Erie Otters opt for power forward Tyler Challenger in first round of OHL draft
The Erie Otters hope Tyler Challenger lives up to his family name for the upcoming Ontario Hockey League seasons.
The Otters chose Challenger with the 10th overall pick during Friday’s priority selection draft. They did so a day before his 16th birthday.
Challenger, listed at 6 feet, 1½ inches in the OHL’s draft guide, was a left winger for the Greater Toronto Hockey League’s North York Rangers. He totaled 38 goals and 45 assists over 68 games this past season.
Those totals didn’t include the four goals and three assists Challenger recorded during six OHL Cup games.
General Manager David Brown indicated in a team news release that Erie’s front office frequently checked on how the Mississauga, Ontario, native was faring for North York.
“Tyler is a 200-foot player that plays the game the right way,” he said. “He checks a lot of the boxes that we were looking for in a player. He takes pucks to the scoring areas, which we like.”
Erie drafted Challenger three days after the conclusion of its 2023-24 season. The Kitchener Rangers eliminated the Otters after six games of their best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal.
That series was Erie’s first OHL playoff appearance since 2017.
Second selection
Trades from past years left Erie without a pick for the draft’s third round.
That left Lucas Ambrosio its only other choice Friday. The Otters took the 6-3 defenseman in the second round and 25th overall.
Ambrosio, who turned 16 Jan. 8, also competed in the GTHL. He had three goals and 17 assists from the blue line for the 2023-24 Toronto Junior Canadiens.
“We’re going to be patient with Lucas,” Brown said, “but he’s going to be more appreciated at this next level than he was at the minor hockey level.”
Erie acquired the pick it used on Ambrosio in a 2022 trade with Sarnia. The Sting acquired defenseman Christian Kyrou in return.
Kyrou was drafted by the NHL’s Dallas Stars that same year.
More: How No. 1 overall OHL draft pick Matthew Schaefer is faring as an Erie Otters rookie
Erie Otters draft picks
The league’s draft resumed Saturday. There were 15 rounds to the two-day event.
Erie's list of 2024 draft picks were:
First round, 10th overall: Tyler Challenger, left wing, North York Rangers, Greater Toronto Hockey League
Second round, 25th: Lucas Ambrosio, defenseman, Toronto Junior Canadiens, Greater Toronto Hockey League
Fourth round, 72nd: MIchael D'Alessio, defenseman, Vaughn Kings, Greater Toronto Hockey League
Sixth round, 112th: Colton Radford, left wing, Huron-Perth Lakers, Alliance League
Seventh round: 132nd: Hudson Wozney, center, Guelph Junior Gryphons, Ontario Major Hockey Association
Eighth round, 152nd: Andrew Willis, defenseman, Elgin-Middlesex Canucks, Alliance League
Ninth round, 175th: Michael Tamburro, goaltender, Mississauga Reps, Greater Toronto Hockey League
Eleventh round, 212nd: Kayden Edwards, left wing, Toronto Marlboros, Greater Toronto Hockey League
(Note: Kayden Edwards' older brother is Erie Otters forward Dylan Edwards.)
Twelfth round, 232nd: Thomas Hamilton, defenseman, Ottawa Myers Automotive, Hockey Eastern Ontario
Thirteenth round, 252nd: Jameson Fabbro, left wing, Sudbury Wolves, GNU
Fourteenth round, 268th: Owen Papp, goaltender, Hamilton Steel, Ontario Major Hockey Association
Spits’ first pick
The Otters let it be known the day before the 2023 OHL draft that they’d take defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the No. 1 overall pick.
The Windsor Spitfires followed that script this week. They announced their intention to choose Ethan Belchetz on Thursday, and then followed through Friday.
The Spitfires finished last in the league’s Western Conference (18-42-5-3). They won the league’s four-team lottery for the first overall pick over its other non-playoff franchises, the Peterborough Petes, Niagara IceDogs and Sarnia.
Belchetz is a 6-5 forward for the Oakville Rangers in the Ontario Minor Hockey Association. He recorded 46 goals and 38 assists ahead of their run to this past season’s OHL Cup championship.
Friday was the first time Windsor held the league’s No. 1 overall draft pick since selecting Jim Fox in 1976. Fox never skated for the Spitfires, but carved out a nine-year career with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings.
More: Erie Otters eliminated from OHL playoffs after third overtime loss to Kitchener Rangers
Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNcopper.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie Otters take Tyler Challenger in OHL Priority Selection 1st round
