It’s a great week for the Saginaw Spirit hockey organization.
On April 20, it was announced that the Saginaw Spirit – owned by Dick Garber – had won the Ontario Hockey League’s Priority Selection Lottery and will have the first overall pick in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection.
In other words? Out of all 20 teams in the OHL, the Spirit get to choose first out of the talented pool of players in this year’s draft.
“It’s exciting for the franchise,” said Dave Drinkill, the team’s General Manager. “Everything’s up to us. We have our pick. We get the pick that we want.”
It’s Saginaw’s first Number 1 pick since 2003.
“There are some very talented guys, and we have an idea of the top guys we want,” Drinkill said. “We’re going to get an impactful player.”
As far as players go, the Spirit have already done their homework. The organization currently has their eye on 15-year-old Michael Misa, a 2007-born forward who has received “exceptional player status” from Hockey Canada.
Misa – a member of the OHL Cup champion team, the Missisauga Senators – becomes the sixth player in OHL history to earn this impressive status, joining John Tavares, Connor McDavid, Aaron Ekblad, Sean Day, and Shane Wright. Tavares, McDavid, and Ekblad were all No. 1 picks.
With four non-playoff teams participating in a Priority Selection Lottery (the Erie Otters, Niagara IceDogs, Saginaw Spirit, and Sudbury Wolves), the Spirit had a 25% chance of getting selected as the first overall pick. A computerized random generator determined the results.
The draft will take place between April 29 and 30. Rounds 1 through 3 will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 29. Rounds 4 through 15 will take place on Saturday, April 30, at 9 a.m.
Selection will take place via livestream on CHL TV. Fans can also follow along on the website here.
