My Final Top 50 OHL Players for the 2024 NHL Entry Draft – Part 2: 30-11

Here's part two of my rankings release: the players ranked from 30 to 11. 11. Carter George - Goaltender - Owen Sound AttackHeard NHL Central Scouting's Al Jensen talking about George recently on a podcast and he mentioned how George's consistency this year was remarkable and I couldn't agree more. For an 18 year old goalie, George's workload was considerable this season; Hlinka/Gretzky Cup starter, 3rd most starts in the OHL regular season, a round of the OHL playoffs, and then starter at the U18's. Through all of that, it was rare to see George off his game. His mental toughness and compete level are so good for a young netminder. As are his positioning and play reading. It's rare to see him out of position. He's so calm in his movements; nothing wasted. He comes out to challenge shooters and has his angles perfectly covered. Considering that he's not the biggest netminder out there, this is so important. His athleticism/quickness should improve. His rebound control will continue to improve. But the margin of error is different for him with his lack of size and the fact that he is so detail oriented makes it more likely that he finds success at the NHL level IMO. Last thing to mention, George's puckhandling is a real asset in an era where it's rarely noticeable for netminders. George really helps out his defenders with his confidence in making passes and coming out of his crease. Why isn't George higher? I guess I'm just uncertain of the high-end NHL upside without that elite athleticism/size combo. There are times that despite his terrific attention to detail, that he can lose sight of the puck and is not able to get sight lines. He's my favourite goaltender in the entire draft class (based on my work with McKeen's), but I just wouldn't use a top 50 pick on a goalie this year. 12. Luke Misa - Center/Wing - Mississauga SteelheadsThere seems to be a disconnect regarding Misa currently. The disconnect is between the general amateur scouting community and the NHL scouting community. I see Misa ranked in the first round or close to it on a lot of public lists. Yet, he's consistently been ranked low by NHL Central Scouting and I've heard that this reflects where the NHL community has him too. So why the disconnect and why do I agree more with the NHL community on this one? It's a great question, but I'd rather focus on why I actually like Misa a lot first. The skating and tenacity will play in some regard at the next level. He has positional versatility. We're looking at someone who could easily play a Casey Cizikas type of role in the NHL for many years. That has value. But where I agree with the NHL community is that I'm just not sure I see the kind of skill level that would make Luke a high end scorer at the next level. As a late 2005, he has less runway for development and I see him as more of a polished product currently. I think his offensive game is a bit one note and I believe that he'll be less effective as a carrier at the NHL level when pressured more intently. He'll succeed as an F1 with his speed and energy, but I don't think his hands and vision are above average. Compare him to someone like Jett Luchanko and it's obvious that Luchanko's game has more layers to it offensively. I still like Luke as a top two round selection. Again, if you can draft high end bottom six players and PK'ers, it helps you in the long run. Ask the teams who give up assets at the deadline for them. 13. AJ Spellacy - Center/Wing - Windsor SpitfiresNo offense to Beckett Sennecke and his amazing playoff run, but Spellacy was easily the most improved draft eligible player from the start of the year to the end IMO. Much of that had to do with getting healthy and confident again following knee surgery last year. By midseason, it was obvious that he had his legs back and the difference it made in his game was remarkable. The big center is an absolute load to handle once he builds a head of steam. Big, powerful strides just chew up ice and he circles the zone at will, controlling the play in a way that I did not envision he was capable of heading into the year (and I say that as someone who really liked Spellacy last year). His hands really caught up to his feet late in the year and it allowed him to be a real play driver. Think the way that Easton Cowan's hands caught up to his feet late last year. Throw in the fact that Spellacy is a physically intense player who is an excellent penalty killer and you have someone who projects to be a versatile pro. Simply put, he checks a lot of boxes. Similar to Misa, I'm not sure I see a high end offensive player at the NHL level. If he's not beating you with speed, he can be neutralized. The shot and vision are only average too. However, I do see someone who can be a long term NHL player. I have a ton of time for bigger forwards with athleticism and Spellacy oozes it. 14. Lukas Fischer - Defense - Sarnia StingI like Fischer way more than the average guy that I have ranked 14th. He's still very much a second round selection for me. I just felt that some other guys finished the year stronger and showed a little more from a development perspective. He still has a ton of upside at both ends and is one of the youngest players eligible this year. I don't think Lukas is done growing. He could very well end up being 6'5, 220lbs-ish when all is said and done....similar to his father Jiri. Lukas' main issue is just consistency. A lot of that has to do with Sarnia being a rebuilding team in the OHL. He was asked to do a lot this year on a younger team that found themselves hemmed in their own end a lot. This magnified some of his current flaws. Defensively, I want to see him use his size more effectively. He can be too