Our December edition of our 9 page OHL REPORT is now available. The OHL Report is our OHL Draft Newsletter which is available via our scouting portal. This report includes scouting reports on 1996 birth year players, draft rankings and a look at some 1995 born players now 30 games into their rookie OHL season. We also explore another possible 'exceptional status' player for the 2012 OHL Priority Selection. The January 15th edition of the OHL REPORT will continue with rankings and scouting reports leading up to our 2012 OHL Draft Guide.

2012 OHL DRAFT RANKING - The Top SIX

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The 2012 OHL Draft is fast approaching and this month we expand our coverage with updated player rankings (Top 50) and even more player scouting reports. Jared McCann of the London Jr. Knights is once again our #1 ranked prospect. We also profile several current OHL'ers who graduated from the 2011 OHL Draft less than 1 year ago. We also take a look at the players on the 2011 Bantam Provincial Champions, the Mississauga Rebels.

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Also watch for our 2012 OHL Draft Guide which will be released shorty after the OHL Cup.

Micheal Dal Colle of the Vaughan Kings has been amongst the best 1996 born players in Canada for years. This season is his OHL Draft year and his team is on a quest to win the OHL Cup. HockeyProspect.com's Laura Barney recently caught up with Dal Colle and chatted with him about his season and his future in hockey.

Dylan Larkin is a high end 1996 born prospect who plays with Detroit Belle Tire. He is currently on the shelf with an injury but is hoping to make his return to the lineup in early March. Larkin is a top 10 OHL Draft prospect who recently made his choice to commit to the University of Michigan. HP's Laura Barney spoke to Dylan recently about his season, injury status and his thoughts on looking ahead to next season.

Last season the Mississauga Rebels were the Ontario Provincial Champions. They returned a talented core group again this season and came a close 2nd to the Toronto Marlboros in the GTHL regular season. The Rebels are currently in a tough battle with the Don Mills Flyers, with both teams trying to advance to the GTHL finals. HP's Laura Barney recently to spoke to Brett Hargrave, who is one of the Rebels key forwards. Hargrave is a huge forward who will surely be an early pick in this years OHL Priority Selection.

VIDEO INTERVIEW BELOW

Jacob Middleton is highly ranked prospect for the upcoming 2012 OHL Draft. The Huron Perth Lakers defender was invited and participated in the All Canadians program last summer in Mississauga. Jacob makes good decisions with the puck and plays a smart game in all three zones. The self described "stay at home" D-man is capable of chipping in on offense as well. HP's Laura Barney recently spoke to Jacob about his season and looking ahead to the OHL Draft.

Jared McCann – F – 6’0” – 175lb. – London Jr. Knights Gold

Jared McCann has to be the most complete 1996 born player eligible for the 2012 OHL Priority Selection. All over the ice, in all 3 zones, McCann has constantly made an impact. His skating has improved throughout the year. At the start of the year. His approach, unless there is a clear lane to the net, is very intelligent and calculated. Jared really doesn’t appear to have a preference one way or the other in terms of shooting or passing, and we’ve been very impressed with his ability to choose these options wisely. In both regards McCann has been outstanding. When he shoots, he has a laser release, and he constantly aims for the corners and is on target more often than not. Jared forechecks and backchecks extremely hard, and forces a ridiculous amount of turnovers. Defensively he engages well, and gets his stick in lanes. He doesn’t shy away from getting in front of shots. Jared McCann is the total package of size, skating, offensive ability, grit, determination and projects to be an impact player in the OHL.

HP's Laura Barney caught up with Jared at the recent OHL Cup. see the Video interview below. Special thanks to Brock Smeenk for his contribution and his video expertise.

Dante Salituro has proven he can be a game changer at the minor midget level, and a player to watch out for next year should he choose to make the jump to the OHL. Although he’s a little undersized,  Dante is very strong. He has plenty of skill and has shown a willingness to compete. He has a great release on his shot, and his ability to finish is among the best in this draft class. He is speedy as well as very agile, and can elude defenders one on one fairly easily. Hp's Laura Barney caught up to Dante at the OHL Cup and spoke to him about the draft.

HockeyProspect.com's 2012 OHL Draft Guide and OHL Draft Preview are now available in our online store and in our members downloads area.

