Peterborough Petes Draft 15 Players From OHL Priority Selection; Take Hometown Prospect In First Round
/After a weekend in the war room, the Peterborough Petes have drafted 15 players in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection including hometown top prospect Colin Fitzgerald in the first round over the weekend.
Colin Fitzgerald (pictured) was selected third overall by the Peterborough Petes. Photo courtesy of Dan Hickling and the Peterborough Petes.
Fitzgerald was taken with the third overall pick.
“Colin is a big centreman who plays a great two-way game, knows how to score and is good on faceoffs,” said Michael Oke, Petes general manager and vice president of operations. “We’ve been monitoring him all season and were really impressed with his play, especially in the OHL Cup. It’s very exciting to be able to add a local player with a skillset like Colin’s.”
Fitzgerald played 34 games last season with the Peterborough Petes U16s, scoring 39 goals and adding 25 assists for 64 points. In eight playoff games, he scored 13 times and added eight assists, helping the Petes to the OMHA Championships and the 2024 OHL Cup. In six OHL Cup games, the 6.01, 174 lbs centre finished tied for the tournament lead in scoring with eight goals and five assists for 13 points, leading the Petes to a semi-final finish and being named to the All-Star team.
In the second round, Peterborough selected defenceman Blake Gowan with the 32nd overall pick.
“Blake is a very big, solid defenceman who plays a hard-hitting game,” said Oke. “He was a big part of a very good Barrie Colts team and is somebody who will physically be able to step in to the OHL.”
Gowan, a defenceman from Kingston, played in 33 games with the Barrie Colts U16 last season, scoring two goals and adding 25 assists for 27 points. In 10 playoff games this season, Gowan scored three times and added eight assists for 11 points, helping the Colts to an OMHA Championship and an OHL Cup berth.
The following is a list of the Petes draft picks:
1st round, 3rd overall: Colin Fitzgerald, F, Peterborough Petes U16
2nd round, 32nd overall: Blake Gowan, D, Barrie Colts U16
5th round, 85th overall: Adam Levac, F, Eastern Ontario Wild U16
5th round, 99th overall: Genc Ula, D, North Jersey Avalanche U15
6th round, 105th overall: Alexander Hage, F, Vaughan Kings U16
7th round, 125th overall: Raiden Doxtator, F, London Jr. Knights U16
8th round, 145th overall: Elijah Chavez, F, Vaughan Kings U16
9th round, 165th overall: Luka Gelinas, G, Eastern Ontario Wild U16
10th round, 185th overall: Marcus Sulug, D, Niagara North Stars U16
11th round, 205th overall: Luis Sturgeon, D, Lambton Jr. Sting U16
12th round, 225th overall: Jonny Brooks, F, Oakville Rangers U16
13th round, 245th overall: Alexander Smyth, F, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes U15
14th round, 265th overall: Kasra Fathi, F, Kitchener Jr. Rangers U16
15th round, 283rd overall: Matthew McKenna, F, Central Ontario Wolves U16
15th round, 285th overall: Matthew Crawford, F, Sun County Panthers U16
