Brewer commits to the Gens
Club's top pick in 2017 Priority selection set to add further depth to blueline and special teams, GM says
Mitchell Brewer, the first round (15th overall) pick of the Oshawa Generals in the 2017 Priority Selection recently inked his commitment to the team. The left-handed defenceman is set to add further strength to the team’s blueline and will see minutes on the penalty kill as well, according to Roger Hunt, the general manager. (Photo by Ian Goodall).
By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express
The Oshawa Generals have added another piece to next season’s puzzle now that their first-round pick Mitchell Brewer put pen to paper.
The Waterdown, Ont. native was selected 15th overall in the first round of the 2017 OHL Priority Selection.
After being drafted from the Halton Hurricanes minor midget AAA program, where he managed four goals and 11 assists in 31 games, Brewer finished out the season in tier two with the Georgetown Raiders of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL), winning the Buckland Cup.
According to Roger Hunt, the vice president and general manager for the Gens, Brewer, a defender standing just under six feet, will make a welcome addition to next year’s roster.
“It took a little longer than it may have in normal circumstances, but he’s excited, right from draft day onwards, about being an Oshawa General and we’re happy about getting him and getting it taken care of,” Hunt says.
A “hybrid player,” Hunt sees Brewer aiding both of Oshawa’s special teams, but will more than likely cut his teeth on the penalty kill in the upcoming season.
“He makes smart plays, he gets shots through to the net,” Hunt says. “He plays it pretty simple actually, he plays a pretty simple game and I think he’ll be another compliment to what we’ve got back there.”
Brewer’s commitment comes on the heels of Oshawa’s fifth-round pick Joe Rupoli signing his contract earlier this month.
As a whole, Hunt sees the core of his team really coming together, creating a solid foundation to build a winning team on.
“We’ve kind of rounded out now and from this day forward we’ll start getting older for the next couple years,” Hunt says. “We’re going to let them grow together and add pieces to the existing group that’s here.”
Brewer will more than likely not be the team’s last commitment of the summer, with Hunt hinting one may be coming as soon as this week.
“It’s the old story, if you’re not moving up you’re moving down, if you’re not moving anywhere you’re moving down. So, I think where we are at, it’s time for us to start trying to win here again and that’s it,” Hunt says.