Our 2012 OHL Draft Guide features stats, interviews, rankings and scouting reports. The 2012 OHL Draft Guide includes reports on 189 players and a rankings for the top 140 prospects (7 rounds). The 2012 OHL Draft Preview is a scaled down product which includes fewer prospect reports and scaled down rankings. (Top 60)

All of our OHL guides are in PDF format.

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If you are an INSIDER or OHL Pro member you can download your guide from the downloads section of our members area.

Following up on some of my recent tweets I'll throw up a mock draft for the first round of this years OHL Draft.

1. Erie Otters:  Connor McDavid - F - Toronto Marlboros

No shock to anyone here as the Otters get a great player to rebuild with.

2. Kingston Frontenacs:  Roland McKeown - D - Toronto Marlboros

The Fronts get a very talented D-Man who will log a ton of minutes in the not too distant future.

3. Peterborough Petes: Eric Cornel - F - Upper Canada Cyclones

We are big fans of this player. Size, Playmaker and can put the puck in the net. Smart player.

4. Soo Greyhounds: Jared McCann - F - London Jr. Knights

Our #1 ranked player all year until McDavid was approved for exceptional status. McCann is a very complete package.

5. Windsor Spitfires: Josh Ho- Sang - F - Toronto Marlies

Who would have thought Warren would get his man at #5 ? Ridiculous talent. If he buys what Bob is selling he will be a gem.

6. Guelph Storm: Jacob Middleton - D - Huron Perth Lakers

Guelph takes a very good player to start rebuilding the back end.

7. Oshawa Generals: Michael Dal Colle - F - Vaughan Kings

A skilled big forward. Great hands.

8. Owen Sound Attack: Robert Fabbri - F - Mississauga Rebels

If he was a bit bigger he would be a top 2 pick. Very good value for the Attack at #8. They could grab a Dman but I'll stick with Fabbri as my best guess.

9. Kingston Frontenacs*: Sam Bennett - F- Toronto Marlboros

Had a great second half to his season. Really liked his game.

10. Belleville Bulls: Nik Petti - F - Southern Tier Admirals

Former Toronto Marlboro heads to the big rink in Belleville.

11. Mississauga Majors: Brett Hargrave - F- Mississauga Rebels

Huge powerful forward who is great along the walls. If Not Hargrave, I'll go Addison which makes a mess of my Ice Dogs pick.

12. Saginaw Sprit: Josh Jacobs - D- Detroit Honeybaked

Looks like he is coming to the OHL

13. Sarnia Sting: Damian Bourne - F - Mississauga Rebels

A big strong forward who really improved in Bantam and followed it up this year.

14. Sudbury Wolves: Daniel De Sousa - D- Toronto Marlboros

A slick skating D-man who loves to skate the puck.

15. Brampton Battalion: Spencer Watson - F- London

Good hands. Great shot and a solid playmaker.

16. Barrie Colts: Brendan Perlini - F - Detroit Belle Tire

Big kid. Solid player in all 3 zones.

17. Kitchener Rangers: Brook Hiddink - F- Elgin Middlesex

I really liked him going back to last season. This kid could be the steal of the draft if he goes late first or early second. If not Hiddink they could use a D-Man - Kyle Jenkins?

18. Ottawa 67's: Dante Salituro - F - Don Mills Flyers

Not a big kid at about 5'7" but good frame and very strong. All he does is score goals.

19. Plymouth Whalers: Andrew Abou-Assaly - F - Ottawa Jr. 67s

A great goal scorer. It's pretty tough to predict the 2nd half of the round, especially to the American teams.

20. Niagara Ice Dogs*:Liam Herbst - G- Mississauga Rebels

Time to draft a goalie again. A free pick in the 1st round helps. Not overly confident on this pick based on a few conversations I had, but I'll stick with it.

21: Niagara IceDogs: Jeremiah Addison - F- Toronto Marlies

Another Marlboros player off the board. If not Addison I'll go with Evans from the Rebels.

22. London Knights: Brent Moran - G- Ottawa Jr. 67's

The Knights have some solid players from last years draft making the jump next fall. Lot's of depth. I'm taking a wild stab in the dark on this, but what the hell...it's the 22nd pick. Houser won't be there much longer if at all next season.

I'll be tweeting today if I get any updates on the OHL Draft. It's nice to see less "cooking" this year. You can follow me @MarkEdwardsHP  I'll be in London tonight for the Knights vs Saginaw game. I'll be up early for the Draft at 9am (I hope) You can also follow @RyanHpScout he will be on twitter during the whole OHL Draft.