The 2011 OHL Priority Selection presented by State Farm is this Saturday morning, May 7th starting at 9am, where the Plymouth Whalers selected Cambridge Hawks power forward Mitchell Dempsey with the eleventh overall pick.

The 6'2, 205-pound left winger is described as by Central Scouting as "a big bodied winger who has a very good collection of physical tools. He possesses a very good stick, displaying the ability to handle the puck and makes plays, which is impressive when you consider his large physical stature. He moves around the ice effectively, and he does show some flashes of speed when he is moving north and south. He just has the look of a player that hasnt really come to terms with his size, and as he matures, gets stronger and gets on the ice more his skating should improve. He plays a pretty well rounded offensive game."

Dempsey had 38 goals and 34 assists for 72 points with 76 penalty minutes in 55 games. He is the nephew of Don Sweeney, who played for the Boston Bruins.

Phoenix Coyotes Scout Jeff Twohey said: “He’s tailor-made for a Mike Vellucci-type team. Mitchell’s a big winger who plays hard. Not only is there some size and competitiveness, but he also has the ability to score goals. He’s a big body who fits in very well with the style of play that Mike Vellucci likes to play – hard-working, physical and competitive. Mitchell should be a good fit for the Whalers.”

With their second round pick (33rd overall) the Whalers selected left wing Matthew Mistele, who scored 43 goals with 34 assists for 77 points and 50 PIM’s in 60 games last season for the Whitby Wildcats.

“The Whitby Wildcats have a long history of developing players,” Twohey said. “Typically, Whitby’s players come into the league ready to play. Matthew’s another good fit for the Whalers. Mike Vellucci likes competitive players.”

Plymouth assistant general manager Brian Sommariva gave his assessment of the early rounds of the Whalers draft.

“We think with Mitchell Dempsey, we’ve got a real good player with size and skill," Sommariva said. "We think he’ll project real well.  He’s a prototypical Plymouth Whaler – he can skate, he’s got a nasty side and he can score, too, so we’re excited about him.

“Matthew Mistele is a real good goal scorer.  People around the league are already texting Mike (Vellucci) saying what a great pick that was in the second round.  Without putting any pressure on him, we’re real excited to see how he does.”

Plymouth had to wait until the fifth round (88^th overall) to select right wing Connor Chatham, who scored two goals in 12 games in a season cut short by surgery in the Tier I Elite Hockey League.

Central Scouting has this assessment of Chatham:

“Chatham is a big bodied right winger who has missed a majority of this season with a shoulder injury, surgery and subsequent rehabilitation. Chatham possesses a very good and attractive collection of physical tools. He has legitimate size, he is an above average skater and he possesses a real good stick, especially his ability to finish. He has a very smooth and effective stride, and when he is moving his feet he shows some real high end speed and quickness. He uses his speed to skate up and down his wing, working himself into the open ice while supporting the play.”

Chatham has reportedly committed to play for the National Team Development Program in 2011-12. 

Chatham says he's completely healthy.

"The plan is to keep my options open," Chatham said in a phone interview. "I haven't decided where I'm going to play next year.  I play a lot like David Backus (of the St. Louis Blues). I'm big and strong, a power forward-type."

“We got a chance to see Connor at the US Top-40 camp – he scored a great goal in the first game we saw him," said Sommariva  "He’s an American kid we hope to convince to play in the Ontario Hockey League.  We really like his skill and think he can become a great player.”

Five picks later, Plymouth continued to draft forwards as left wing Dylan Mascarin was selected from the Thunder Bay Kings.  Mascarin scored 21 goals and 53 assists for 74 points and 120 PIM’s in 56 games for the Kings last season.

The Whalers took their first defenseman in the draft in the seventh round (133^rd) overall, going to North Carolina to select 6-foot-3, 180-pound defenseman Charlie Pelnik from the Carolina Hurricanes U-16 team. 

Although several Plymouth alums are playing in the Carolina Hurricanes system, Pelnik is the first member of the Hurricanes' youth program to be selected by the Whalers.

Central Scouting gave this assessment of Pelnik:

“Pelnik is a physical, stay-at-home defenseman who plays the game with a real edge and a nasty streak. He possesses good physical size and he uses all of it to his advantage.  He never turns down an opportunity to get his body on an opponent and isn’t shy about using his stick to punish a puck carrier along the walls or in the corner. He always clears the crease and protects his goalie.  He skates quite well for a player of his physical stature and has made considerable improvement since the start of the season.  His overall range is enhanced by his huge reach.”

Early in the eighth round (144^th overall), the Whalers went back to offense with the selection of left wing Danny Vanderwiel, who scored 10 goals with 11 assists for 21 points and 87 PIM’s in 33 games for the Team Illinois U-16’s last season.

With their own eighth round pick (153^rd overall), Plymouth selected defenseman Chris Lindner from the London Knights Gold team. Lindner scored three goals with 17 assists for 20 points and 16 PIM in 50 games last season.

Plymouth historically has found value in the late rounds of the draft.

“A lot of teams say after the eighth round or so, the draft’s done," Sommariva said.  "We don’t feel that way. We’ll keep working late into the draft.  The picks in the late rounds aren’t wasted.  The slots late in the draft could get us players that are just as valuable as the higher selections.

“We’ll continue to work our lists and have discussions about players who can help.”

With that in mind, the Whalers took the following players later in the draft:

Ninth Round (173rd overall) - Connor Sills, a 6-foot, 165 pound right wing from the Thunder Bay Kings. Sills scored 22 goals and 15 assists for 37 points and 48 PIM's in 57 games last season.

Eleventh round (207th overall) - Spencer Lee, a 5-foot-9, 170-pound right wing from the Brantford 99'ers. Lee scored 17 goals with 19 assists for 36 points at 20 PIM's in 30 games last season.

Eleventh round (213th overall) - Mitch Jones, a 5-foot-10, 160 pound defenseman from the Detroit Honeybaked U-16's. Jones scored four goals with 12 assists for 16 points and 61 PIM's in 79 games last season.

Thirteenth round (253th overall) - Christian Wolanin, a 6-foot, 160 pound left wing from the Detroit Little Caesars U-16's. Wolanin scored 13 goals with 13 assists for 26 points and 30 PIM's in 34 games last season.

Fourteenth round (273rd overall) - Greg Christmas, a 6-foot, 165 pound defenseman from the Welland Tigers. Christmas scored three goals with 20 assists or 23 points and 10 PIM's in 33 games last season.

Fifteenth round (295th overall) - Matt Miller, 5-foot-11, 180 pound defenseman from the Pittsburgh Hornets U-16. Miller scored a goal with 18 assists for 19 points and 33 PIM's in 34 games last season.

Follow the draft by going to ohldraft.ilap.com/ps2011.

Also, check back to www.plymouthwhalers.com or check out the team's facebook page at facebook.com/PlymouthWhalers for more information on the Whalers draft picks.

The Whalers will be holding their annual Rookie Orientation on May 21-22 at Compuware Arena.