Windsor Spitfires 2012 OHL Priority Selection Results

Spitfires Pick Joshua Ho-Sang 5th Overall, 17 Players Selected by Spits in

2012 OHL Priority Selection, Presented by State Farm

With the fifth overall pick in the 2012 OHL Priority Selection presented by State Farm, the Spitfires have selected Joshua Ho-Sang from the GTHL's Toronto Marlboros.

Ho-Sang had a dynamic season with the Marlboros in 2011-2012, scoring 31 times and adding 48 assists for 79 points.

He's a 5'11", 160-pound right centre from Thornhill, Ontario, with a fantastic skill set.

With their second-round pick, 41st overall, the Spitfires selected defenceman Patrick Sanvido of the Guelph Minor Midgets. Sanvido is 6'5" and 215 pounds, with exceptional upside.

The Spits went back to the blueline at #45, taking smooth-skating, 6', 175 pound defenceman Graeme Brown.

With their second third-round pick, #47, the Spits grabbed a skilled forward with rich hockey bloodlines in Ryan Verbeek of the Lambton Jr Sting. In 39 games last season, Verbeek scored 20 goals and added 10 assists with 49 penalty minutes.

With the #76 pick in the fourth round, GM Warren Rychel selected highly-touted prospect Nick Schmaltz of the Chicago Mission Under-16s. A native of Verona, Wisconsin, Schmaltz may be a longshot to join the club, as he is headed to the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL.

The Spits went for a 1995 forward known to be aggressive on the forecheck in Culver U16's Jack Billings. A solid. 5'10", 180-pound two-way player and a good skater. In 33 games last season, Billings had 26 goals and 50 points.

MORRISON GOES #139
Bennett Morrison became the third d-man taken by the Spitfires when he was selected in the 7th round, 139th overall. He's a 1996-born, 6'3 and 190-pound product of the GTHL's Mississauga Rebels.


CAMERON HUGHES GOES #148
Our 8th round selection is Ottawa Junior Senators left winger Cameron Hughes. He's 6'2 and 170 pounds. In 28 games last season, Hughes had 7 goals and 7 assists along with 68 penalty minutes.

BELPEDIO GOES #168
Our second selection from the Culver U16s is our ninth-round pick, defenceman Louis Belpedio. He's described by one of our scouts as a kid with a 'high compete level that blocks shots with abandon'. In 26 games last season, the 5'10, 165-pound blueliner had 8 goals and 12 assists along with 36 penalty minutes.

COBHAM GOES #188
Our 10th round selection is Chris Cobham: a 6'1", 170-pound winger that scored 23 goals in 51 games with the Toronto Young Nats last season.

JARED LESLIE GOES #208
The Spits dipped into the local pool for the first time on the day, selecting Jared Leslie from the Sun County Panthers in the 11th round. The 5'8, 155-pound winger put up 14 goals and 20 assists in 45 games last season.

RYKER KILLINS GOES #228
Quite possibly the best name in the draft. Killins, a 5'10, 155-pound defenceman is our 12th round selection. In 33 games, Killins scored a goal and added 10 assists with 58 penalty minutes.

ROBBIE DEMONTIS GOES #247
Demontis is our first of two picks in the 13th round. He's a 5'7", 135-pound winger that put up 38 points in 42 games for the GTHL's Vaughan Kings last season.

ANTHONY KOTSOVOS GOES #261
Kotsovos played for the London Knights Gold team in 2011-2012. At 5'11, 171 pounds, he had five goals and 18 assists and 71 penalty minutes in 37 games played.

ADAM BAUGHMAN GOES #268
The Spits hope to have found a late gem in Baughman, a 6'2, 175-pound defenceman that played 15 games with the Chicago Mission U16s last season.

CHRISTOPHER DODERO GOES #275
Dodero is a 5'9, 169-pound winger that put up 17 goals and 34 assists in 25 games last season with the CYA U16s.

ROBERT BYCKOWSKI #284
A 6'1, 195-pound defenceman, Byckowski put up 7G, 10 A in 33 games played for the Toronto Red Wings last season.

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WINDSOR SPITFIRES RYCHEL NAMED TO U-18 SQUAD

Kerby Rychel has been named to Team Canada's entry at the IIHF Under-18 World Championships.
It's the second straight year Rychel will play in a major international tournament. Last January, he led Team Ontario to a Gold Medal at the 2011 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Winnipeg.

This time around, he heads a list of 10 OHL players that will represent Canada on the world stage.

"It's a huge honour to be named to play in this tournament," Rychel told windsorspitfires.com. "I'm excited to play and to represent Canada."

Rychel, 17, enjoyed a banner season with the Spitfires in 2011-2012, scoring 41 goals and leading the team in points with 74.

The tournament will be held April 12th to 22nd in Brno and Znojmo, Czech Republic.

Congratulations to Kerby, and best of luck to him and the rest of Team Canada in the tournament.

