The goal of Pittsburgh Penguins Elite is to promote the development of young hockey players in the region to allow each player to maximize his or her potential. Whenever players from the Pens Elite program graduate to the next step of their hockey careers, it is an accomplishment that everyone in the region should be proud of. This past weekend, the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) held its annual draft and two Pens Elite players were selected.

With the 174th pick, the London Knights selected 16U forward Dane Dowiak. The Wexford, PA native is coming off a campaign in which he registered 19 goals and 11 assists; good for 30 points in only 28 games. London Knights made the playoffs this season after posting a 39-25-2-2 record; good enough for 5th place in the Western Conference. London won its most recent Memorial Cup in 2016 and have won the OHL Championship three times since 2012.

Joining Dowiak in the OHL’s 2018 draft class is Aidan Campbell, a Pittsburgh Penguins Elite goaltender. Campbell was selected with the 224th pick in Saturday’s OHL Draft by the Erie Otters. Campbell is coming off a strong season with the 15U Pens Elite squad that saw him post 16 wins and a .933 save percentage along with 3 shutouts in 28 games. The Otters are coming off an up and down season in which they missed the playoffs but the team recently won its second OHL championship in the 2016-17 season.

The presence of two more Pittsburgh Penguins Elite players drafted into the Ontario Hockey League is an accomplishment that should not be overlooked. The OHL is one of three major junior hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. As Western Pennsylvania continues to develop as a hockey hotbed, elite hockey players will continue to make the leap to the OHL and eventually to the professional level.