For the second straight year, a Saginaw area hockey player has been drafted in the Ontario Hockey League priority selection draft.
After former Jr. Spirit and Oakland Jr. Grizzlies' defenseman
Lucas Crawford was selected by the Owen Sound Attack last year, another Jr. Spirit/Oakland Jr. Grizzlies alum followed suit.
Brendan Kischnick was born in Saginaw and grew up in Freeland, beginning his hockey career at the Greater Saginaw Amateur Hockey Association playing for the '01 Junior Spirit program before his father, former Tittabawassee Township Supervisor Brian Kischnick moved the family to the Detroit area in 2012 after accepting a position as the City Manager of Troy, MI.
Kischnick, a 5-foot-9, 165-pound defenseman in the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies' program heard his name called when the Erie Otters selected him in the sixth round (120 overall) of today's OHL draft, making him the second straight GSAHA player drafted in the past two years.
Saginaw Spirit have very successful draft day:
Following a number of trades this year and in year's past, the Saginaw Spirit found itself with the luxury of having 4 of the first 27 picks (17 in total) in today's OHL draft which started online just after 9 am Saturday morning.
Picking fourth overall, the Spirit selected 6-foot, 161-pound left wing
Nicholas Porco with its first pick of the 2017 draft.
The Sault Ste. Marie, ON native is coming off a 41-point season (22-goals, 19-assists) in 33-games with the Vaughn Kings Minor Midget Triple-A program in the Greater Toronto Hockey League, where he would go on to be named the GTHL player of the year for the 2016-17 season.
The next Saginaw pick was in the second round at 24 overall and the Spirit selected 5-foot-9, 165-pound London, ON native
Aidan Prueter, a forward who is coming off a 51-point season (18-goals, 33-assists) in 33-games with the London Jr. Knights Minor Midget Triple-A program in the Alliance Hockey Pavilion League.
The Spirit followed with the No. 25 overall pick, taking 6-foot, 176-pound defenseman
Duncan Penman from the Oakville Blades of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.
Having four of the top 27 picks, the Spirit took a chance with pick No. 27 gambling on University of Wisconsin commit
Alex Turcotte, a native of Walled Lake, MI who comes from a long line of high level hockey players, coaches, and instructors, growing up in the family business, the renowned
Turcotte hockey schools.
Turcotte, a 5-foot-10, 190-pound forward who has also committed to play for the United States National Team Development Program next season came into the draft consistently ranked inside the top two or three picks, however, his vow to play for the USNTDP as well as in the NCAA kept many OHL teams from taking him earlier.
Here is a list of the remaining 13 Spirit draft picks:
16. Carter Tahc- fourteenth rd. (264 overall)
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Apr 09, 2017
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