1999's-The Draft Process of Minnesota Players Continues
Stillwater's Jesse Bjugstad was taken #130 overall in USHL Draft
Minnesota Hockey’s HP-16/17 program tryouts were completed in April. The result of the HP-16/17 program, the 2015 list of National Camp Attendees, was announced in early May. The USHL held its draft the first week of May and a number of Minnesota players selected in that draft participated in the HP-16/17 program. Last weekend, the NAHL completed its season and NAHL teams are preparing for their draft June 6th. Nine NAHL teams will be holding pre-draft camps in the Twin Cities area starting this weekend. All this is being done prior to the National Hockey League's 2015 Entry Draft. NHL will hold its draft starting June 26th and will pick players based on their birthdate (all players born on or after January 1st, 1995, and born on or before September 15th, 1997 are eligible). As one can see in this whirlwind of activity, hockey in Minnesota is still going full bore.
Lost in the drafting of last year's high school players moving on from high school is the incoming talent from the bantams and those high school players that will return. With the high school year ending in two weeks, high school coaches are conducting camps and playing in tourneys designed to give their up and coming players experience. These camps will open soon after the high school year ends. They will kick in the form of a summer camps from mid-June to the end of July as local high school coaches run clinics and enter teams in summer tourneys. Also lost in June and July are the Minnesota Hockey and USA Hockey evaluation camps for HP-15 boys and girls on the St. Cloud State’s campus. Towards the end of July, tryouts for local AAA programs and UMHSEL teams will begin in preparation for the 2015 fall season. As YHH has posted before, hockey never stops in Minnesota; the Minnesota arenas just get warmer.
1999 Born Minnesota Players: Minnesota hockey players born in 1999 went through the USA entry draft last May 5. In the 10 round, Phase 1 draft, 16 USHL teams picked 32 Minnesota hockey players. Of the 32 selected, 19 played in the HP-16 Final 54 Festival at the end of April including 13 of the 17 players that made Minnesota Hockey’s 2015 HP-16 National Camp Attendee list. Note that Minnesota Hockey's HP-15 summer camp will open in this June with a 102 HP-15 (2000 born) trying out for the Minnesota hockey's HP-15 National Camp Attendee list. Thirteen of the players on last year's HP-15 list were selected in this year's USHL Phase I draft. Four of the players on HP-15 2014 list have already been invited to participate in USA's NTDP and were not selected. Those four players will play for on USA's U17 team next season in the USHL.
Being selected in USHL Phase 1 draft offers these Minnesota high school players (currently in the ninth or tenth grade) a chance to explore playing junior hockey over the next two years while continuing to play high school hockey. Some of the top players in this group are faced with decisions. For example, Lakeville North’s Ryan Poehling was taken #1 in the Phase 1 draft overall by the Lincoln Stars. That is no surprise. But Ryan is a sophomore and the youngest of three brothers that formed last season’s Class AA champions, Lakeville North's, top line. Brothers Jack and Nick will be playing for St. Cloud State this fall and Ryan will join his brothers there two years from now. Ryan is strong enough to end up playing for the Stars next season. Another person facing choices is the overall #2 pick in the Phase I draft, defenseman Matt Anderson/Holy Family Catholic. Anderson will be a junior in the Fall playing for the Fire and that team had a great finish to their 2014-2015 season and seemed poised to make a run to state. But some of the top senior Fire players next season could leave the Fire for junior hockey. Anderson, already has a committed to play for UMD in two years, could be facing a tough decision.
Note: This is a simple key to understanding 1999 born players NHL Draft eligibility. For this year's 2015 NHL Draft, eligible players must be born on or before 9/15/97; 2016 NHL Draft before 9/15/98; 2017 before 9/15/99; and 2018 before 9/15/2000, All players selected by the USHL in Phase 1 this year are 1999 born and will be first eligible for the NHL draft in 2017 or 2018. If a player wants to test the draft in his first eligible year, playing a year in the USHL or the NAHL is considered a plus over returning to play a senior year in high school.
| # | Draft # | Name | School/USHL team | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #1 | Ryan Poehling | Lakeville North/Lincoln Stars | Poehling could play for Lincoln next fall. Ryan has grown in the past two years and is strong enough to make the move. He is on track to join his brothers Nick and Jack at St. Cloud State for the 2017-2018 season. |
| 2 | #2 | Matt Anderson | Holy Family Catholic/Green Bay | With the Fire's Will Garin and Tyler Rock also drafted in USHL's Phase II draft this year, will Anderson stay or move on? Will Garin and Rock stay at the Fire or move on? HFC won its last 11 regular season games before being edged by Benilde in Section 6AA 4-3. |
| 3 | #8 | Marko Reifenberger | Hill-Murray/Bloomington | Marko will be draft eligible for the NHL 2017 draft and will be a junior next fall at Hill-Murray. He moved from a sometimes player as a ninth grader behind Joey Anderson in 2013-2014 to the Hills' #1 line in the state tourney and was their #2 scorer last season. Being picked #8 in this draft means the scouts are catching up to his fast ascent. |
| 4 | #9 | Clayton Phillips | Edina/Fargo | Phillips made Minnesota Hockey's 2015 National Camp attendee list playing defense and played youth hockey as a rugged winger. He is one of four Hornet varsity players taken in this year's draft and may turn out to be that swing man that so many rosters need moving between defense and forward. Phillips will be eligible for the NHL 2017 draft by a few days. |
| 5 | #12 | Baron Thompson | Apple Valley/Dubuque | Use indelible ink and write him down on the Dubuque roster. The 6'5" 220lb winger loves to play hockey and he is only 16. |
| 6 | #21 | Conner Mayer | Benilde-St. Margaret's/Sioux City | Mayer made the HP-15 list last summer and played his first full season of varsity hockey this past year. A sophomore this year, Mayer is likely to return to the Red Knights next season. He should be playing hockey for Connecticut in the fall of 2017. Mayer will be eligible for the NHL 2017draft. Look for him to be at Sioux Falls for the 2016-2017 season. |
| 7 | #24 | Chase Hartje | Bemidji/Des Moines | A defenseman, Hartje's Lumberjack varsity team made the state tourney last March after sweeping Section 8AA opponents 13-0 in three games. He saw action at the Xcel as a ninth grader this year. Hartje made the HP-16 list and could end up on the USA U17 team in 2016-2017. If not, since Hartje is first NHL draft eligible in 2018 he could be in Des Moines for the 2017-2018 season. |
| 8 | #32 | Ben Copeland | Edina/Waterloo | Always a steady, hard working forward, Copeland skated wing with Bram Scheerer on Edina's #3 line in the state tourney last March. Sammy Walker centered the line. With the Hornet forwards heavily hit with graduation losses and potentially only one junior returning from the state tourney team, Walker's sophmore/freshman line will likely be the mainstay of the Hornets next fall. |
| 9 | #33 | Sammy Walker | Edina/Lincoln Stars | Playing at Edina, Walker was always the goal scorer on his line. He demonstrated that ability in the Final 54 Festival and made the HP-16 list. A ninth grader this year, Walker could end up playing in the NTDP program in his junior year. Until then, look for him and his line to lead the Hornets on another run to state tourney. |
| 10 | #34 | Grant Anderson | Wayzata/Green Bay | A good size defenseman that played last season for Wayzata's varsity team as a ninth grader, Anderson made Minnesota Hockey's HP-16 National Camp Attendee list this year. The phrase "on or before" is key for Anderson. His birth date falls on the dividing line between the 2017 and 2018 draft. |
Lakeville North sophomore Ryan Poehling (right) celebrates scoring in this South Suburban win over Farmington with senior brother Jack.
Omaha U16 Baron Thompson (#36) makes a play in last year's NAHL September Showcase at Blaine. The 6'5" 220lb Thompson played for the Apple Valley Association's peewee A team.
Benilde-St. Margaret's Connor Mayer (#18) is about to turn the puck and lead the charge up ice.
Jack Harris (#3) fends off Hermantown in the 2012 Peewee A State Tournament won by Prior Lake. The players on that team will be leading Prior Lake's varsity to their second South Suburban title next season. The Lakers should be a top 5 team next season.
Josh Ess (#5) and Jack Olsen (#13) leave the ice after losing the 2012 Peewee A Consolation title to Osseo/Maple Grove. Ess and Olsen were the 15th and 16th Minnesota players taken in the USHL's Phase I draft.
Ryan Sandelin (#11) playing in the 2012 Peewee A State Championship game for Hermantown. Sandelin made the 2014 HP-15 attendee list and ended up leading the Black team in goals scored (5 in 5 games)
Twelve of the thirty two Minnesota picks in USHL's Phase I draft of 1999 born were picked by YHH's Top 50 peewee A players just two or so years ago. Their names are in Italics. Some others Top 50 peewee A players, such as Austin Pratt and Scott Reedy, have already been spoken for in other ways and were not part of the Phase I draft.
That says there is always opportunity for players to grow, improve, and advance their hockey careers at the bantam and high school levels. No player is ever guaranteed a spot on tomorrow's teams. Those spots have to be earned.
| # | Draft # | Name | School/USHL team | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | #35 | Isaac Johnson | Anoka/Des Moines | Johnson is one of six 1999 born Minnesota Blades U16 players taken in the USHL's Phase I draft (Jake Begley, Jack Harris, Colin Baird, Clayton Phillips, Ben Copeland, and Sammy Walker were the others). Johnson, a National Camp Attendee the year, was the #2 scorer for the Anoka varsity last season. |
| 12 | #40 | Jack Harris | Prior Lake/Bloomington | Harris has proven to play a tough defense and continues to show the ability to rush the puck at opportune moments. The NAHL champions the Minnesota Wilderness were effective in the playoffs countering Austin's defense men rushing the puck by catching them out of position and turning it into a 2-on-1 rush on the Bruins' net. Harris has shown he is able to make the offensive play and cover a counterattack. He should be able to continue his offensive bursts at the next level. |
| 13 | #55 | Dylan Mills | Hill-Murray/Waterloo | Mills has added some height since making the 2014 National Camp Attendee list last year and skating on the Hill's #3 line at the state tourney as a ninth grader. NHL draft eligible in 2017 and with five senior forwards leaving the Pioneers, Mills will likely be teamed with Reifenberger leading the Hill to the Section 4AA title next March. |
| 14 | #57 | Cory Checco | Rochester John Marshall/Sioux Falls | Checco, like Phillips, has played a rugged forward in the past and like Harris will led the offense from a defensive position. He has the ability to play a fast wing wide and to turn the puck quickly. |
| 15 | #58 | Jack Olsen | Lakeville South/Fargo | Olsen keeps moving along. He was the #3 scorer for Lakeville South varsity last season posting 29 points in 24 games. He played for Lakeville's South Peewee A team in the 2012 Peewee A state tourney. He is one..... |
| 16 | #61 | Josh Ess | Lakeville South/Cedar Rapids | Ess made the South varsity last season and posted 20 points playing defense. He was on last year's HP-15 list of Minnesota players evaluated for USA teams and returns this year. South will challenge rival Lakeville North this year in the South Suburban with Ess and Olsen at defense. Ess started playing hockey for the Apple Valley association. As a squirt, he skated with Baron Thompson. Bear with us and read further. Ess is two.... |
| 17 | #63 | Ryan Sandelin | Hermantown/Sioux City | A sophomore, Sandelin saw action playing defense at the Xcel in Hermantown's annual quest to avoid second place in the Class A state tourney. The Hawks didn't and ended last March hanging their sixth straight runner-up banner from the Hermantown Arena's ceiling. A defenseman at the end of last season, Sandelin made the HP-16 list as a forward this year. He can swing between forward and defense and with only one center returning from the Hawk's tourney team, Sandelin will be back trying to get the right banner to hang. |
| 18 | #65 | Erik Dahl | Shattuck-St. Mary's/Sioux City | Erik Dahl moved from Lakeville South hockey to Shattuck two years ago. He is three... the third player picked in this year's USHL draft from the Lakeville Association's South 2012 peewee A state tourney team. Henry Enebak and Austin Pratt were also on the South peewee A team. Enebak was drafted in Phase II and Pratt will play for the USA U17 team next year as part of the NTDP. |
| 19 | #67 | Carson Kosobud | Moorhead/Fargo | Kosobud skated peewee hockey for the Desert Youth Hockey Association in the Phoenix AZ area and returned to Moorhead to play youth hockey. He made the HP-15 National Camp Attendee list last summer, played for the Moorhead varsity last winter, and made the HP-16 list this year. |
| 20 | #77 | Jake Begley | Hill-Murray/Cedar Rapids | Begley split regular season goal tending duties but was the starting goalie for Hill-Murray in post season play posting a 3-1 record (losing to eventual state champs Lakeville North 4-1). With the only returning goalie for the Pioneers, Begley looks set to make a run for the state title this year with Dylan Mills and Marco Reifenberger returning. |
| 21 | #83 | Lucas McGregor | Centennial/Des Moines | McGregor played on Centennial Association's bantam AA team in 2014-2015 that ended the season NOW ranked #1 in the state. He tried out in 2014 for the HP-15's and didn't succeed, played bantams, tried out for the HP-16 and made the national attendee list this year plus was selected in the USHL draft. And he has yet to play for the Centennial varsity. |
Eleven of the 32 Phase I picks played youth hockey in D2/D8; 7 played in the northern districts (D11, D12, D15, and D16); 7 played in D3/D6; 6 played in D10; and 1 played in the southern districts (D4, D5, and D9).
