Late round long shots
There is a premise among those who have a real feel for the game that it does not matter what round a player is picked in a particular Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft. Zeroing in on just two prime examples of late round OHL draft picks from the past few years who have advanced to regular duty and beyond are 2007 birth year defenseman Rylan Fellinger of the Flint Firebirds and 2004 birth year forward Noah Morneau of the Windsor Spitfires.
Let us begin with Fellinger, whose improbable story began as a distant 13th round pick by Flint at the 2023 OHL priority selections process. In that particular draft, Fellinger was the fourth defenseman taken from the Northern Ontario Hockey Association — and the 10th of 11 players from the NOHA to be picked. And of the three defensemen from the NOHA who were taken ahead of Fellinger, two of them were his teammates with the Soo Jr. Greyhounds at the time.
Fellinger has since played in a whopping 130 OHL games over two seasons, having made Flint immediately after being drafted in 2023 and then carrying on with the Firebirds as a full time defenseman again in the ’24-25 season.
Amazingly, Fellinger has played in almost double the number of games than all other players combined from the NOHA who were drafted into the OHL in 2023. In fact, the only other player from the NOHA who has become a regular in the OHL since being drafted is forward Hudson Chitaroni, who was picked by the Sudbury Wolves from the Soo Jr. Greyhounds in the third round. Chitaroni played in 65 OHL games for Sudbury in ’24-25 as a rookie.
As for the other defensemen from the NOHA who were taken ahead of Fellinger in 2023, only one, seventh rounder Declan Gallivan — also from the Jr. Greyhounds — has played in an OHL game. And as Fellinger has already skated in 130 OHL games, Gallivan has played in just one. The other defensemen, fourth rounder Alexandre Valade from the Sudbury Nickel Capitals, has yet to appear in a single OHL game for the Brampton Steelheads — just as Candon O’Neill, a 12th round pick by the Saginaw Spirit from the Jr. Greyhounds of the Soo, has never played in an OHL match.
And now over to the aforementioned Noah Morneau as an example of not only becoming a 15th round draft pick to Windsor who made the Spitfires but has ascended into becoming an OHL star.
When the Spitfires took Morneau in the 15th round of the 2020 OHL draft, it was with the 294th overall selection. The same year, the Spitfires took fellow centre Ryan Abraham in the first round, 14th overall. Which is where the Morneau story becomes further interesting.
Abraham, to be sure, become a steady point per game player for his OHL career as a former first round pick by the Spitfires. He ended his OHL career with Windsor in ’24-25 with 29 goals, 37 assists, 66 points in 66 regular season games followed by another four goals, six assists, 10 points in 12 playoff outings.
As for Morneau, he got better and better and ended up playing on Windsor’s first line in ’24-25. As the third leading scorer on the Spitfires, Morneau produced 32 goals, 41 assists, 73 points in 68 regular season games before taking his game to an even higher level with another 11 goals, six assists, 17 points in 12 playoff contests.
So, in essence, Morneau eventually became a better OHL player for Windsor than Abraham did. This, despite the fact that in the same OHL draft of 2020, Morneau was drafted a whopping 280 picks later from when Windsor took Abraham. Now there’s a “wow” for you.
Over now to a pair of players who Windsor took in the 13th and 14th rounds of the 2025 OHL priority selections draft — one a defenseman and one a forward. They are two examples of players — 13th round defenseman Luke St. John and 14th round forward Ty Dubreuil — who just might in a year or two overcome the odds of being late round picks who make it to the OHL.
St. John was a top defender for the Windsor Jr. Spitfires of the Under 16 level of the Minor Hockey Alliance of Ontario during the ’24-25 season. So, suffice to say that the OHL Spitfires had a very good idea what they were getting when they drafted the 5 foot 10, 160 pound St. John who, in 35 games, regular season and playoffs included for the U16 Jr. Spits, fired up 14 goals, 13 assists, 27 points.
As for Dubreuil, the Spitfires made the call to take the 5 foot 10, 160 pound right winger in the 14th round of the 2025 OHL draft. Dubreuil put up 17 goals, 17 assists, 34 points in 32 regular season games for the North Bay Under 16 Trappers of the NOHA in ’24-25 and added a goal in three playoff outings.
Not only does character kid Dubreuil have speed but he is skilled and very smart — and with a good shot. And without the puck, Dubreuil defends the ice like a moat would surround a castle.
To be sure, both St. John and Dubreuil have the man who drafted them — Spitfires general manager Billy Bowler — as a truly inspiring example to look to as a player who went from late round draft pick to OHL superstar.
Without question, Bowler himself is proof positive of a 13th round pick from the 1991 draft who went on to OHL stardom with the Spitfires. As a smart, skilled centre, Bowler played in 250 regular season games with the Spitfires from 1991 to 1995 and scored 149 goals along with a whopping 318 assists — which is the most of any player in OHL history — for a Windsor franchise record of 467 points.
So, we say no more about being a late round long shot who defies the odds to make it the OHL.