Music: {allcanada} 67'S TAKE KONECNY FIRST IN OHL DRAFT; 15-YEAR-OLD DAY 4TH

Saturday, April 6, 2013

{allcanada} 67'S TAKE KONECNY FIRST IN OHL DRAFT; 15-YEAR-OLD DAY 4TH

TORONTO -- The Ottawa 67's have tabbed Travis Konecny to be the face of their rebuild.

The club selected the 16-year-old centre from Bothwell, Ont., with the first pick in Saturday's Ontario Hockey League draft.

Konecny had 53 goals and 61 assists in 54 games for the Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs in 2012-13.

The five-foot-10, 165-pound Konecny is just the second player to be chosen first overall by the 67's, who took with the Alyn McCauley top pick in 1993.

Perennial contenders in the OHL's Eastern Conference, the 67's finished a dismal 16-46-6 this season.

The Erie Otters had the second pick on Saturday and took centre Dylan Strome of Mississauga, Ont., while the Peterborough Petes selected defenceman Matthew Spencer of Oakville, Ont., at No. 3.

The Mississauga Steelheads then took 15-year-old defenceman Sean Day with the fourth pick. Day, a native of Rochester, Minn., is the first player ever granted exceptional status by the OHL to not be selected first overall.

The Kingston Frontenacs rounded out the top-5 by taking left-winger Lawson Crouse of Mount Brydges, Ont.