Column - Wolves have a solid base to rebuild the team

The next phase of the Sudbury Wolves rebuilding process is complete. The OHL Priority Selection was held on Saturday, and it’s safe to say it was the most important draft the organization has seen in more than a decade.

The Wolves' 2014-15 season was the worst in franchise history, so this draft was seen as one of the biggest tools that could get the team back on a track.

The rebuild began with a series of trades throughout the season that not only brought the Wolves some good young players, but it also gave them a series of draft picks that allowed them to select five players from the first 48 selected.

Topping the list was the fact the Wolves owned the first overall pick in the draft.

By now everyone knows the story of David Levin — the 15-year-old native of Israel who learned the game on inline skates and didn’t take his skills to the ice until he moved to Canada just three short years ago. What an amazing story.

While many said there was no consensus No. 1 pick in the draft this year, the majority of scouts I talked to in my travels around the league in the weeks leading up to April 11 agreed that Levin was the player to take.

The Wolves did just that, and feel they have a player that will be one of the building blocks of the team’s future success.

General Manager Blaine Smith said once Levin was deemed eligible to play in the OHL, he was the player they wanted.

“The Sudbury Wolves organization is extremely proud to select David Levin. David is an outstanding hockey player and is the dynamic forward that the Sudbury Wolves need to build a winning team around. David's skills and offensive talent will be appreciated by his coaches, his teammates and hockey fans here in Sudbury.”

Those statements were echoed by Wolves head scout Andrew Shaw. “David has improved in leaps and bounds in each of his three short years that he has been playing hockey here in Canada. If David's development continues to improve at the same rate, his potential as an OHL player is off the charts. David was obviously born with a special gift, and he has simply developed into an incredible hockey player.”

Following the selection of Levin, the Wolves then picked an additional 15 players with the emphasis on offence, speed and skill — something that was obviously lacking last season.

Of those 15 picks, nine were forwards, four were defencemen, and two were goalies.

While Levin is expected to be a huge part of the future, don’t be surprised if names like left-winger Shane Bulitka, centre MacAuley Carson, left-winger Owen Lane and defenceman Conor Ali play a big part in the team’s march back up the standings.

These players are all pieces of a puzzle the Wolves must put together to get past the obstacles that prevented them from winning hockey games last season.

David Levin and the other newly drafted players can’t be expected to do it all themselves. That’s where some of the returning players will fit in, a combination of young and veterans, along with any other moves the team makes in the off-season.

That will be the next phase of the rebuild.

Stew Kernan is the radio and television voice of the Sudbury Wolves, and the News Director at KiSS 105.3 and Q92. This column appears every other week in Northern Life.