Windsor Spitfires select Oakville Rangers product Ethan Belchetz with the 1st overall pick in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection
Article credit: Joely Stockl
The Windsor Spitfires won the
OHL Draft lottery and have the privilege of selecting first overall in the 2024
OHL Priority Selection.
Today, they announced that they
are taking Ethan Belchetz 1st overall.
Ethan Belchetz is a big pick for
the Spitfires — pun intended. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound sixteen-year-old
dominated U16 this season with the Oakville Rangers, and the skill that he has
at his size is remarkable.
It seems impossible for a
sixteen-year-old this big to know how to use his legs and body, but Belchetz
does. He's an efficient skater for his size and his edge work is superb. He
always seems to find himself open with the puck, and his size and skating allows
him to get that separation.
Belchetz has a rocket of a shot
that he can use from distance, but he can also create down low or along the
half wall. His variety of tools in the offensive zone make him a consistent
scoring threat.
Belchetz is a
"unicorn" in this draft, and that is why Windsor can't pass on him at
first overall. It isn't everyday that you find a 6-foot-5 winger who can do
everything that a 5-foot-11 winger can do, and more.
He's a player that will likely
have an adjustment period once he reaches the OHL, but he will be able to match
the pace eventually. Once he can do that, Belchetz will be one of the most
dominant players in this league. Not only is he bigger than players his own
age, but he's bigger than most players in the OHL — and that will make him
instantly dominant.
The overall package that the
Windsor Spitfires are getting with Belchetz is astounding. They are getting a
physically mature major junior goal scorer and creator right now, and his
ceiling has no limit.
Belchetz will be drawing in a
lot of fans for the Spitfires next season, as everyone will want to see how
well the sixteen-year-old can dominate as a 6-foot-5 rookie in the OHL.
The Oakville Rangers Hockey Club would like to congratulate Ethan on this remarkable accomplishment and wish him the best of luck as he moves onto compete against the top amateur players in the world in the OHL next season.