20 local hockey players selected in OHL draft

Kitchener Rangers general manager Mike McKenzie welcomes first-round draft pick Reid Valade to the team. (Kitchener Rangers)

Saturday was a big day for aspiring local hockey stars.

Dozens of young players were selected in the Ontario Hockey League draft, meaning OHL teams now own their rights should the players be deemed skilled enough to play at the major junior level.

The Guelph Storm used their first-round pick on defenceman Danlil Chayka, while the Kitchener Rangers used theirs on right winger Reid Valade. Both players are from Toronto.

“Reid has been a player that our scouting staff has coveted right from the beginning of the year,” Rangers director of hockey operations Murray Hiebert told CTV News.

“They’ve loved the way he’s played, the energy he plays the game with, how hard he plays the game.”

All players taken during the draft were born in 2002, aside from a few 2001-born players passed over in last year’s draft.

Here’s a list of players drafted on Saturday who are currently playing in local minor hockey systems: