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USHL Phase I Draft: 30 names to remember

By Peter Odney, 04/27/23, 4:00PM CDT

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After 29 Minnesotans were selected in last year's Phase I USHL Draft, how many can the State of Hockey produce in 2023?

73 Minnesotans picked in last season's USHL drafts


Chanhassen's Owen Buesgens was selected in the seventh round of last year's Phase I Draft.

The 2023 USHL Phase I and Phase II Drafts are slated to begin on May 2 and May 3, with the next wave of junior hockey talent on deck to be picked up by a USHL squad. 

A year ago, 73 Minnesotans were taken across the two drafts, including 45 players that had played high school hockey in Minnesota during the 2021-2022 season. 29 players born in 2006 were taken among last year's Phase I selections, while 44 more were selected in Phase II. 

Chaska defenseman Adam Kleber was the lone 2006-born Minnesotan taken in the first round last season, selected by the Lincoln Stars. A Minnesota Duluth commit, Kleber registered eight assists for the Stars during the 2022-2023 season. Second-round picks included Will Zellers (Green Bay) and Carson Clark (Des Moines).

In the 2022 Phase II Draft, four Minnesotans were taken in the first round. Barrett Hall, Aaron Pionk, and Leo Gruba went No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5, respectively, while goaltender Hobir Hedquist was picked 14th overall by Sioux Falls. Javon Moore, Brady Yakesh, and Harper Bentz were second-round selections in 2022. 

Below is an overview of the two drafts and an explanation of roster sizing from the USHL website. 


Chaska native Adam Kleber was the first Minnesotan off the board during last year's Phase I Draft, going 11th overall to Lincoln.

The USHL Draft takes place during the first week of May each year and is completed in two “Phases”.

Phase I of the Draft is ten rounds of “Futures” age players only, which are U-17 players for next year’s season (2007 birth year players only for the 2023 Draft).

Phase II of the Draft will take place the following day beginning with round one. This draft is open to players of all ages eligible to play junior hockey and are not currently protected by another USHL team.  Teams will fill their roster to a total of 45 players on this date; this includes players that were previously on a team’s Affiliate List. The total number of players that a team will draft will vary depending on the number of Affiliate players a team may have.  All veteran roster players from the 2022-23 season are automatically protected by their current team, separate from the list of 45 players.

Teams will have their tryouts in June and July. Teams will typically have 60-80 players at their training camps. By July 10th, teams must be down to a 30-man protected and 18-man affiliate list. Undrafted players have the opportunity to go to any team’s camp and make the team as a tryout player.

Before the season starts, teams will be required to have their team rosters cut down to 25 players and teams are allowed to carry an 18-man affiliate list of players. (From the USHL website)


Hermantown's Dallas Vieau was the lone Minnesota native picked by Tri-City in the 2022 Phase I Draft.

A deeper look at ten players who could get the call

Max Anderson 
Cretin-Derham Hall 

One of the rare freshmen who not only made a varsity roster but also contributed, Anderson piled up 15 goals and 26 points during Cretin-Derham Hall’s run to the Class AA State Tournament’s third-place game. Anderson’s 15 goals were third among CDH skaters last season.

In addition to his offensive skills and production, Anderson was also trusted by the Raider coaching staff enough to earn significant time on the power play and penalty kill.


Max Anderson celebrates during Cretin-Derham Hall's state quarterfinal win over Maple Grove in March.

Ryder Betzold
Gentry Academy 

The Farmington native recorded eight goals and 24 points during the fall of 2022 for the Minnesota Blades’ 15U team, ranking third behind Tri-City tender Cooper Simpson and Rogers standout Parker Deschene.

During the high school season, the sophomore finished second among Gentry Academy skaters in goals (20) and total points (33). Betzold’s production helped the Stars to the Section 4AA finals before falling to Hill-Murray. 

Nolan Geerdes 
Rogers 

YHH is no stranger to the Rogers “Bubble Boys” Mason Jenson and Parker Deschene, who have been mainstays on YHH tournament scoresheets since their Squirt days. 

Patrolling the blueline behind Jenson and Deschene is Geerdes, a swift-footed defender who racked up a ridiculous 67 assists and 83 points during his last season of youth hockey for the Royals’ Bantam AA team. 

This season, the sophomore was second among Rogers defensemen in scoring with three goals and 23 points, finishing behind only team captain and St. Thomas commit Chase Cheslock. 


Nolan Geerdes finished second among Rogers defenders in scoring last season with 23 points.

Gavin Katz
Shattuck-St. Mary's 15O 

Originally from Dellwood and a Mahtomedi Youth Hockey Association product, Katz opted to move on to Shattuck-St. Mary’s for his 14U season in 2021-2022. 

In two years with the Sabre program, Katz has totaled 55 goals and 109 points, including a 34-30-64 stat line this past season as the Sabres finished second nationally after losing 3-2 to the Los Angeles Jr. Kings in the USA Hockey 15O title game.

At Nationals, Katz was second among SSM skaters with six points in six games. He tied with Wayzata’s Brittan Alstead with seven points during the recent HP 16 Final 54 camp, and was selected to represent Minnesota at this year’s HP 16 National Camp.


Gavin Katz helped Shattuck-St. Mary's to a runner-up finish at this year's USA Hockey Nationals.

