Spirit make Majors’ Etheridge, Lachance OHL Priority Selections

Article content

Two members of the Timmins Majors are hoping their hockey careers will take them in a spirited new direction when the puck drops on the 2024-25 campaign this falls.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Spirit make Majors’ Etheridge, Lachance OHL Priority Selections Back to video

Edan Etheridge, a 2008-birth-year forward, was taken by the Saginaw Spirit in the 15th round of the 2024 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection, 287th overall.

Meanwhile, Etheridge’s linemate, 2007-birth-year forward Ian Lachance, was taken by the Spirit in the second round of the 2024 OHL U18 Priority Selection, 39th overall.

The U18 phase is three-round draft for players who were not selected during the regular phase of the OHL Priority Selection during their year of eligibility, which in Lachance’s case was 2023.

Both players are coming off extremely strong seasons with the Great North U18 League champion Majors.

Lachance (35, 26-48-74, 40) was the GNU18L scoring champion, while Etheridge (35, 28-18-46, 14) finished seventh in the scoring race.

During the 2024 playoffs, Etheridge (6, 4-6-10, 2) won the scoring title, with Lachance (6, 2-3-5, 4) tied for ninth in the scoring race.

Majors assistant coach Shawn McArthur was not surprised to see Etheridge and Lachance garner attention in the two OHL drafts given how they dominated the regular season and playoffs on a line with Travis Poan (34, 26-11-37, 34).

“It has been a long time coming for the Timmins Majors organization, to have two guys go in the same year, one in the U16 and one in the U18 and to a great organization, too,” he said.

“It is kind of funny, because this year, with our team, we talked an awful lot about Saginaw, about head coach Chris Lazary and how he does things, how he is one of the top coaches in the CHL, never mind just the OHL.

“So, in the end, it was kind of neat that an organization like Saginaw took two of our players, for sure.”

Etheridge and Lachance are not the first Timmins-born players to make their way onto the Spirit’s radar, of course.

Danny Katic, who just completed his second season as a pro with the East Coast Hockey League’s Norfolk Admirals (60, 24-26-50, 122), spent parts of four seasons with Saginaw, from 2016-17 to 2019-20.

“They have a strong history of drafting players out of Northern Ontario,” McArthur said.

“They are not shy to take players from the North and they know what they are getting with players from the North. Guys from the North come with that hard-nosed, hard-work ethic.”

Fans who watched Majors games this season and quite familiar with the Spirit draft pics from Timmins, but McArthur offered an assessment of what led to each player’s success in the GNU18L this season.

“Edan is a very mature kid for his age, got the opportunity early in the season to play with guys like Lachance and Poan and we tried to veer away from it at one point in the year but just realized we couldn’t break that line up,” he said.

“They were so successful together and quite possibly the top line in our league this year. The thing we learned very early about Edan is he is a very dynamic player in all situations.

He played on the power play, he was an unbelievable penalty killer this year. He can do it all, he can put pucks in the net, move the puck, he plays well defensively and he is just real eager to learn the game.

“He really took the constructive criticism and feedback he got back from coaches and took it to heart to make his game better. A big part of why he got drafted was the off-ice work he did, he is in phenomenal shape.”

The assistant coach noted during the time between the OHL Priority Selection and the OHL U18 Priority Selection, he had a number of conversations with Etheridge where he indicated he hoped Lachance would get taken in the latter.

“If Ian was taken in the OHL U18 Priority Selection, he was hoping he would go to Saginaw,” McArthur said.

“With the chemistry the two of them had built, he was hoping he would have that opportunity to go to camp with him so they could show that chemistry together. They are very supportive of each other, which is a huge thing.”

The assistant coach describes Lachance as a “dynamic hockey player,” who was the best player in the GNU18L in 2023-24.

“He was a man, at times, playing with boys, the way he sees the game, the way he thinks the game,” McArthur said.

“He has a big frame and his puck protection is just unbelievable. He can put pucks in the net and he can set guys up and play in all roles. He is another guy who was big on the PK. Him and Edan were a tandem on the penalty kill. They scored their share of shorthanded goals together this year.

“Ian’s board game is ready for the OHL level and I think Saginaw is going to be really happy when they see him at (rookie) camp.”

Etheridge, officially listed at 5-10.75 and 152 pounds, was following the 2024 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection online but as round after round went by he started to wonder if he was ever going to see his name flash up on the screen.

“It was a dream come true, unreal,” he said, when asked to describe the feeling once his name finally appeared.

