Greyhounds forward Jordan Charron. (Photo: Terry Wilson, OHL Images)

By the second day of the NHL Entry Draft, the fanfare has mostly left the building, along with many of the players and their families. By the time the fifth round gets underway, it begins to feel like what it is: A basic exercise in human resources management.  

Jordan Charron was selected near the end of that round, going at No. 154 overall, to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Nobody had spent much time discussing him beforehand — not in any of the endless pre-draft ranking lists, and not in the panel discussions. 

They are talking about him now. 

Charron, a forward with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, sits near the top of the OHL’s goal-scoring list, with 17 through 24 games this season. The path to the NHL from being pick No. 154 is long, but Charron is making the journey.  

“He really put the work in this summer,” his mother, Jenn, tells Janson Duench. “When he came home, he had a couple weeks off, and then he was at the gym working out five days a week, and eating and eating — like, he ate a lot — but he was very dedicated.” 

Charron split his draft-eligible season between the OHL and its feeder system, the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. He has already set a career-high for goals in a single season in junior hockey, and it is still only November.   

There is still a long way to go: According to HockeyDB, only four players selected with the No. 154 pick have gone on to play at least 100 games in the NHL 

“Now you see him throughout the game and he doesn’t drop off. That’s why he continues to get chances,” Greyhounds GM Kyle Raftis tells Duench. “That’s where you’re seeing that work he put in over the summer really pay off.” 

You can read the whole story right here. 

Caden Taylor, the 18-year-old forward recently acquired by the Owen Sound Attack, owns a shot that might be ready for the NHL, but a drive that needed a reset this season.  

His drive stalled in Peterborough, and he left the Petes last month to return home on what was described as a personal leave. The trade made that leave permanent. 

“I went home to find myself, find my game, and find that happiness again," Taylor tells our Greg Cowan. "That’s no diss to Peterborough, I think they’re a really great organization, it was just not a good fit for me, and I think that’s just part of the game.” 

Taylor did not hear his name called at the NHL Entry Draft earlier this year. As Cowan notes in the Owen Sound Sun Times, there have been questions about his effort in the defensive zone. 

“It wasn’t planned, but I’m really happy I did take that week off and find myself and find what I want to do with the sport and where I want to play,” he tells Cowan. “I think it will be a lot better for me as a fit. I agree with Mike Oke (Peterborough’s general manager), I don’t think (Peterborough) was a great fit for me, systematically.” 

You can read the full story right here.

Petes forward Thanasi Marentette, squaring up. (Photo: Jacob Robinson)

“I’ve been told by many people I’m an a***** on the ice,” says Petes defenceman Thanasi Marentette, “but off the ice you can ask any one of my teammates and they’ll say he’s one of the nicest kids they’ve met.” 

Marentette had 32 penalty minutes through his first 17 games this season, which might go a long way to support the impression some have developed about him. Off the ice, though, he is trying to use his name for a good cause.  

In an interview with Mike Davies, the veteran Petes reporter at the Peterborough Examiner, Marentette discusses a new charitable initiative in his name. He is launching Marentette’s Mission, which invites fans to donate winter clothing to support Street Level Advocacy and the Kawartha Haliburton Children’s Aid Foundation. 

“It’s a privilege every morning to wake up in a nice clean warm bed in a nice house," he tells Davies. "The people you see (on the street) are not. They wake up looking over their shoulder off a sidewalk whether it’s raining, snowing or sun out. 

“It’s a blessing you live the way you do and I want to give back to these people who aren’t as fortunate." 

If you have a subscription to Metroland, you can read the whole story right here. 

Jay McKee, future NHL coach?. (Photo: Brian Thompson, The Expositor)

Jay, in this case, is Jay McKee, coach of the red-hot Brantford Bulldogs. And as our Brian Smiley writes in the Brantford Expositor, McKee’s work is not going unnoticed.  

“Jay always had a knack for understanding the game, that’s part of the reason why he played so long in the NHL,” Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Briere tells Smiley. “He’s a student of the game. 

“I think Jay’s got a great chance to be an NHL coach, I’m pretty convinced of that.” 

Briere and McKee are former NHL teammates, having played together in Buffalo. Briere was in the building when McKee recorded win No. 300 of his OHL career this month.  

“He’s highly intelligent,” says Briere. “He’s figured out that that’s how he has to be to get everybody on board, to get everybody to buy in. 

“His calm demeanour, I think that reflects his team as well.” 

You can read the full story right here. 

(Photos: xxx)

Let's get right to it, with the video of the slash, right here. 

Brampton Steelheads defenceman Luke Dragusica has been suspended indefinitely after slashing Oshawa Generals defenceman Brady Blaseg in the face during a game last week.