Highly touted 2016 NHL draft prospect Luke Kirwan joins Windsor Spitfires

Luke Kirwan has long had his sights set on the OHL, but it was a matter of the time being right.

The promising power winger, who officially signed the Windsor Spitfires on Friday seven weeks after it anted two second-round picks to get his rights from the Guelph Storm, is invariably referred to as a man-child on skates. At 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, the DeWitt, N.Y., native has the skill and strength to carry pucks into the offensive zone and overpower defenders. At the same time, Kirwan acknowledges there is some rawness to his game, which is why the 16-year-old who's an early fave to be a high pick in the 2016 NHL draft waited a year before committing to the OHL. He's confident he will better off for coming in now after spending last season with the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based U.S. under-17 team, where he was a point-a-game player while often facing older competition.

"Playing for my country was a privilege — winning a gold medal [at the world under-17 challenge] and playing overseas was a really good experience," Kirwan said in a phone interview with Buzzing The Net. "Playing for coach [Donny] Granato was a really good experience. I just really wanted to play in the OHL since I was young.

"He taught me a lot about how to analyze the game. I read the ice a lot better as time went on and I got to read what my linemates were doing. He just went through a lot of systems and watched a lot of video... when I first went in, I just played and now I understand what I need to do in order to score and where I need to go to position myself. My hockey IQ increased playing for him.

"I went to the [U.S. national team development] program and I liked it there and here am I now going to Windsor," added Kirwan, who tallied 13 points in six games while leading Team USA to the gold medal in last winter's World Under-17 Challenge. "I'm really excited, I've been waiting for this for a while."

Kirwan does not turn 17 until Sept. 23, the eve of the OHL season, making him too young for the 2015 NHL draft. Several grads of the U.S. NTDP who faced a similar situation — Patrick Kane and Seth Jones most notably — have played major junior only after spending a full two seasons in Ann Arbor.

'Get the adapting stage over with'

Current Chicago Blackhawks centre Brandon Saad also waited until his age-18 season before joining the Saginaw Spirit in 2010-11. Saad went through a learning curve that season and his Central Scouting ranking slipped before he became a second-round steal for the 'Hawks. Kirwan believes he can get most of the rough spots out of the way before that all-important draft season.

"I just thought I should get adapted to the OHL before, because I have a year to first show myself and then a year to develop and get drafted, hopefully," said Kirwan, who also spent a season with the Middlesex Islanders as a 15-year-old. "I can get the adapting stage over with rather than just having my 18 year in the OHL.

"My advisers, my parents, have let me do that," Kirwan added. It was a big decision. We thought about it for a long time."

The Spitfires, who do not have a returning 20-goal scorer beyond New York Islanders first-rounder Josh Ho-Sang and prospective overage Brady Vail, could certainly use an injection of offence.

"I need to work on everything, Nobody can be too fast so I want to work on my speed a lot. I want to work on my acceleration, my ability, my shot, my hands, my passing — everything."

Kirwan, whom Guelph chose in the second round of the 2013 OHL priority selection, did not have a NCAA commitment. From an early age, he was intent on the major junior route.

"It's pretty common for people in Syracuse to know about the OHL since we're so close to Ontario [two hours from the border]. A lot of people have went — Rob Schremp, Tim Connolly, [Los Angeles Kings captain] Dustin Brown, Ryan Callahan, all these guys."

That started at a very early age. Kirwan fondly recalls seeing the Spitfires play at the old Windsor Arena.

"I was actually playing in a tournament in Detroit when I was about eight years old and we went up to a Windsor game. It was the old barn. I loved the fans, I loved the rink, I loved the hockey."

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.