The Sudbury Wolves have introduced the young man they will make the number one pick in Saturday's Ontario Hockey League draft.
Because the franchise ended the season in last place, they earned the first pick in the draft.
The Wolves will take 15-year-old Quinton Byfield from Newmarket, who will join the team in the fall.
“I am thrilled to be selected1st overall and honoured to be the recipient of the Jack Ferguson award. I have to thank my family for all their support in getting me to this position today. I would also like to thank all my past coaches and my teammates for all the help they have given me. I’m very excited to join the Wolves and can’t wait to get started.” said Byfield.
He has been playing with the York-Simcoe Express midget team. At 6-foot-4-inches tall and 200 pounds already, he is a big scorer with 48 goals and 44 assists in 34 games this season in his midget league.
Some people are comparing him to NHL superstar Connor McDavid at 16.
“They're going to expect seeing that wolf a lot come down from the rafters, I’ll say. I'll get a couple goals here, a lot of play making. Definitely my defence is on. I like to be a 200-foot player, so definitely a lot of that." said Byfield.
Rob Papineau is the General Manager of the Sudbury Wolves.
“He is an exceptional player with a great future and his potential is amazing and our coaching staff is eager to work with him. Our scouting staff has been unanimous on Quinton as the best player in the draft all season and we know that the fans and the people of Greater Sudbury are going to love the opportunity to watch such a special player in a Wolves uniform.” said Papineau.
Dario Zulich is the owner of the Wolves franchise.
“We put in place a goal to be a Memorial Cup contender with our mission being to develop 15-year-old boys into professional gentlemen of character when they leave our program. This is happening with the continued development and support our players are receiving. I am confident that our community will share the excitement the team is working so hard at achieving. Quinton represents a significant step forward.” said Zulich.