| # | Draft # | Name | School/USHL team | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | #85 | Luke Manning | Stillwater/Madison | Manning is the first of three Stillwater players (Noah Cates and Jesse Bjugstad are the other two) taken in the draft. That is a good sign for the Ponies. All three played on Stillwater's Bantam AA team in 2013-2014 that finished #2 in the state behind Grand Rapids. A sophomore last year, Manning finished among the Ponies' top scorers posting 16 points |
| 23 | #87 | Seth Benson | Moorhead/Chicago Steel | Moorhead and Stillwater high schools each had three players drafted in the USHL Phase I. That should worry some Rams and Pioneer fans. Benson participated in the HP-16 tryouts, made the Final 54, but did not make the National Attendee List. A good size forward, Benson looks set to jump into the top of Moorhead hockey next season playing for the Spuds. |
| 24 | #118 | Luke LaMaster | Duluth East/Chicago Steel | As a 6'1" ninth grader, LaMaster skated defense for Duluth East's varsity as they made a run at the Class AA state title last season losing in the Championship game to Lakeville North. He will not be NHL draft eligible until the 2017 draft and is another player that could end up playing for the Steel in 2016-2017. |
| 25 | #120 | Bram Scheerer | Edina/Bloomington | Scheerer being pick by Bloomington completes the USHL drafting of Edina varsity team's third line that played in the Class AA state tourney last March. Scheerer has added height and weight since last summer. Another steady Hornet performer, Scheerer made the HP-16 list and could be picked to play on USA Hockey's U17 team. |
| 26 | #121 | Matt Dahlseide | St. Paul Academy/Sioux Falls | Dahlseide led a young SPA team to the Section 4A finals losing to Mahtomedi. SPA came up one game short of the Xcel. Dahlseide made the HP-16 list this year and should end up returning to SPA for one more run at the state title. |
| 27 | #124 | Colin Baird | Mounds View/Dubuque | The 6'4" Baird completed his second varsity season playing for Mounds View. A sophomore this year and 2017 draft eligible, Baird will likely be playing for Dubuque in 2016-2017 if he continues to improve. |
| 28 | #130 | Jesse Bjugstad | Stillwater/Green Bay | Bjugstad, like Manning and Cates, participated in the the HP-16/17 Festival, but did not make the Final 54 or the national attendee list. Instead, all three Stillwater sophomores were drafted by the USHL which should make their summer. Bjugstad played defense for the Stillwater varsity last season and posted 19 points. |
| 29 | #137 | Chase Brand | Park Rapids/Sioux Falls | Next fall, as a junior, with be Brand's fourth playing for Park Rapids. He has posted 82 points/31 goals in his first three seasons. Last year, he made the HP-15 list; this year he made the HP-16 list. |
| 30 | #146 | Hayden Brickner | Centennial/Green Bay | Brickner has been a solid player at Centennial and like teammate Lucas McGregor had a great season at bantam AA. He made the HP-16 Final 54 and has also been drafted by the USHL. Like McGregor, Brickner has yet to play for the Centennial varsity. |
| 31 | #148 | Carter Randklev | Moorhead/Fargo | Randklev will be first draft eligible for the NHL's 2018 draft. He skated for the Moorhead Association's bantam AA team last season that finished third in the state. A ninth grader, Randklev will likely skate the next two years at Moorhead before making any decision about moving across the Red River. |
| 32 | #155 | Noah Cates | Stillwater/Omaha | Cates is the third Stillwater sophomore taken in the USHL's Phase I draft. Noah Cates is one of four Cates on last season's Ponies varsity. He was Stillwater's #2 scorer posting 30 points. The season before, Cates played on the association's bantam AA team that finished second in the 2014 state tourney. |
Stillwater's Noah Cates (#11) and Luke Manning (#15) attack White Bear Lake's net. Cates posted 30 points/13 goals in 24 games and Manning posted 14 points/3 goals in 14 games last season for the Ponies' varsity.
Colin Baird playing for the Mounds View Association's peewee A team in the 2012 District 2 playoffs against Tartan.
Three Minnesota players were picked in the USHL's Phase II draft, Tyler Watkins/Hermantown, Spencer Meier/Sartell, and Kyler Yeo/Hill-Murray were the youngest. All were born in 1999. Watkins, who played bantam AA for the Hermantown Hockey Association last season, was the only player selected in Phase II that played in the HP-16 Final 54. Another three 1999 born Minnesota players have already been picked for USA’s NTDP program, Grant Mismash/Edina, Scott Reedy/Prior Lake, and Nate Knoepke/Lakeville South. All three will skate for the USA U17 team in 2015-2016 in the USHL.
Prior Lake's 2012 State Peewee A Champions. This is their year to make a run for state.