Declan McCotter drafted by OHL’s Flint Firebirds

St. Marys native Declan McCotter, pictured during a game with the U16 Huron-Perth Lakers this past season, was drafted in the fourth round of the OHL Priority Selection, held June 12-13, by the Flint Firebirds.

By Spencer Seymour

St. Marys native Declan McCotter had his name called during day two of the 2026 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection June 13 when he was drafted in the fourth round by the Flint Firebirds.

McCotter reflected on how it felt to be drafted into the OHL.

“At first, I was just shocked,” noted McCotter. “But, now that I’ve had time to think about it, it’s an honour to get drafted to an OHL team. Obviously, it’s been a dream forever, but it’s just beyond words when it happens. You can’t explain it; it’s just an honour to play for a team like Flint. They have been a good team, they have good facilities, they have good fans, they have good players there, and it just seems like an all-around great place to go.”

McCotter detailed his experience of following the draft results from his home with members of his family and the celebrations that took place when the Firebirds chose him with the 77th overall pick, calling the day “one to remember.”

“It was an awesome weekend for sure,” McCotter said. “It was down in Kingston in-person for the first time in a while, but I didn’t go as it just seemed like a weekend that I wanted to spend with my parents, grandparents and family down here, and I didn’t want to make everybody go up to Kingston. Everybody was so happy to see it because everybody had worked so hard to get me to that point, so it was a good moment for everybody.

“We were in the kitchen. It was my mom, brother, dad and my papa who were all watching the draft, and I was the 77th pick, and my name popped up and everybody cheered, and there were lots of hugs and a bunch of photos and celebration. Then, shortly after that, Flint called me and gave me the rundown of what was going to happen in the next few weeks.”

Getting drafted, according to McCotter, was a fulfilling experience after years of developing as a player and overall athlete.

“It just feels nice to know that when you do work hard, you do get rewarded. Playing with the Lakers, you drive to a variety of different places, sometimes as far away as an hour and a half, and you skate and work hard for that time and then you play games on the weekend, and to have seven years of me and my family all working towards one thing and for it to happen, it just feels like all of it was worth it and that good things do happen when you work hard.”

This coming season, if he doesn’t stick with the Firebirds, McCotter is signed to play for the Greater Ontario Hockey League’s (GOHL) Stratford Warriors, where he wants to add some strength to become a more OHL-ready player.

“This year, I mainly want to develop into a player who can play in the OHL, and I’m doing that in Stratford this year. I mainly want to get stronger and put some meat on my bones before I go into the OHL because everybody said that the OHL is a more physical league. It’s the most physical junior league in the world, so you need to have muscle and you need to have that strength to be able to absorb checks and make plays.

“I think that I can just be a player that works hard every shift, doesn’t take a shift off and is just always out there to try and make plays and help the team,” McCotter continued. “Whether it’s scoring goals, finishing checks, penalty kill, powerplay, I can just be whatever they need and just compete every shift.”