Jenkins, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound forward from Jackson, MI who came in at No. 26 on the final list (down two spots from No. 24 on the mid-term list) after a 44-point (20-goals, 24-assists) impressive rookie year in 68-games with the Spirit. Jenkins is expected to be a possible late first round to mid-second pick in the 2018 NHL draft.
Everett, a 6-foot-1, 181-pound defenseman also from Jackson, MI who came in at No. 84 (up two spots from No. 86 on the mid-term list) after an impressive rookie year, where he stood out among a talented group of Spirit defenders, totaling 20-points (6-goals, 14-assists) in 58-games this year. Expect Everett to be a late-third to mid-fourth round pick in the 2018 NHL draft.
Giroux, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound LW from Hanmer, ON who came in at No. 190 on the final list (down from No. 177 on the mid-term list) after totaling 43-points (19-goals, 24-assists) in 68-games as an assistant captain for the Spirit in just his second OHL season. Expect Giroux to be drafted anywhere from the fifth to the seventh round in the 2018 NHL draft.
Wilde, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound defenseman from Birmingham, MI who was drafted by the Spirit in the second round of the 2016 OHL priority selection draft, but chose to stay in the U.S. National Team Development Program to maintain his NCAA eligibility, came in at No. 17 (up 5 spots from No. 22 on the mid-term list) after totaling 36-points (11-goals, 25-assists) in 53-games for the USNTDP U17 team this year.
Although Wilde is currently verbally committed to play NCAA hockey at the University of Michigan next year, he could opt to continue his development in the OHL, which is better suited to the NHL style of play. The Spirit hold Wilde's OHL draft rights, so Saginaw would be his OHL team. Former Spirit defenseman
Jamie Oleksiak (Pittsburgh Penguins) made a similar decision prior to the 2011-12 OHL season, when he left Northeastern University for the OHL after being drafted 14th overall by the Dallas Stars in the 2011 NHL draft.
There were also two players on the final list with close family ties to the Saginaw area;
Graham Slaggert, a 5-foot-11 forward from South Bend, IN who is currently playing for the
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in the
United States Hockey League, came in at No. 194 on the list. Slaggert is committed to play NCAA hockey at Notre Dame, where his father
Andy Slaggert (a native of Saginaw who grew up playing in the Greater Saginaw Amateur Hockey Association) played NCAA hockey from 1986-89, before becoming an assistant coach for the Irish for the past 25 years.
Johnny Gruden, son of Hamilton Bulldogs (former Flint Firebirds) head coach
John Gruden, is a 6-foot, 172-pound forward from Rochester, MI who came in at No. 46 on the final list (up 2-spots from No. 48 on the mid-term list) after totaling 34-points (15-goals, 19-assists) in 25-games for the USNTDP in the USHL this year.
Gruden is committed to play NCAA hockey at Miami of Ohio University next year. His mother Polly (Kessel) Gruden grew up in Saginaw before marrying the elder Gruden while he was playing for the Boston Bruins in the NHL.
The NHL draft will take place Fri-Sat June 22-23 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX in two months.
*this article has been changed and updated from the original.
Jason Marcoux