passive, especially in terms of defending in transition. He lets players/attackers dictate pace and it causes Lukas to have to scramble too often. Yet, there are times where he absolutely blows things up with his reach and strength. Why don't we see this more often? Lukas' footwork can also be inconsistent. At times, he looks mobile and covers ground well, allowing him to have a positive impact on the game at both ends as a rush attacker and defender. But, there are other times where his lateral and backwards mobility look sluggish and he struggles to defend pace. As a pure offensive defender, it's the same sort of tale of two players. He flashes great creativity and skill, but on other shifts, he struggles to confidently handle the puck and make quick decisions under pressure. The most realistic scenario probably sees Lukas developing into a similar defender as his father Jiri as he fills out and gains confidence. But, there's upside as an offensive player too that could see him become a more intriguing two-way, all situations type. Patience will be key here. 15. Jacob Battaglia - Wing - Kingston FrontenacsBattaglia really grew on me this year. He's a bit like a Liam Greentree-lite. I think his small area skill is impressive. He protects the puck well and extends plays with his hands, especially along the wall. He also is a really intelligent player on and off the puck. He draws in pressure well and then always seems to find the open man. He's not likely to be a primary play driver at the next level, but he could end up being a really solid complementary piece to dynamic and creative offensive players in the top six. The strong IQ also translates to the defensive end where he has great positioning and anticipation. A couple things make him more of a 3rd rounder for me. One, I wish he were just a little more physically engaged. I think his outlook as a pro would be a little better if he could increase the physical intensity a little bit. Two, the skating is only average. He's actually got good edges and moves well East/West. But the quickness needs work and it holds him back from being a more dynamic player with the puck. All that can be improved. 16. Kevin He - Wing - Niagara IceDogsI have to give He a ton of credit for coming into this season and improving several areas of his game. He came into the year as a speedy scoring winger with a fairly one dimensional game. He exits the year a much more complete player after adding some serious tenaciousness to his game. For my money, He is one of the OHL's best forecheckers. He uses his speed well and was always dialed in physically, no matter whether Niagara was facing a blowout or not. The improved consistency in puck pursuit and the development of him as a pest had to impress NHL scouts. Now it's just about the further introduction of other layers to his game. He's a pretty straight forward North/South guy right now. That means he can be easily neutralized by mobile defenders with reach. Additionally, his playmaking ability, vision, and decision making leave some to be desired. He'll attack wide and then his tunnel vision can prevent him from truly creating anything of substance. Later in the year, I think we did see some improvement here, but it's still a work in progress. But because of the increase in intensity level and off puck improvement, I have a lot of time for He as a potential top three round guy. It will be interesting to see him develop around the collection of young forward talent that they have accumulated. 17. Luca Marrelli - Defense - Oshawa GeneralsLuca is someone whose game I really grew to admire over the course of the year. It required some serious extra views; it's very understated. He's certainly not someone that I would label as "flashy." However, he's very intelligent. He's also quite mobile. A strong four way mover, he's able to buy a lot of time for himself to allow the ice to open up in front of him. His patience/poise with the puck is one of his best assets. Marrelli is also a sound defensive presence. I wish he were a little tougher to play against below the goal line, but his reach and mobility give him good upside as a pro defender in some capacity. Do I still have some projection concerns? Yeah, he's a little too much of that "jack of all trades" type that I've learned to be cautious of. This is especially true because he's a late birthday 2005. I don't think he's anything more than a versatile #5, but I do really think that he has a chance at a long NHL career. 18. Ryerson Leenders - Goaltender - Mississauga SteelheadsI know there are a lot of people who have Leenders as the top goalie out of the OHL this year over George, and I can see why. He's a better athlete than George. They're similarly sized, but Leenders is quicker post to post and better in scramble mode. One school of thought would tell you that this gives him more upside as he learns to harness his athleticism by being more technically sound. However, I just love how refined George's game is and I believe that his athleticism can be improved. Whereas, can Leenders' positioning and rebound control improve in the same way? It certainly can, but for "smaller" goalies this is so important. Look at the struggles that Devon Levi has had in the NHL the past year. And he's such a good play tracker and athlete too. Leenders just has a lot of work to do IMO. I don't agree with the massive drop from NHL Central Scouting; he's still a top five goalie in this class for me. However, I do see the concerns and the justification.19. Riley Patterson - Wing - Barrie ColtsPatterson was a totally different player in the second half, for all the right reasons. Earlier in the year, he was really struggling with his decision making, coupled with the fact that he was too easily s