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At OHL draft, Flint Firebirds and Hamilton Bulldogs make Round 1 splash

Ryan McLeod went No. 3 overall to the Flint Firebirds (Aaron Bell, OHL Images)
Ryan McLeod went No. 3 overall to the Flint Firebirds (Aaron Bell, OHL Images)

Ryan McLeod and Matthew Strome, who already share a unique hockey bond, now also have the distinction of being the first players selected by the OHL's two  new centres.

The first round of the league's priority selection was more suspenseful than usual after the expected first two picks, Israel-born right wing David Levin to the Sudbury Wolves and Kingston centre Gabriel Vilardi to the Windsor Spitfires. Flint arguably made the first big splash/head-scratcher of the morning, nabbing McLeod at No. 3 overall one pick ahead of the Mississauga Steelheads, where his older brother Mike just completed a promising rookie season. There is storng suspicion that McLeod might not be eager to report to the Firebirds, as he did not appear at the media availabililty that the OHL usually holds with the first three picks.

David Levin (middle), Gabe Vilardi (right) and Owen Tippett (left) were three of the top four picks in the 2015 OHL Priority Selection presented by State Farm on Saturday April 11, 2015. Photo by Aaron Bell/OHL Images
David Levin (middle), Gabe Vilardi (right) and Owen Tippett (left) were three of the top four picks in the 2015 OHL Priority Selection presented by State Farm on Saturday April 11, 2015. Photo by Aaron Bell/OHL Images

The family tie with McLeod, who was so close to playing at home with a sibling, touched off speculation about a possible defection. The Firebirds (formerly Plymouth Whalers) are likely to still be in a development cycle next season and could get a windfall, plus a compensatory first-round selection in a deeper 2016 priority selection draft, if McLeod does not report to training camp and his rights are traded.

Flint also lacks a second or third-round selection. Moving McLeod's rights might enable it to get capable players in return come September.

With McLeod taken, Mississauga, perennially in need of offence, took Owen Tippett at No. 4.

Five picks after Flint, Hamilton coach-GM George Burnett went for a big left wing with a major hockey bloodline by taking the 6-foot-3, 182-pound Strome, who will soon have distinction of having two brothers who have been top-5 NHL draft picks. The 16-year-old Strome isn't considered as top-echelon as brothers Ryan and Dylan, but could still be very could.

A quick synopsis of Round 1:

— In a wide-open draft, the Peterborough Petes opted for intangibles at No. 5, choosing 6-foot-2, 175-pound centre Zach Gallant from the Mississauga Rebels. At the other end of the spectrum, Saginaw expended its No. 6 pick on a playmaker, Brady Gilmour from Quinte, who could be an intriguing player to collaborate with its 2014 top pick, Tye Felhaber, who had 21 goals as a 16-year-old.

— Hamilton chose Strome while the best player in its backyard, mobile defenceman Hayden Davis, was on the board. Davis could be staying close to home, as he went No. 13 to the nearby Niagara IceDogs.

— The Kitchener Rangers got the most "explosive skater" at No. 12, taking Greg Meireles from Orleans, Ont. The last Ranger to lead the league in scoring, Jason Akeson in 2010-11, also hailed from Orleans. It's a 180 from Kitchener's approach last spring when it took Adam Mascherin, whose skating needed to catch up to his high hockey IQ.

— North Bay, as Bay Today anticipated, went local for the first time since moving to the near north by taking hometown defenceman Brady Lyle at No. 18. Lyle played at the famed Shattuck-St. Mary's prep school, but it's expected he will report to the Battalion.

— Four U.S.-based players went in the first round. Not surprisingly given Derian Hatcher's takeover of the franchise, the Sarnia Sting took Detroit centre Sasha Chmelevski at No. 10 overall. The Barrie Colts, at No. 19, took undersized playmaker Jacob Tortora, an upstate New York native who played minor hockey in the Toronto area.

With the following pick, Erie jumped to take skilled forward Ivan Lodnia of Nova, Mich.; the post-Connor McDavid exodus the Otters will have, that should mean a lot of ice time to entice a high-end forward.

Twoo-way centre Jack Studnicka, who's from Tecumseh, Ont., but played for Detroit Belle Tire, went  No. 21 to the Oshawa Generals. The centre could potentially play next season against his brother Sam Studnicka, an overage candidate for the Ottawa 67's.

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