Wong commits to Gens
Second round pick will add skill to front end, GM says
By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express
The Oshawa Generals have added another piece to the puzzle as Nick Wong officially committed to the team for next season.
Wong, drafted by the Generals in the second round, 38th overall in the 2017 OHL Priority Selection, he spent last season playing for the Mississauga Senators minor midget AAA. The five-foot-eight, 157-pound forward from Erin, Ont., had 16 goals and 13 assists for 29 points during the 2016/2017 campaign.
“He’s a skilled player, that every time you go watch him he’s got the puck,” says Roger Hunt, the team’s general manager and vice president. “I think we’ve got some good skill guys that are here, so looking at some other teams and their skill levels, we wanted to make sure that was something that we upped.”
For Hunt, he feels Wong will be a compliment to many of the players behind the bench and is looking forward to seeing where he fits on the roster.
“He had a real good orientation camp,” Hunt says. “The coaches will tinker with combinations and see who’s got chemistry and he could be playing centre, could be playing wing, whatever it is. Like I said, he’s increased our skill level, which is certainly what we were hoping to do with this draft.”
The young player marks the third commitment of the summer for the Gens following Joe Rupoli and first overall pick Mitchell Brewer earlier this month.
Brewer, a left-shot defenceman selected 15th overall in the first round of the Priority Selection, recently finished out the season in tier two with the Georgetown Raiders of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL), winning the Buckland Cup.
Rupoli, another defender, was selected in the fifth round of the 2016 Priority Selection.