67's Go Best Player Available at 18th Overall
The Ottawa 67's made their first move of the 2026 OHL Priority Selection on Friday, tabbing right-winger Andrew Laurin with the 18th overall pick — a selection that turned some heads given the team's known positional needs heading into the draft.
GM Jan Egert had telegraphed his approach before the pick was even made. When asked about the club's strategy, he was straightforward: take the best player available. And when Laurin was still on the board at 18, that's exactly what Ottawa did.
Who Is Andrew Laurin?
Laurin is a 15-year-old right-winger who impressed scouts during his minor hockey season with his compete level, offensive instincts, and skating ability. At the OHL level, skill and skating tend to translate well — and those are two traits evaluators have consistently pointed to when discussing Laurin's ceiling.
For a 67's program that has made player development a cornerstone of its identity, selecting a forward with upside over filling an immediate roster hole is a move that fits the franchise's longer-term approach.
Ignoring Need, Trusting the Board
What makes this pick interesting is what the 67's passed on. Ottawa entered the draft with gaps that scouts and fans alike were watching closely, and when Laurin came off the board at 18, it was clear Egert wasn't going to force a fit just to address short-term depth.
It's a philosophy that OHL organizations with strong scouting infrastructure tend to live by — and Ottawa has had enough draft success in recent years to trust the process. The temptation to reach for a need is always there on draft day. Resisting it is easier said than done.
What It Means for Ottawa's Rebuild Timeline
The 67's have been threading a needle over the past few seasons: staying competitive enough to hold the room together while quietly restocking the pipeline with high-end prospects. Laurin is another piece of that puzzle.
He won't be expected to walk in and carry the team immediately. OHL prospects at 15 typically take a season or two to find their footing at the junior level. But the upside pick at 18 — rather than a safer, higher-floor player — signals that Ottawa is comfortable with its core and is willing to swing for a higher ceiling in the later waves of development.
What's Next
The 67's will continue filling out their draft class through the later rounds, and those picks often reveal as much about a front office's depth-scouting as the first round does. Ottawa's staff has a track record of finding contributors well outside the top 20, so the full picture of this draft class won't be clear for another few years.
For now, Laurin is officially a 67 — and Ottawa fans will be watching his development closely as the next chapter of the franchise's rebuild takes shape.
Source: Ottawa Citizen / Ottawa 67's OHL Priority Selection coverage
