The Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League announced this morning that they have selected left wing Stephen Harper of the Burlington Eagles with the 12th overall pick in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection being held today via the Internet and conference call.

A resident of Burlington, Ontario, Harper collected 38 goals and 24 assists in 55 games this season for the Eagles. Harper is a 6-foot, 180-pound left wing that can also play on defense, as he played on the blue line through most of his career.

Harper is a player who likes to model himself after Calgary Flames star Jarome Iginla because of his leadership, goal scoring and character. He is also a model student, earning honors at Nelson High School in Burlington.

With their second round pick (34th overall), the Otters drafted center Jake Evans out of the Welland Tigers Minor Midget program. Evans scored 27 goals and added 46 assists in 59 games this season. A native of St. Catharines, Ontario, Evans now resides in Thorold. He is an honors student at Thorold High School and his favorite NHL player is San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton.

Here are the Otters’ other draft picks:

4th round – G Corey Foster (5-11, 165), Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs — 2.13 GAA, 4 SO in 39 games; Otters’ highest draft pick for a goaltender since Brandon Maxwell in the 2nd round in 2007.

5th round – D Patrick Murphy (6-0, 175), Hill Academy (Concord, ON) — 13 goals, 30 points in 37 games

5th round – D Sean Power (6-0, 170), Markham Majors – 1 goal, 18 points, 44 penalty minutes in 58 games

5th round – G Devin Williams (5-10, 145), Motor City Metal Jackets U16 – 2.17 GAA, 2 SO in 10 games

6th round – RW Nick Betz (6-3, 200), Detroit Little Caesars U16s — 9 goals, 17 points, 28 penalty minutes in 35 games

6th round – LW Ryan Coulter (5-9, 170), Welland Tigers (Harper’s teammate) — 29 goals, 72 points, 72 penalty minutes in 52 games

7th round – C Jordan Dunin (5-9, 165), York Simcoe Express — 3 goals, 9 points in 11 games

- From Erie Otters news release, staff reports