The 2014 OHL Priority Draft takes place on Saturday, but we already know that defenceman Jakob Chychrun will be the first overall pick. The club announced the move on Friday and held a press conference welcoming their new prospect to the club.
The Official welcoming handshake has been done! Welcome to the Sarnia Sting Hockey Club @j_chychrun7 #stinghockey pic.twitter.com/loCxl29qh3
— StingInsider (@StingInsider) April 4, 2014
“Jakob is a special kind of player that doesn’t come around too often,” commented Sting Head Scout & Director of Player Personnel, Nick Sinclair. “He is a prototypical modern age defenceman that can do it all. He is a rare combination of size, speed, and strength, but his greatest asset as a player is his hockey sense.”
The 16-year-old is a 6’2″ 200 lb defenceman who played for the Toronto Jr. Canadiens minor midget AAA team in the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL). He led all GTHL defencemen with 16 goals and 27 assists for 43 points in 29 games, and led the team to a league championship.
“It’s truly an honour and a thrill to be chosen by the Sarnia Sting” stated Chychrun. “I’d like to thank the Sting for their confidence in choosing me with the first pick in the OHL draft. I realize this is just the first step in my junior hockey career, but I’m excited to meet my future teammates and getting started in the fall.”
He was also selected to play for Ontario at the World Under-17 challenge over New Year’s, and contributed four points in five games.
“He sure doesn’t look 15, that’s the first thing,” Belleville Bulls forward Adam Laishram said after playing with Chychrun at the U17′s. “He’s got great height. And he’s not just lanky; he’s filled out, quite a bit more developed than some of the guys my age (16) and even older.”
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @lastwordBkerr. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
Interested in writing for LWOS? We are looking for enthusiastic, talented writers to join our Hockey writing team. Visit our ”Write for Us“ page for very easy details in how you can get started today!
