Wolves Add 14 New Players in 2022 OHL Priority Selection
(Greater Sudbury, ON) The Sudbury Wolves welcomed 14 new prospects to the organization through the 2-Day 2022 OHL Priority Selection event this past weekend which took place on Friday and Saturday.
The Wolves kicked off the 2022 OHL Priority Selection Friday with the selection of centre Nathan Villeneuve 3rd overall and shortly thereafter announced his commitment to the team following the end of day two.
“We are very happy with this past weekend’s draft,” said Sudbury Wolves VP and General Manager Rob Papineau. “We went into the weekend looking to add more skill and competitiveness to our group and we feel that we were able to do both. Every year we target who we believe will be the best player available with our first two picks in the draft. This year in each spot we were really excited to be able to draft Nathan and Kieron who our staff felt were two of the top forwards in the draft.”
In addition to Villeneuve, day one also saw the Wolves select of 6’5”, centre, Kieron Walton from the North York Rangers and top goaltender prospect, Andrew Gaulton from the Markham Majors. Kieron has a unique package of speed, power and quick hands that are rare and will be a massive asset at the OHL level, while Andrew is a very composed and technically sound goaltender who moves in a very efficient manner. He is poised while displaying a willingness to battle and compete, never giving up on a play.
“With our third pick we were able to target and draft Andrew who was a guy that impressed us every time we watched him and his team. He helped lead the Markham Majors in the playoffs to the GTHL finals and is a guy who is still growing,” added Papineau.
The Wolves started off the second day of the 2022 OHL Priority Selection by selecting Walton’s twin brother and defenceman Conor Walton. Walton was the first of five defencemen selected on day two. The Wolves also selected a second goaltender and five forwards.
“From rounds 4 to 7 we shifted our focus to defencemen starting with Conor, who is already a 6’4 puck moving defencemen who can bring a physical element to our team. In addition to Conor, we also added three more strong puck moving guys who all played major roles on their teams this year with Owen, Brady, and Justin. It seemed that every round we were able to add outstanding value from the players that we selected, and I look forward to our fans getting to see them all at our development camp which will be held at the end of August just before main camp opens, like last season,” said Papineau.
“Overall, I feel that as a scouting staff we did an excellent job in making some great selections over the last few days,” said Sudbury Wolves Head Scout Mike Taylor. “I feel we were able to address some of our needs in terms of the type of player that we are looking to supplement our existing lineup. We were able to add some size, speed, grit, and physicality. Furthermore, we drafted several prospects that have played in a winning environment. Winning is contagious and therefore our hope is these players will bring that winning attitude to our team. The future looks bright in the Wolves Den,” he added.
For full draft results and information, visit: https://sudburywolves.com/article/2022-ohl-priority-selection-april-29th-30th
The 2022 OHL U18 Priority Selection is set to take place Thursday, May 5th at 7:00pm in addition to the 2022 CHL Import Draft slated for Friday July 1st. Wolves’ fans can follow along by visiting sudburywolves.com or on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Fans can also tune in to watch the draft LIVE on the CHLTV. Season Memberships are on sale now for the upcoming 2022-23 season at greatersudbury.ca/tickets as the Wolves get set to celebrate 50 years of Wolves Hockey.
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