KINGSTON, Ont. — It felt familiar. The stage backdropped by giant screens that played highlights of famous NHL stars. The tables lining the floor where the ice normally sits, team logos decorating them. The families, seated in the lower bowl, exchanging hugs with their kids as dreams came true. The kids, walking through the crowd and down the royal blue carpet leading to the stage. The handshake, the jersey and hat handoff and the staged photo with the player and brass.Two hours before Vaughan Kings forward Kane Cloutier became the next in a long line of first-overall picks into the OHL, the floor was already buzzing with the league’s executives and head coaches, dressed in suits and mingling.An hour before its 7 p.m. start time, the commissioner, Bryan Crawford, held his state of the union with the gathering media.It had been 26 years since the OHL had hosted a centralized draft. But inside the Slush Puppie Place at 1 The Tragically Hip Way in downtown Kingston, it felt familiar because it felt like the NHL Draft. And that, in and of itself, is a big win for the sport’s preeminent junior league as it endeavors to maintain that status.Crawford made one thing clear, too: The return to this kind of OHL Draft is here to stay, a day to mark on the calendar and to welcome the players into the league with a worthy show.In Crawford’s opening remarks to the crowd, he drew loud applause from the parents, players and traveling fans in attendance when he reaffirmed that.Throughout the afternoon, those players and parents, as well as their agents and team personnel, flowed in and out of the city’s restaurants.Just before the draft started, once the players and their families were in their seats, a video played highlighting all of the new arenas and arena upgrades that were coming. In it, Gary Roberts, who was also down on the draft floor in his suit with the Brantford Bulldogs, gave his pitch for the OHL.“It’s something that I’m really excited about,” said Saginaw Spirit general manager Dave Drinkill of what this new draft could do for the league. “I’ve been in the OHL for 20 years now and this is my first live draft. There’s a lot of talk of ‘Who are you taking? What are you thinking? What are you hearing?’ It allows GMs to talk about the future and the summer. I think it’s phenomenal.”It was a night to celebrate the players, but also clearly one designed to sell the league.“I think it’s a fantastic thing for the players, for the families. It’s like a mini NHL Draft,” London Knights associate general manager Rob Simpson said. “It’s pretty spectacular (in here).”John Tavares and his son Jace made the first pick on behalf of the Oshawa Generals.Matthew Schaefer announced the second pick for the Erie Otters. Both were not-so-subtle reminders.Sean Durzi followed for the Owen Sound Attack a few picks later. Then it was Doug Gilmour’s turn to pick for the host Frontenacs. North Bay brought three alums: Jay McClement, Ty Nelson and Dom DiVincentiis. By the time the night was done, Tye Kartye had also announced a pick for the Greyhounds.“I’m obviously biased, but this is the best development league in the world and the world stage needs to see it,” Sarnia Sting general manager Dylan Seca said. “I think we’ve got a presence and the way it looks from an NHL Draft perspective.”The OHL officially returned to an in-person, centralized draft model for the first time since 2000. (Charles Warburton / OHL)Introducing Kane CloutierWhat are the Generals getting in their No. 1 pick, who doesn’t turn 16 until Sunday?I asked him that question shortly after he was selected and he answered it quickly and confidently.“They’re going to get a fast, offensive forward that uses speed, creativity and gets fans out of their seats,” he said.Cloutier, the son of former OHL and NHL goalie Dan Cloutier, is a 5-foot-11.5, 159-pound center. He ranked No. 2 on the OHL’s consensus top 100 list, which compiled five provincial rankings, and registered 32 goals in 33 games last season for the Vaughan Kings, leading them to a GTHL title before finishing his draft year with 11 points in four games at the OHL Cup.