Mississauga Steelheads OHL draft position to be determined by lottery

The Mississauga Steelheads will be playing the lottery in May.

For the first time, the OHL will conduct a draft lottery to determine the order of selection in its draft.

With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the cancellation of its 2020-21 season, the major junior hockey league will hold a Priority Selection Draft Lottery on Wednesday, May 5 at 7 p.m.

Steelheads fans will be able to watch the livestream on YouTube.

The 2021 OHL Priority Selection is scheduled for June 4-5 and will be available live online at www.ontariohockeyleague.com.

This also marks the first time the OHL draft has been held over two days. Rounds 1-3 will begin on Friday at 7 p.m., with Rounds 4-15 being completed on Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m.

 “We’re very excited to welcome the next wave of promising young players to the Ontario Hockey League,” Commissioner David Branch said.

All of the 20 OHL teams will have an equal chance of securing the first overall pick. The order of selection will be determined by a computerized random generator lottery process to be overseen by Robert Bayne of Filion Wakely Thorup Angeletti LLP.

The order of selection in the first round will be reversed to begin the second round and will alternate each round thereafter.

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