Spirit will announce their pick (#1 Overall) tomorrow morning (5/2) - TV5 said they'll be there for the announcement!

whats 5/2 lol

I see where Todd Pocoke is on the OHL draft list for this Saturday. He plays for their Heritage's team. I would imagine that the Spirit have added him to the list, which makes one believe they will draft him.

Hey. This is to IGive, where did u hear that Todd Pococke was on the Draft for the OHL or whatever it was? Thanks a bunch!

Any idea what time the anouncement will take place? Word on the street is it won't be Steve Spade but rather Patrick MacNeil from the Strathroy Rockets. If that rumor is true, we don't lose much. Hockey Scouting has MacNeil rated #5 to Spade's #4. I guess we will find out for sure tomorrow. Either way, it's going to be an exciting weekend.

speaking on the message of todd pococke i am very pleased to hear that todd and i ar friends ad me and other guys that we know have always wondered if he could play at this level so of he is drafted that would be very cool, good luck todd!

i know for a fact it wont be steve spade

It was anounced today that Patrick McNeill is Saginaw's #1 pick. Central Scouting say this: An excellent skater who loves to join the rush...plays at a high temp every shift...is disciplined and plays wll in his own end....has excellent puck skills... recovers well from offensive opportunities...stepped up his physical play late in the season...good at picking his spots when in a pinch...quick decision making skills. There is no question Saginaw needs better defense. We lost way too many games because of second chances and missed defensive assignments. There is more to this game than just scoring goals. Welcome to Saginaw Patrick!

Patrick McNeill is a very good player, but he has no business going 1st overall!

Ohlfan3 state your case. Don't come on here and make a negative statement without backup. Patrick is the highest rated defenseman who will report and is rated in the top 5 overall. #1 has nothing to do with who is the best player. The best player from this years draft might not come until the second or third round. Heck Joe Montana wasn't drafted until the third round. Any of the top 10 players would be deserving of the #1 draft pick. Charles Rogers might have been the #1 pick this year except for the fact that Bengals needed a Quarterback. If the Lions would have had the worst record last year, then Rogers would have been #1. Saginaw Need a strong defensman. They have made it known for some time now they wanted a strong defenseman. They wanted Steve Spade, he wouldn't report. Are you suggesting that Saginaw should have drafted someone who would not report just because you think they were more deserving of #1 status? All of these guys who were rated at or near the top should have been begging Saginaw to draft them first. Saginaw is in a position to make the #1 pick a star and shame on any of them who turned down that opportunity. And shame on anyone who advised them to do so. Big mistake! Do you think Steve Spade will make a name for himself going the NCAA route? Give me a break. State your case for who you think Saginaw should have made the #1 pick. If you can't do that, then keep your thoughts to yourself because you are just wasting our time.

Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. Remember, I never said that Patrick McNeill was a bad player.

You said he had no business being drafted #1. All I asked was for you to state your case. You are right, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I told you why I think he is a good choice for #1. So why not tell us all why you don't think so. I, for one, would like to know your arguments.

Have you seen Patrick McNeill play? Patrick is a very good player, but in my opinion, he is not a top 3 player. He is an undersized defenceman with excellent feet that makes good decisions. He has above average grit, with decent offensive upside. I say decent offensive upside, because he played atleast 30 minutes a game with Strathroy and did'nt get 20 points this year. Unfortunately, I can't tell you who I would take. The reason being, I am a Head Scout for another OHL team.

ME TOO!

SaginawGensFan, would love to read the part you must have deleted. I'll bet it was choice!

First, no I haven't seen Patrick McNeill play. I also haven't seen any of the top prospects play. Those two facts have nothing what so ever to do with my question to you. The fact that you claim to be a scout, and a head scout at that, makes your answers even worse. You, of all people, should know better. I hope for your sake that your boss doesn't read this board. I have read a ton of scouting reports and the only thing the scouts seam to agree on is the fact that they can't agree. Having said that, you do get a sense of who the top prospects are since some names keep coming up. We can argue all night long on how we would rate them and in what order we think they should be drafted. A scouts primary job should be evaluation of a player's skills. That is only a part of the decision as to who gets drafted and in what order. When it comes to deciding who deserves to be the number one draft pick, only one opinion matters and that is Saginaw Spirit management. Patrick McNeill deserves to be the #1 pick because Saginaw decided he should be. My point is, and always has been, that any of the top 10 rated players could have gone #1 and each and everyone of them would be deserving of the designation. If teams only picked players based on a rating list, there would be no reason to have a draft since all players could just be assigned based on their rating and the draft position of the teams. So tomorrow we find out what the other teams are thinking. Should be fun to watch.

If you've never seen Patrick McNeill play, then you can't refute any of my comments. If you were to ask 10 scouts what they thought of Central Scouting,the responses would not be favourable. If you believe "that any of the top ten rated players could have gone 1st overall and that each and everyone of them would have been deserving" then you have alot to learn about the game of hockey. The only reason that Saginaw drafted Patrick McNeill 1st overall, is because Bobby Ryan, Steve Spade, Phil Kessel, and Andrew Cogliano would not report to Saginaw. Have you ever asked yourself, why players won't report to Saginaw? For the record, I want Saginaw to do well, I think it is good for the league. But I find that your team continues to shoot itself in the foot. I believe when Mr.Garber brings in an experienced OHL GM and an experienced OHL Coach, Saginaw will be one of the best places to play in the OHL.

Not having the opportunity to see players in action is the reason you use scouts, but then I guess you wouldn't know anything about that. Thank you so much for finally showing your true colors. I knew from the begining if I pushed you hard enough you would say something stupid. Thanks again for not letting me down.

You make no sense! Don't worry, you'll get another chance next year to pick 1st overall!

You must not be a very good OHL Scout, because you mentioned that the Spirit wouldn't draft Phil Kessel because he won't come here... well, you must have stepped out for a minute at the beginning of the 4th round when Saginaw DRAFTED PHIL KESSEL!

Just because you draft a player, doesn't automatically mean that he will report. Guelph drafted Brandon Gentile from the Little Caesars knowing full well that he won't report. But their is always a slim chance, thats why some teams take a chance on players that say that they won't report.

I never said Kessel would play here, I said that he was DRAFTED by Saginaw.

To the Ohl "scout" causing a comotion here. Your really getting under some peoples skin here. For the most part, the people that visit this site are well educated in the field of Saginaw hockey, and are well respected by everyone else on this board. If you just want to start trouble go to the noof to do it. This is not the place to get people pissed at you. Almost everyone here will back up everyone else (with the exception of a few). If you are such a good scout for another team, why are you trying to tell us what Saginaw should have done? Worry about your own team. We are all trying to enjoy ourselves here.

Just a thought here, but when you are a defensman, isn't it true that scoring is NOT your first priority? Isn't stopping the other team from getting off a shot the priority?