On Thursday afternoon, April 11, Oakville Rangers forward Ethan Belchetz was selected first overall by the Windsor Spitfires in the 2024 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection.
Belchetz becomes the second Oakville player selected first overall in the past three seasons, after Michael Misa was given the honour back in 2022.
Ethan Belchetz took the league by storm at the beginning of the season with his 6’5 frame and nearly 210 lbs frame at only 16 years old.
Director of OHL Scouting Darrell Woodley addressed Ethan as a “physical specimen” on the ice and he is not wrong. He stands out while playing because no one on the ice looks as big as he does.
But Belchetz’s size does not defy him as a player, if it did, he would have been playing defence: he's the definition of a power forward and destroyed his U-16 competitors by scoring 84 points in only 34 games with 46 of those points being goals.
He took that season into the OHL Cup, the biggest tournament of the season featuring the most scouts.
Belchetz showed his skill to everyone in attendance as he scored 11 points in seven games, taking home the tournament MVP and helping Oakville secure their first OHL Cup Championship in just over a decade.
Belchetz now moves to the next chapter of his career with the Spitfires and will automatically make the team better.
Windsor already has good foundational pieces like their captain Liam Greentree, who will be selected in the first round of the upcoming NHL draft along with forward Jack Nesbitt who may be selected in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Adding Belchetz to their roster will make Windsor a very interesting team next season and may even propel them into the playoffs.