Anthony Romani & Dalyn Wakely have undoubtedly been the best duo in the OHL this year, but they are late bloomers. Will they be selected in the NHL Draft as older players?
North Bay Battalion forwards Anthony Romani — born in 2005 — and Dalyn Wakely — born in 2004 — have been one of the most dominant duos in major junior hockey.
Romani currently leads all OHL players in scoring with 78 points in 49 games, on pace for over 100 points. His centre is Dalyn Wakely, who trails not too far behind him with 70 points in 48 games.
Both forwards are undrafted, despite being two of the best in the OHL this season.
Last year — the 2023 NHL Draft — was Romani's draft year. Unfortunately, Romani spent a lot of last season buried in North Bay's bottom six and didn't get too many opportunities to shine. The Battalion did have a lot of high end talent last season, a reasonable explanation for his push down the depth chart.
This season however, Romani has been "the guy" in every situation. His shot is finding the back of the net anytime he has a lane. Romani's ability to walk himself into open, high danger areas in the offensive zone is what has allowed him to score 42 goals. He has a good shot, not a spectacular one, but it is his awareness and ability to create space that has brought him success. He also has the vision to find lanes from far out, it is not rare to see him let shots go from the point.
Romani has proven that his skillset is advanced compared to his competition, though he has proven it a year later than his draft season. Nonetheless, Romani has a great chance of getting selected by a team this June in the NHL Draft.
Though he is a slightly late-bloomer, Romani's projection is a top-six winger after his performance this season. His speed, ability to create space, hockey sense, and uncanny finishing ability are going to allow him to translate to the professional level seamlessly. If Romani returns back for another year of major junior, watch out.
For centre Dalyn Wakely, he has a lesser chance because he will be twenty-years-old on draft day. Nonetheless, we can't overlook his performance this season and even last season.
Wakely might have been the quietest 30-goal-scorer last season in North Bay, he was playing as a middle-six centre and not getting a lot of the spotlight. This season, Wakely is the number one centreman and he has not disappointed.
His overall vision and passing ability is what has made Wakely so impressive this season. We know he can score goals, we saw that last season. But this season he is proving his playmaking side. Romani would not be as successful without Wakely's set-ups this season, and vise-versa.
Wakely rarely turns over the puck and he knows where his teammates are without even looking at them. His awareness with the puck and understanding of seams is high-end.
Both of these players will hope to hear their names called in Vegas this June, but even if they don't, they have bright futures ahead of them. Both have a season-or-two left in major junior, and they will do nothing but dominate again next season.
North Bay might have the most dangerous first line in hockey with Romani, Wakely, and Owen Van Steensel. They will be a nightmare to deal with come playoffs, considering their dangerous offence and structured play style.