Pine’s Voit drafted in OHL and USHL

By: Kevin Lohman
Thursday, June 13, 2019 | 9:25 PM

Pine resident Ty Voit recently received two of the biggest honors of his hockey career within the span of one month when he was selected in the 2019 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection draft and the 2019 United States Hockey League Phase I draft.

The honors were a significant thrill for Voit, who was selected in his first year of eligibility for both leagues.

“Going into things, I had a pretty good understanding of what might happen or where I might end up,” Voit said.

“But it still came as a huge surprise. It was just such an honor to see it all happen. Hockey is year-round for me and with how much work I put into everything, to see it all pay off was just a great feeling.”

Voit, a Pine-Richland rising sophomore, was picked in the OHL draft April 6 with the 89th selection by the Sarnia Sting. The OHL is one of three major junior ice hockey leagues that make up the Canadian Hockey League and is considered to be one of the world’s premiere hockey associations for players aged 16 to 21.

In the USHL draft May 6, he was chosen ninth overall by the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. The USHL is similar to the OHL but is sanctioned by USA Hockey and consists of players aged 20 and younger. USHL players are also allowed to compete in NCAA hockey, whereas OHL players are not.

Being selected in both drafts represented major feats for Voit, who said he has been aiming to accomplish his goals of being drafted into the OHL and USHL for years.

“They’ve always been goals for me, being drafted. At a young age, I just learned to have fun and play the sport. I always thought about getting better, and I’ve always worked hard but it’s also just fun to be out there on the ice,” he said.

“When you’re young, you have to know where you want to go and set goals for yourself if you want to be able to do it for as long as you can. For the last two years, these two drafts have been running through my mind all the time.”

Currently, Voit plays center for the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 15’s. While his future plans are unspecified, he is simply riding the high of his accomplishments while maintaining a steady work ethic.

“This has been a passion for me since I started playing, so my biggest long-term goal is just to make it as far as I can,” Voit said.

“The next step in the process is just to keep getting better and keep improving out there. Then, we’ll see what comes next.”

Tags: Pine-Richland