Both the Saginaw Spirit and Plymouth Whalers participated in Saturday's OHL Priority Selection draft process and each had a late pick in the first round.Drafting at No. 16, Saginaw selected Whitby Wildcats minor midget center Daniel Pachis. Last season, the 6-foot, 170-pound Pachis (pictured) tallied 55 goals and 91 points in 82 games for the Wildcats. He'll turn 16 on June 5.
SCOUTING REPORT ON PACHIS: A highly skilled player who is most effective and determined when he is in possession of the puck. He is very solid on his feet and possesses a strong stride. Pachis protects the puck very well and competes hard along the walls and in the corners. He is very hard to knock off the puck. He wins the battles in the tough areas and then takes the puck to the net.
In the No. 19 slot, Plymouth chose 5-foot-10, 165-pound Belle Tire defenseman Beau Schmitz. From Howell, Schmitz had verbally committed to Ferris State for two years down the road. This past year with the national champion Belle Tire minor midgets, Schmitz, who turns 16 on May 26, recorded 64 points on 13 goals and 51 assists and also had 167 penalty minutes.
SCOUTING REPORT ON SCHMITZ: An offensive minded defenseman who plays a very high risk, high reward style of game. He is a very good skater - one of the most mobile defensemen in this year’s draft. He has excellent quickness and his first few steps get him up to top speed immediately. Schmitz also possesses very good puck skills and is very effective at moving the puck.
One pick before the Whalers, Kitchener took Honeybaked minor midget defenseman Cam Fowler, a Northville native. Fowler was considered the best defender in the draft, but has reportedly committed to Notre Dame for 2009.
Likewise, at No. 5, Brampton selected center Matt Duchene from the Central Ontario Wolves. Duchene had expressed his intentions in going to Michigan State, perhaps as early as 2008.
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