Nine of the 32 first-round picks on day one of the NHL draft were players belonging to OHL teams.
All of the trappings of the NHL draft were on display last night, as teams added fresh blood to their organizations.
Smiling players hugged their families as their names were called out on stage, pundits discussed the potential of each pick and one excited San Jose fan nearly drowned out the microphone with his screams of "GO SHARKS!"
At the conclusion of the first round, you didn't have to look hard to find all of the regular speculation, hype and analysis. Fans on social media engaged in debate over their team's newest players arguing over minutia and trying to figure out whether or not they now have a game breaker to cheer for.
While these discussions are largely speculation brought on by an understandable effusion of hope, one thing is clear when you look at the first 32 picks. The OHL was very well represented.
For the first time since 2016 (when there were only 30 teams in the league), nine OHL players were selected in the first round of the NHL draft.
In fact, the OHL lead the way with 28 per cent of all picks coming from the league. The next closest league was the USHL who's six picks made up 18.75% per cent of players drafted.
In the last 10 years, only the 2014 draft class had more OHL players taken in the first round. That year, 10 OHL players were taken in the first round including Aaron Ekblad and Sam Bennett who just won the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers.
There were several highlights amongst this year's group of nine picks that should not be glossed over.
Beckett Sennecke was the first OHL player taken in the draft going to the Anaheim Ducks at third overall. While some fans argue that this pick have been a reach, many analysts think Sennecke makes an excellent addition to Anaheim's prospect pool. They like his size, skill and scoring ability.
Zayne Parekh became the first OHL defenseman selected going ninth overall to the Calgary Flames. Parekh's offensive ability is without question. He scored 96 points last season on his way to a Memorial Cup victory with Saginaw.
Sam Dickinson of the London Knights was taken 11th overall by the San Jose Sharks and Jett Luchanko was taken 13th after Philadelphia traded down in the draft.
At 24th overall, the Barrie Colts' Cole Beaudoin became the second player ever to be drafted by the new team in Utah.
Subsequently, Liam Greentree was taken by the LA Kings, who have often favored OHL players in the first round, and Marek Vanacker went to Chicago immediately after.
The final two picks in the draft were also OHL players. Ben Danford of the Oshawa Generals went to Toronto with the 31st pick while Sam O'Reilly of the London Knights became an Oiler.
Beyond the OHL, it was a strong year for North American skaters. Ultimately, 28 of the prospects taken came from North American leagues while 8 came from European leagues.
Among those eight players taken from European leagues was Michael Brandsegg-Nygard who became the first Norwegian player to be drafted in the first round.
The NHL draft will resume at 11:30 AM EST and continue throughout the rest of the day.
Now is clearly the time to pay close attention to the OHL. Many of the drafted players will return to their OHL teams next season to continue their development during what will undoubtedly be another exciting season.