Firebirds select Bertucci seventh overall in OHL Draft

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Midwesthockey.info

The Ontario Hockey League is finally preparing to hit the ice again this fall for the first time since the early spring of 2020 and teams took first steps toward training camps with the running of the Entry Draft Friday (June 4) and Saturday.

The Flint Firebirds and Saginaw did their part in the draft, both teams did their part, beginning with the Firebirds who selected Tristan Bertucci (‘05/Vaughan, Ont.) with the seventh overall selection.

Bertucci, a 6’2” 179-pound defenseman was a member of the Toronto Marlboros AAA squad the past two seasons but had no official stats from this past season. As a member of the U15 squad in 2019-20 he scored twice and collected 23 points along with 87 PIM in 34 games.

The Spirit had the 13^th overall pick in the opening round of the draft, selecting Luke McNamara (‘05/Mississauga, Ont.). A 6’3” 170-pound forward is listed as a member of the Port Credit Storm but crossed the border to play for the Bishop Kearney Selects out of Rochester, N.Y. He scored 20 goals and picked up 45 points in 32 games for the Selects while sitting 20 PIM.

First overall pick went to the Sudbury Wolves who grabbed Quentin Musty (‘05/Hamburg, N.Y.) a 6’1” 180-pound winger who played for the New Jersey Avalanche 16U squad this past season, collecting four goals and seven points in four games.

Saginaw Spirit

In the second round, Barrie Colts picked 24^th overall with the Spirit’s second round pick from an earlier trade but the Spirit also owned the 29^th overall selection, from the North Bay, naming Olivier Savard (‘05/Joliette, Que.), a 6’1” 176-pound defenseman from the 16U Toronto Nationals.

Ben Pickell (‘05/Courtice, Ont.) came to the Spirit from the Clarington Toros in the third round with the 55^th Selection overall and Willis Joseph (‘05/Elmhurst, Ill.) a 5’10-165 forward was selected in the fourth round, 79^th overall with a pick obtained from the Wolves. Joseph played three games and picked up three assists for the Chicago Mission AAA.

In the fifth round, the Spirit named Benjamin Poitras (‘05/Montreal, Que.), a 5’11” 165-pound forward who notched 13 goals and 27 points with the Rochester Coalition AAA this past season.  Peter Forgione (‘04/Novi, Mich.), a 6’2” 195 lbs. defenseman heard his name in the sixth round and in the seventh round, David Brown (‘’05/Chatham, Ont.), a 5’10” 170-pound center was called.

Other selections included: Anthony Capello, 6’2” 180 lbs. center from Ossining, N.Y.; Reid Daavettila, 6’1” 165 lbs. winger who played for Detroit HoneyBaked; Brendan Lamb, 5’10” 175 lbs. Center from Battle Creek, Mich.; Zaine Milne, 5’9” 150 lbs. defenseman from Aurora, Ont.; Sebastian Gervais, 6’0” 160 lbs. Center from Windsor, Ont.; Carter Lawson, 5’8” 145 lbs. defenseman from Hillsburgh, Ont.; Luke Baker, 6’0” 165 lbs. Defenseman who played with Detroit HoneyBaked and Ethan Walker, 5’10” 145 lbs. Center from the Hamilton Huskies.

Flint Firebirds

After naming Bertucci seventh overall, the Firebirds returned to the microphone for the 33^rd overall pick in the second round and selected James Petrovski (‘05/Mississauga, Ont.), a 6’3” 190 lbs. Defenseman from the Toronto Titans.

In the third round, the Firebirds added Ethan Hay (‘05/Waterloo, Ont.), a 6’1” 183 lbs. Center who played with the Waterloo Wolves AAA and later in the same round, Nathaniel Day (‘05/Grimsby, Ont.) who played with the Niagara North Stars AAA.

Owen Pitters (‘05/Chesterfield, Mich.) a 5’11” 174 lbs. forward came to the Firebirds in the fourth round. He played for Compuware AAA in Detroit in 2020/21.

In the fifth round, the Firebirds added Nathan Williams (‘05/Racine, Wis.), a 6’1” 176 lbs. defenseman who played for the Chicago Mission AAA this past season. Daks Klinkhammer (‘05/Ajax, Ont.), a 6’0” 181 lbs. Forward came to the Firebirds in the sixth round from the Ajax/Pickering Raiders AAA.

Matthew Wang (‘05/London, Ont.) joined the Firebirds in the seventh round. The 6’2” 201 lbs. Forward played for the London Jr. Knights. The Firebirds did not own an eighth-round selection.

Other Firebirds picks in order included: Dylan Lariviere, 6’4” 185 lbs. Winger from Welland, Ont.; Cooper Rautenstrauch, 5’10” 170 lbs. Goaltender from West Seneca, N.Y.; Andrew Strathmann, 5’11” 170 lbs. Defenseman from Beach Park, Ill; Brandon Svoboda, 6’0” 155 lbs. Center from State College, Penn.; Charlie Kinsman, 5’9” 170 lbs. Defenseman from West Seneca, N.Y.; Connor Gengle, 5’9” 145 lbs. Defenseman from Grand Rapids, Mich.; William Stewart, 6’3” 170 lbs. Winger from Hamilton, Ont. and Dylan Bly, 5’11” 172 lbs. Defenseman who played for the Don Mills Flyers AAA