The Sarnia Sting have added some physicality to their lineup after taking centre Brenner Lammens with the fourth overall pick in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection.
The first three rounds were held Friday.
Lammens was the captain of the Toronto Red Wings U16 AAA team this past season where he scored 17 goals and added 19 assists in 26 regular season games. He also had three assists in four games at the OHL Cup Showcase.
According to the OHL's scouting report Lammens, who is listed at 6''0' and 191 pounds, plays a strong two-way game.
"Brenner is a player that leaves it all out on the ice every shift he has," read the report. "His compete level is what separates him from the rest of the players on his team; he finishes every check and looks like a player that enjoys this aspect of the game. He is a powerful skater that gets up to top speed quickly and he uses his speed to get in on the forecheck and cause havoc."
Lammens is also known for his strong puck skills.
"He isn’t afraid to challenge the opposition one on one, he plays a very unselfish team game and moves the puck at the right times. Brenner plays a style of game that you win with and he was a big part of his team reaching the finals at the Silver Stick," it continued.
Sting General Manager Dylan Seca was pleased to select Lammens.
“In this draft we were looking for leadership, competitiveness, goal scoring, and someone with a winner’s mentality. Brenner poses these traits and fits the identity we prioritize.”
The Sting had a pair of second round selections, 26th and 42nd overall.
They chose defenceman Kaden Aucoin from the Chicago Mission U15 AAA team, and forward Sarvir Jaworski from the Little Caesars 15U AAA program.
Aucion is listed at 6' 3'' and 175 pounds. His stats from this past season were not immediately available.
His father, Adrian, was a hard hitting rearguard who played in over 1,100 NHL games with six teams including Vancouver and Phoenix.
Seca commented on Kaden's game.
"Kaden is a smooth skating right-handed Defenceman who matches the identity we are searching for," he said. "He checks all our boxes. He shows strong compete, defends well, and has strong instincts. We believe he has the ability to be a high-end defender in our league."
Jaworski, who is from Pella, IA, was coached by Sting President of Hockey Operations David Legwand with Detroit-based Little Caesars.
He had 16 goals and 16 assists in 21 regular season contests and was instrumental in helping his team win the Michigan state title.
Seca said Jaworski is a great skater who is competitive in the key areas of the ice.
"He demonstrates a great ability to push the pace and shows lots of versatility. Sarvir played for one of the best programs in North America in Detroit Little Caesars and we see tremendous upside in his game," he said.
Sarnia added another big blueliner in the third around with the 54th overall pick.
Chase Sewell, from the Elgin-Middlesex Canucks U16 AAA team, is listed at 6' 5'' and 190 pounds. The Aylmer native had 13 points in 64 games this past season.
Seca said he likes Sewell's playing style a lot.
“Chase is a rangy defender who has huge upside and is one of the most improved players in this age group. He moves really well for his size and is the type of big defender that can help in the pursuit of championships," said Seca.
There was also some local talent chosen on the first day of the draft.
Sarnia-born defenceman Matthew Henderson, who plays for Huron-Perth Lakers U16 AAA was selected 17th overall by Kingston.
Lambton Jr. Sting centre and Corunna native John McLaughlin was taken 21st by Windsor.
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The Sting then selected the following players on Saturday:
- Round 4, 69th Overall- Cole Willard, Defenceman, Toronto Marlboros U16 AAA
- Round 5, 101st Overall- Gunner Gullstrand, Forward, Detroit Little Caesars 15’s
- Round 6, 111th Overall- David Healy, Goaltender, Vaughan Kings U16 AAA
- Round 7, 140th Overall- Clark DeBoer, Forward, Huron-Perth Lakers U16 AAA
- Round 8, 146th Overall- Kase Kamzik, Forward, Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 16U
- Round 8, 157th Overall- Myles Dunn, F, Elgin Middlesex Canucks U16 AAA
- Round 10, 186th Overall- Ethan Glavin, Defenceman, Lambton Jr. Sting U16 AAA
- Round 10, 195th Overall- Damir Cherniavskii, F, Mississauga Reps U16 AAA
- Round 11, 206th Overall- Carter Scott, Forward, Ottawa Valley Titans U16 AAA
- Round 12, 226th Overall- Sigvald Ebersold, D, Detroit Little Caesars 15’s
- Round 13, 246th Overall- Jack Peterson, D, Detroit Little Caesars 15’s
- Round 14, 266th Overall- Matthew Tenpenny, D, North York Rangers U16 AAA