Sarnia Sting duo drop in NHL draft rankings

Sarnia Sting duo drop in NHL draft rankings

Edwards is 69th in the final rankings released Thursday after being 46th in the mid-term. The Sting placed ninth in the Ontario Hockey League’s Western Conference and missed the playoffs for a third straight year. They have no other players in the NHL Central Scouting rankings.

The six-foot-one, 188-pound Di Iorio is now with Team Canada preparing for the IIHF under-18 world championship in Slovakia. He’s on the preliminary roster after winning gold at the U18 worlds last year. Sting captain Di Iorio had 12 goals and 31 points in 45 games this season after posting 11 goals and 38 points in 58 games as a rookie.

The six-foot-one, 187-pound Edwards wasn’t invited to Canada’s U18 camp this year after making the preliminary roster last year. Edwards has a pair of 45-point seasons in his OHL career. After scoring 25 goals in 62 games as a rookie, his production dipped this season to 19 goals in 64 games.

He endured a 15-game goal drought in the second half, but he finished strong with 11 points in his final eight games. Ex-Sting forward Ryan Brown is 184th in the final rankings after being omitted from the mid-term rankings. He enjoyed a huge turnaround after a mid-season trade to the London Knights.

The third-year OHLer had 16 goals and 40 points in 33 games with the Knights after posting six goals and 23 points in 34 games with the Sting. He’s draft-eligible for the first time because of his October birthday. The NHL draft will be June 26-27 in Buffalo, N.Y.