The management of the Windsor Spitfires are not commenting on rumours about an ownership sale, but are instead focusing on this weekend’s OHL Draft.
The Spitfires will have 13 picks in the Priority Selection, including the sixth pick overall.
General Manager Warren Rychel says they will take the best player available at number six, and then fill out the team’s needs in the later rounds.
Last year, the Spitfires selected forward Jean-Luc Foudy with their first pick at number ten. Windsor also made a trade with Peterborough to acquire forward Will Cuylle, who was the third overall pick in 2018.
The Spitfires finished 8th in the Western Conference and were eliminated from the OHL playoffs last week after a four game sweep by the London Knights.
The Kingston Frontenacs have the first overall pick in Saturday’s draft, and president Doug Gilmour has confirmed they will pick forward Shane Wright.
Wright, 15, was granted exceptional-player status last month after a review by Hockey Canada. He helped the Don Mills Flyers win the OHL Cup minor-midget championship this season.
Wright is the sixth player to be given exceptional-player status in the CHL since the policy was introduced in 2005, allowing players to apply to enter a draft a year early.
The list includes John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, Connor McDavid and Sean Day in the OHL and Joe Veleno in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
Sean Day was the only player not to be selected first overall. Day was chosen fourth in the 2013 OHL draft by the Mississauga Steelheads.
