left Wing
31	Jeremy Wilmer*	North Jersey Avalanche	Centre
32	Jack Devine*	Chicago Mission	Centre
33	Marc Boudreau	Toronto Marlboros	Left Wing
34	Jesse Fishman	Mississauga Rebels	Centre/Right Wing
35	Liam Arnsby	Don Mills Flyers	Centre
36	Ranvir Gill	Ottawa Jr. Senators	Right Defence
37	Stuart Rolofs	Kanata Lasers	Left Wing
38	Davis Burnside*	Chicago Mission	Left Wing
39	Paul Christopoulos	Don Mills Flyers	Right Defence
40	Zacharie Giroux	Sudbury Wolves	Right Wing
41	Brenden Sirizzotti	Whitby Wildcats	Right Wing
42	Alex Christopoulos	Don Mills Flyers	Right Wing
43	Jordan Adams	Halton Hurricanes	Left Wing/Centre
44	Josh Bloom	Toronto Young Nationals	Left Wing
45	Vitaly Levyy	Long Island Gulls	Right Wing
46	Ryan Burke	Elgin Middlesex Chiefs	Centre
47	Wil Murphy	Kingston Jr. Frontenacs	Left Defence
48	Nathan Zadorozny	Niagara North Stars	Left Wing/Centre
49	Deven Nagra	Toronto Young Nationals	Left Defence
50	Jack Beck	Toronto Marlboros	Left Wing
51	William Gourgouvelis	Whitby Wildcats	Left Defence
52	Steven Laforme	Brantford 99ers	Right Wing
53	Camden Daigle	Huron Perth Lakers	Left Wing
54	Tucker Robertson	Toronto Marlboros	Left Wing
55	Braden Hache	York-Simcoe Express	Left Defence
56	Jack Matier	Soo Thunderbirds	Right Defence
57	Christian Catalano	Mississauga Rebels	Left Wing
58	Ethan Larmand	North Central Predators	Right Wing
59	Jake Coleman	Pembroke Lumber Kings	Left Wing
60	Chase Stillman*	Sudbury Wolves	Centre
HM	Ryan Gillespie	Toronto Red Wings	Centre
HM	Christian Campanelli	North York Rangers	Centre
HM	Kyle Maloney	Waterloo Wolves	Centre
HM	Justin O’Donnell	Toronto Marlboros	Centre/Right Wing
HM	Ethan Gore	Guelph Jr. Gryphons	Centre
HM	Ethan MacKinnon	Elgin Middlesex Chiefs	Left Defence
HM	Logan Mailloux	Toronto Marlboros	Left Defence
HM	Therien Thiesing	Chicago Mission	Left Defence
HM	Sam Sedley	Huron Perth Lakers	Right Defence
HM	Josh Kavanagh	Sudbury Wolves	Right Defence

* – Indicates the prospect is currently committed to an NCAA program.