Mason Kraft 
Moorhead

Kraft averaged more than two points per game during his fall stint with the 15O Blue Ox of the Minnesota Hockey Tier I Fall League, scoring 12 goals and handing out 21 assists for a team-high 33 points. 

The sophomore’s ice vision and distribution skills helped the Moorhead varsity to 19 wins and yet another appearance in the Class AA State Tournament, with Kraft leading the team in assists with 31 and finishing second in points with 38. 

Kraft is the son of former University of Minnesota standout and 1995 San Jose Sharks draft pick Ryan Kraft, who is also the head coach of the Moorhead High School girls’ varsity team.


Moorhead's Mason Kraft recorded 31 assists last year in his first season of varsity hockey.

Malachi McKinnon 
Long Island Gulls 16U 

After scoring 18 goals and totaling 52 points as a freshman at Forest Lake, McKinnon played well during this fall’s Upper Midwest High School Elite League, then parlayed that success into 18 points in the Rangers’ first eight games of the 2022-2023 season. 

In early January 2023, McKinnon took an offer from the Long Island Gulls Tier I program to join its 16U team, leaving Forest Lake and billeting with a host family while taking home-school courses through the Forest Lake Area School District, according to an article published by the Hometown Source in early March. 

McKinnon impressed with the Gulls, recording three goals and six points during the team’s run to the 16U Tier I national championship last month. Since Nationals, McKinnon has returned to Forest Lake, where he is continuing his varsity tennis career.


Malachi McKinnon played for MAP South during last fall's Upper Midwest High School Elite League.

Holden Pajor
Holy Family Catholic
 

Pajor is listed as 5-foot-7 and 120 pounds according to the Minnesota Hockey Hub, but his Elite Prospects page puts him at 5-foot-10 and 146 pounds. The most accurate metrics may lie somewhere in the middle, but what Pajor lacks in prototype height and weight, he more than makes up for in production. 

The Holy Family Catholic sophomore helped the Fire to 20 wins last season, recording 25 goals and 61 points across 26 games. Prior to joining the Fire roster, Pajor was a standout in the Minnetonka youth system, and also spent time in the Portland Jr. Winterhawks program, based in Portland, Oregon. 


Holden Pajor helped Holy Family Catholic to 20 wins during the 2022-2023 season.

Carson Steinhoff 
Shakopee 

Considered by some in the hockey community as a curious omission from the NTDP U17 tryout invitee list, Steinhoff has built a reputation as a high-quality defender for an up-and-coming Shakopee program. 

With already two seasons of varsity hockey under his belt as a freshman, Steinhoff has totaled nearly 50 points, and helped the team to a 16-11 record during the 2022-2023 season. The Sabres’ season ended with a close 3-1 loss to eventual Class AA state champion Minnetonka during the Section 2AA semifinals.

The 16 victories were the most by a Shakopee boys’ team in 15 years. 


Carson Steinhoff has been a mainstay on the Shakopee varsity blueline for two seasons.

Kade Stengrim
Brainerd 

Stengrim checks in at a cool 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, giving junior and college scouts a frame to dream on, and Stengrim has the numbers to back up his physical potential. 

The Brainerd sophomore potted 18 goals and added 18 assists last season for the Warriors. Before the high school season, Stengrim notched seven goals and 12 points in 13 games during Minnesota Hockey’s High Performance Fall Tier I play. 

Mason West
Edina 

In his freshman season with the storied Edina High School program, West finished third in total scoring last season for the Class AA State Tournament runner-up Hornets, scoring nine goals and adding 18 assists. 

Like Stengrim, West has the body type that scouts and GMs dream of at 6-foot-4 and 181 pounds, according to Elite Prospects. West was invited to try out for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program’s Under-17 team in March, but will stay with the Hornets for at least his sophomore campaign.


Mason West tallied nine goals in his freshman season for Edina.

Player 2022-2023 Team Position
Henri Ament Shattuck-St. Mary’s 15O Forward
Max Anderson Cretin-Derham Hall Forward
Tyden Bergeson Moorhead Bantam AA Forward
Ryder Betzold Gentry Academy Forward
Landon Cottingham Hill-Murray Defense
Parker Deschene Rogers Forward
Jacob Faith St. Thomas Academy Defense
Nolan Geerdes Rogers Defense
Kyle Heger Shattuck-St. Mary’s 15O Defense
Mason Jenson Rogers Forward
Gavin Katz Shattuck-St. Mary’s 15O Forward
Danny Klaers Minnetonka Defense
Gavin Kor Shattuck-St. Mary’s 15O Forward
Mason Kraft Moorhead Forward
Brady Krey Northstar Christian 16U Goaltender
Casper Lang Hill-Murray Defense
Malachi McKinnon Long Island Gulls 16U Forward
Brandon Mickelson Moorhead Bantam AA Defense
Mason Minor Benilde-St. Margaret’s Defense
Mason Moe Eden Prairie Forward
Eli Molde Wayzata Bantam AA Forward
Holden Pajor Holy Family Catholic Forward
Sam Peckham Edina Bantam AA Defense
Jacob Rombach Spring Lake Park Defense
KJ Sauer Andover Forward
Sam Schulte Mounds View Defense
Sam Spehar Sioux Falls Forward
Carson Steinhoff Shakopee Defense
Kade Stengrim Brainerd Forward
Mason West Edina Forward

Casper Lang was one piece of a young and talented Hill-Murray defensive group last season.

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