Steelheads land Ty Daniels
It was a big moment Saturday morning when Ty Daniels was selected in the seventh round, 135th overall in the Ontario Hockey League draft by the Mississauga Steelheads.
“It was crazy. We had it up on the TV and my dad saw it first. I sort of blacked out when I saw it. There were a lot of emotions and I was really happy to be drafted by the Steelheads because they are such a great organization,” the 16-year-old Grimsby resident said. “It was very exciting and probably the best day of my life.”
The 5-foot-8, 135-pound Niagara North Stars left winger admitted getting selected was a shock when he first heard the news.
“I don’t know if I had a lot of thoughts going through my head. It was just excitement.”
He watched the draft with his family.
“I wanted to keep it sort of low key and once I was selected I had some friends and family come over.”
The Grade 10 student at West Niagara went into the draft on an even keel.
“I tried to keep my expectations not too high and not too low and I just wanted to see how it sort of played out. I did have contact with a few teams but I’m happy to be selected by the Steelheads. I think it is the best opportunity for me because of their organization,” he said. “They are one of the best organizations in the Ontario Hockey League, for sure, and they play a game that suits my style.”
He describes that style as a hard-working, 200-foot left winger.
“I take pride in the way that I think the game. I think it at a high level and I think I have good vision for the ice.”
He has never let his small stature get in the way of his performance on the ice.
“I feel that I play bigger than I am. I don’t shy away from anyone because of their size. It is just something that has been taught to me. You’ve got to compete. Even if you are under-sized or a smaller guy it doesn’t matter, you have to play to your strengths and I think that I do that well.”
He has always wanted to play in the OHL.
“I grew up watching the games, whether it was the IceDogs games or even the Steelhead games — I grew up going to them as well — and it is probably the best development league in the world in terms of junior hockey. I definitely want to be a part of that.”
He never took getting drafted for granted.
“I just tried to take it day by day, work hard and try and get better every day. I thought if I did do that, hopefully good things would come out of it.”
The Steelheads’ coach and general manager gave him a call after the draft and let him know the team’s development camp is coming up in the next couple of weeks.
“I hope to go to development camp show myself and try to prove myself as a player. Hopefully I can show them that I can be a part of their organization in the future.”
Daniels started skating when he was three years old and began his hockey career with the Grimsby Kings. After two years with the Kings, he joined the Niagara North Stars and has been with the AAA organization for six seasons.
This past season with the North Stars, he registered 14 goals and 29 points in 34 regular season games and added four goals and eight points in eight playoff games.
“Ty was a player that every coach would want on their team. He was focused on getting better and making the team better,” Niagara North Stars head coach Jay Glenney said. “He made the transition from centre to wing this year and excelled at the new position. His positive attitude and work ethic were always amongst the highest on the team.”
