Matthew Schaefer<\/a>, who recently captured the Calder Trophy as the NHL\u2019s rookie of the year.<\/p>\n\u201cFeels amazing just to be drafted by a first-class organization and have Matthew Schaefer call your name,\u201d Kennedy said during a live interview moments after being selected. \u201cIt\u2019s just an unreal feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"ohl\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/45406268-download-scaled.jpg\")
Colin Kennedy drafted by the Erie Otters 2nd overall in the 2026 OHL Priority Selection at Slush Puppie Place on Friday, June 12, 2026 in Kingston, Ont. Photo by David Pickering\/Pick\u2019s Pics\/OHL<\/p>\n
Kennedy, a five-foot-nine winger who spent the past three seasons with the prestigious Little Caesars program, entered the draft widely projected as a high first-round pick after a standout season that included 24 goals and 36 points in 20 games.<\/p>\n
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He also helped Little Caesars reach the quarterfinals of this spring\u2019s OHL Cup and was named his team\u2019s quarterfinal MVP after recording five goals and two assists in five tournament games.<\/p>\n
The selection continues a strong hockey lineage for Kennedy. His grandfather, former Soo Greyhounds star defenceman Craig Hartsburg, played 570 NHL games before moving into coaching, while his father, Craig Kennedy, spent five seasons with the Windsor Spitfires.<\/p>\n
Kennedy said he is eager to begin the next chapter with the Otters in Western Pennsylvania, where he will unite with uncle Chris Hartsburg, Erie\u2019s skills and development coach.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo excited to get to Erie and meet everyone and play in front of the fans and bring playoff hockey back to Erie,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The teenager was surrounded by family when his name was called at Slush Puppie Place in Kingston.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mom and my dad, my brother \u2014 I couldn\u2019t thank them enough,\u201d Kennedy said. \u201cAlso both my grandparents for driving me and sacrificing their time, and my trainers and all my coaches and my teammates that helped me get better and get to this point.\u201d<\/p>\n
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![\"ohl\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Kennedy-Colin-scaled.jpg\")
Sault Ste. Marie\u2019s Colin Kennedy is expected to be an early pick in the 2026 OHL Priority Selection after a standout season with Detroit Little Caesars U16 AAA. Photo by Dan Hickling\/OHL Images<\/p>\n
Erie general manager Dave Brown praised the competitive edge that made Kennedy one of the top prospects available.<\/p>\n
\u201cEntering our 30th anniversary, we are selecting a player who embodies throwback qualities,\u201d Brown said in a statement. \u201cFaithful fans \u2026 will absolutely love it. Colin\u2019s competitive drive and determination are world-class. He boasts an amazing skill set, defined by his elite speed, cutting ability, and talent for creating havoc among opponents.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brown added that Kennedy \u201cguarantees misery for anyone who visits the Erie Insurance Arena.\u201d<\/p>\n
In an interview with The Sault Star<\/a> earlier this year, Kennedy described his game as \u201cusing my speed, driving pucks to the net, making plays for my teammates and finishing when I get chances.\u201d<\/p>\nHe described his game as being a hybrid of NHL agitators Brad Marchand and Zach Hyman.<\/p>\n
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Share this article in your social network<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Breadcrumb Trail Links SportsHockeyJunior HockeyLocal Sports Grandson of former Greyhound Craig Hartsburg was announced by former 1st overall…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":218578,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[136,138,137],"class_list":["post-218577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-erie","tag-erie","tag-erie-headlines","tag-erie-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=218577"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218577\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/218578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=218577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=218577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=218577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"ohl\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/45417195-download-scaled.jpg\")
Erie Otters second-overall pick Colin Kennedy at the 2026 OHL Priority Selection at Slush Puppie Place on Friday, June 12, 2026 in Kingston, Ont. Photo by David Pickering\/Pick\u2019s Pics\/OHLArticle content<\/p>\n