For the complete roster, visit http://www.hockeycanada.ca/

TEAM CANADA PRELIMINARY ROUND SCHEDULE

April 12 vs Denmark 10 a.m. ET

April 14 vs. Finland 12 p.m. ET

April 16 vs. Czech Republic 10 a.m. ET

April 17 vs. United States 2 p.m. ET

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2011-2012 Windsor Spitfires Award Winners

Parker Construction Most Valuable Player Award – Kerby Rychel
The Parker Construction Most Valuable Player Award is presented annually to the player who is most valuable to the team in all aspects of the game including offensively, defensively, and on special teams.

Spifires Player of the Year Award – Saverio Posa
The Player of the Year Award is presented annually to the player who contributes the most to his team throughout the regular season.

Playoff MVP Award
The Playoff MVP Award is presented annually to the player who is most valuable to his team in all aspects of the game during the playoffs.

Leading Goal Scorer – Kerby Rychel (41 goals)The Leading Goal Scorer is presented annually to the player with the most goals scored as a member of the Spitfires at the conclusion of the regular season. Kuhnhackl scored 39 goals in 63 regular season games for the Spits.

WFCU Leading Point Scorer Award – Kerby Rychel (74 points)
The WFCU Leading Point Scorer Award is presented annually to the player who leads the team in points scored as a member of the Spitfires at the conclusion of the regular season.

William McAgy Leading Scoring Defenceman – Nick Ebert
The William McAgy Leading Scoring Defenceman award goes to the Spitfire defenceman who concludes the regular season as the Spitfires leading scorer in points by a defenceman.

Rookie Scoring Leader of the Year – Ben Johnson (38 points)
The Rookie Scoring Leader of the Year award is presented annually to the Spitfire rookie that concludes the regular season with the most points.

Tim Hortons Best Defenceman – Saverio Posa
The Tim Hortons Best Defenceman award is presented annually to the defenseman who throughout the regular season demonstrates the greatest all around ability both offensively and defensively.

Phoenix Jewelers Rookie of the Year – Ben Johnson
The Hiram Walker and Sons Rookie of the Year award is presented annually to the Spitfire rookie who demonstrates the greatest all around ability each game throughout the regular season.

Scott Miller Award – Ty Bilcke
The Scott Miller Award is presented to the player who shows the most on and off ice commitment to the team throughout the regular season.

This award was named in honour of Scott Miller, who was rewarded for his commitment to the Windsor Spitfires organization, becoming the first player to have his number (23) retired by the Spitfires in team history. He played for the Spitfires from 1972 to 1976 and served as the team’s Captain from 1975-1976.

Paul Maurice Award for Determination and Dedication to the Organization – John Laporte/Dennis Gignac
The Paul Maurice Award is presented annually to a staff member of the Windsor Spitfires organization who has demonstrated the most dedication and commitment to the team.

This award was named in Paul Maurice’s honour as he played for the Spitfires from 1984 to 1988 and won an OHL Championship with the team in his final season (1987-1988).

Maurice was captain of the team in 87-88 and as an overager, he gave up his captaincy and spot on the roster so the Spitfires could acquire overage goaltender Pat Jablonski in the middle of season, solidifying the team’s goaltending position in what proved to be a banner year for the Spits.

Maurice served as an assistant coach with the Spitfires for the remainder of this season and used this opportunity to start his successful career as a head coach in the OHL and NHL from the 1993-1994 season to the present time. He currently serves as the Head Coach of the Carolina Hurricanes.

Jake Pollen Hardest Working Spitfire of the Year – Brady Vail
The Jake Pollen Hardest Working Spitfire is presented annually to the player whose hard work in the gym, community and on the ice has helped the organization become better both on and off ice.

Pollen, who passed away in March of 2011, served as a dressing room attendant with the Spitfires for 20 seasons, retiring in 2009. His dedication to the Spitfires in each of these seasons remains unquestioned. The Windsor Spitfires established this award a few seasons prior to his retirement from the team and will continue to hand it out annually in his honour.

McDonald's Best Defensive Defenceman – Saverio Posa
The McDonald's Best Defensive Defenceman is awarded to the defenseman who is best on the team in his own end of the ice.

Peter Thomson of Sunlife Financial Academic Achievement Award – Ben Johnson
The Peter Thomson of Sunlife Financial Academic Achievement award is awarded annually to the Spitfire Player who achieves the highest academic standard on the team.

Windsor Essex County Real Estate Board Most Improved Player – Jordan Maletta/Adam Bateman
The Windsor Essex County Real Estate Board Most Improved Player award is presented annually to the player whose efforts on and off ice, from training camp to the conclusion of the regular season, has helped him become a better overall player.

Devonshire Cup Most Underrated Player – Michael Clarke
The Devonshire Cup Award is awarded annually to the player who is most underrated and is more valuable to the team than one realizes.

Jason Bennett Award for Community Service – John Cullen
The Jason Bennett Award for Community Service is presented annually to the player who attends the most community based events during the 2010-11 season. Jason Bennett, a Windsorite and fervent Spitfire supporter was tragically killed when he was struck by a drunk driver at 10 years age in Windsor. The Spitfires organization renamed their award for community service in his honour.

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