“I didn’t really know how to react. I think it is just now starting to sink in and the feeling is just surreal. This is why I play hockey. This is why I put on the skates.”

Etheridge indicated he spoke with a number of teams before the draft, but the Saginaw was not one of them.

“So, I was kind of surprised to get picked by them, it just came out of the blue,” he said.

“I had spent all day looking at my phone, seeing who was getting picked. After the 13th round, I started getting the feeling I might go undrafted, like a lot of Timmins players in the past.”

Etheridge admitted he is going to feel a lot more comfortable and confident going to the Spirit rookie camp with Lachance also being among the players looking to earn a spot at the main camp.

“I was stoked for him, but not just for him, for me, too, because otherwise I would have had to head down there without knowing anyone, not even any of my teammates from Team NOHA,” he said.

“Having someone to talk to and spend the weekend with is big for me.”

Etheridge indicated his main goal between now and rookie camp will be to try and stay in shape.

“I just want to keep my game speed I had all year and put some weight back on, muscle and try to get stronger and better,” he said.

The Spirit, who will be hosting the Memorial Cup in May, are currently trailing the London Knights 2-0 in the OHL’s best-of-seven Western Conference final.

“I have been keeping track of how they have been doing,” Etheridge said.

Being a 15th-round draft choice who has two years of U18 eligibility remaining, there is no guarantee Etheridge will make the Spirit on his first try, but he intends to remain 110 per cent focused on that goal until somebody tells him differently.

“I have some ideas if the Saginaw camp doesn’t go my way, but Plan A is cracking the lineup and playing for the Spirit,” he said.

“Plan B would be playing for their farm team, or playing with the (NOJHL’s Timmins) Rock or play another year of U18 (with the Majors) to light things up.”

Etheridge won’t know for sure if the Spirit have any special plans in terms of his off-season workout program until he attends the rookie camp, but he is hoping he will have a chance to work out with Lachance.

Speaking of Lachance, the 6-0 and 157 pound forward admitted he was “pretty pumped” to see his name selected in the second round of the 2024 OHL U18 Priority Selection, especially with Saginaw being the team making the pick.

“I was pretty pumped when Edan got drafted a couple of days before me and I had been hoping to go, as well,” he said.

“We couldn’t have done it without each other, so I am pretty happy we are going the same place.”

Like Etheridge, Lachance really didn’t have any indication before the draft that Saginaw would be the team calling his name.

“They had contacted my coach a couple of days before and told him they were interested, so in the back of my mind it was always an option,” he said.

Lachance indicated he was following along, with his parents, as the draft progressed.

“I was pretty nervous during the day, but when I saw my name, I was pretty pumped to share that moment with my parents.”

Lachance acknowledged his GNU18L scoring title played a role in his getting drafted, but he doesn’t feel that was the most important factor.

“At the end of the day, I couldn’t have done it without my teammates and our support system, my linemates, my teammates, my coaches, my family.”

In addition to having a strong season with the Majors, Lachance got in two more games with the Rock as an affiliate player in 2023-24. Overall, he has averaged a point a game with the NOJHL squad (6, 2-4-6, 2) during the past two campaigns.

He is hoping to learn more about what the Spirit would like to see him do conditioning wise over the summer.

“I had a brief conversation with the GM, Dave Drinkell, and I am super pumped to meet him and get started,” Lachance said.

He has also spoken with Katic about some of the things he can expect in Saginaw.

“We have been in close contact all year,” Lachance said.

“He has been cheering for me all year and I appreciated that a lot, kind of like a big brother. When you feel that kind of support, you start to play a little bit better. He sent me a quick text after I got drafted, congratulating me. He told me if I had any questions about the town, or the team to just shoot him a text.”

Lachance admitted he was a little bit disappointed he didn’t go in the 2023 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection, but stopped short of saying he has a chip on his shoulder because of it.

“I just put my head down and tried to grind a little bit more, go a little harder at practice, a little bit harder in the gym,” he said.

“Hard work pays off, eventually, and at the end of the day, it all worked out.”

While Poan didn’t get taken in either OHL draft, Lachance is confident his linemate will suit up with the Rock in 2024-25, but he noted he will try to talk to the Spirit about inviting him to camp as a walk on.

While Lachance is 110 per cent focused on cracking the Spirit roster, if he had a fallback plan it would likely involve suiting up for the Rock, as well.

Given the Spirit are hosting the Memorial Cup this year, they have assembled a veteran-heavy lineup, which in theory should result in more open roster spots in 2024-25 for Lachance and Etheridge to try and earn.