Windsor Spitfires select Oakville's Ethan Belchetz 1st overall in OHL draft

The Ontario Hockey League's (OHL) Windsor Spitfires have selected Oakville, Ont.'s Ethan Belchetz first overall in the league's 2024 draft.

The pick was announced during a Thursday noon-hour news conference at the team's arena, the WFCU Centre.

Belchetz is a 6'5", 230 pound forward who played this past season for the U16 Oakville Rangers.

The 16-year-old finished with 84 points in 34 regular season games, and another 11 points in seven games during the recent OHL Cup, according to Elite Prospects. He was also named MVP at that tournament.

Rounds one to three of the OHL draft are set for Friday night. The remaining 12 rounds are set for Saturday.

'A player that can change a franchise'

James Kennedy, with OHL Central Scouting, says Belchetz is the "complete package."

"He is a player that can change a franchise," he said.

Alliance scout James Kennedy with the Ontario Hockey League's central scouting department. (CBC)

If you're drafting first overall, Kennedy says you probably have a number of needs. And he believes going with the best overall player available is always a wise decision.

Kennedy says it's also dependent on where you've drafted in previous years, and what you have in the "prospect cupboards."

"He's solid. He's got really good puck control skills. He just clearly turns the game around for his team. He scored two goals in a matter of 20 seconds, both off two on ones.

Juraj Slafkovsky was the No. 1 overall pick by the Montreal Canadiens in 2022. (Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

Kennedy compares Belchetz's game to Juraj Slafkovsky, who was the 2022 first overall pick of the NHL's Montreal Canadiens.

"I think Ethan's got a lot of those same tools. Good shot, battles hard along the boards and wins a lot of puck battles. He plays a bumper position on the power play in the games that I watched. Very hard to move off the puck. He sort of demands respect because he is so big."

According to Kennedy, he believes Belchetz will be a player that will fit right in and make an impact in the Spitfires lineup this fall.

Last first overall pick for Spits was 48 years ago

Jim Fox was selected first overall in 1976 — the last time the Spitfires had the top pick.

He says he was informed before the draft he was going to be taken.

"It wasn't one of those things where you're on the edge of your seat and waiting to see what's going on," said Fox.

However, the Sudbury-area native never ended up playing for them.

LISTEN | Spits 1st overall pick in OHL draft is discussed on Windsor Morning:

After attending training camp, he decided to skip his rookie OHL season and remain with his Tier II team in North Bay, closer to home, because he was "homesick."

"I just was far away from home. I felt alone, and I just didn't have this comfortable feeling. Believe me, it had nothing to do with anything the Spitfires did. I just wasn't ready."

Fox's rights ended up being traded to Ottawa ahead of the next season. And ironically, according to Fox, his first OHL game for the 67's ended up being in Windsor — and the crowd let him have it.

"The reception was as to be expected. It's something I understand … it was just unfortunate."

Jim Fox is a broadcaster for the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL and the last first overall pick of the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL. (CBC)

And Fox says a "weird situation" happened before the game because the officials were late by about an hour.

"So they [teams] figure, let's entertain the fans here. It's a big building. They're all mad at me. So they had kind of a showdown situation, where I was shooting against the Windsor goaltender and vice versa. Certainly that caught the attention of a lot of people."

Fox says he doesn't feel bad that he ended up in Ottawa — calling it a "treasure" — but does feel poorly about how things unraveled in Windsor.

If he could do it all over again, he says, he doesn't think he'd make the same decision

"I'll be completely honest with you. I think I would have stayed if I knew then what I know now. I think I'd want to stay now."

Former Los Angeles Kings former Jim Fox is honoured before a home game in 2014. Fox is a broadcaster for the team now. (Harry How/Getty Images)

According to Fox, the best advice he can give ____ is to communicate as much as possible with everyone about how you're feeling

"Back in the day you didn't do that. The more comfortable you feel then everything probably turns out a little bit better as far as that mindset and things of that sort. I felt alone, I was a little on edge. If you can talk to your teammates, talk to your coaching staff. Talk to the training staff. Just talk to people."

Fox ended up being picked in the first round of the NHL draft by the Los Angeles Kings where he played nine seasons. Since then he's been a broadcaster for the team.