Its almost any young male hockey player’s dream growing up in Minnesota. Apart from hoisting the Stanley Cup is the thought of being drafted by a NHL team. The moment of being selected is the ultimate culmination of all of those countless practices and games, miles traveled to far off arenas, and hard work put in honing their skills, skating and strength on their own. I do not believe every parent has an NHL expectation for their son, but for parents it certainly makes them feel perhaps a little better about spending thousands of dollars helping their child reach for their NHL dreams. Being drafted is no guarantee of great financial rewards but its a far better chance statistically than the thousands of players who do not get drafted.
Minnesota takes a great deal of pride in its strong hockey heritage. Afterall we call ourselves the State of Hockey and every year the state usually leads the way in the number of players’ selected. Yet there are signs that could be changing. For the first time in a long while there was not one player from Minnesota selected in the 1st round, breaking a streak that had lasted since 2001. The were only 4 American players selected in the first round and they were from Ohio (2), Massachusetts (1) and Texas (1). The variety of locations in the U.S. for draftees is growing as this nhl.com article demonstrates. California, Florida, Colorado and Arizona are all non-traditional hockey states that had players selected in this year’s draft. So is the league’s great expansion to the sunbelt throughout much of the mid-1990’s really a complete disaster, not for American hockey it hasn’t. In addition, it is not as though Minnesota was shut out in this year’s draft; 14 Minnesotans were selected in 2011. Most of these Minnesotans were selected from their high school teams just adding to the lore and prestige of the world’s most competitive high school hockey entity. These names are simply added to the already large list Minnesotans who were lucky enough to have their names called on draft day, names like current NHL’ers Erik Johnson, Blake Wheeler, Keith Ballard, Zac Parise, Mark Stuart, David Backes, Tom Gilbert, Derek Stepan, Tim Jackman, Dustin Byfuglien and Paul Martin just to name a few. Even for those not selected on draft day, they may impress enough in college to earn a shot at the NHL as was the case with Jason Blake and Dan Sexton. So all hope is not lost for any of you who did not hear your name on Friday or Saturday, your time may be coming if you stay focused and work hard enough.
Here is a complete run down of those 14 Minnesota players selected by NHL teams this weekend.
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2nd Rd – 60th Overall (Minnesota) – Mario Lucia / LW ~ Wayzata Trojans (USHS-MN)
The 6’2″ winger who combines skill, scoring ability and a hockey pedigree will be (hopefully) staying in the State of Hockey. Lucia will accelerate his senior year of high school as he leaves to play in the USHL before he makes his choice where to commit to play college hockey. The Minnesota prep star has great potential to fill the net with goals and the Wild are banking that he does, but he’s at least 3-4 years away. You can see his KARE 11 interview here.
3rd Rd – 72nd Overall (NY Rangers) – Steven Fogarty / C ~ Edina Hornets (USHS-MN)
The rugged Edina forward uses his powerful 6’3″ frame to take to the puck to the net and was one of the state’s most promising power forwards. Fogarty will be playing his college hockey at Notre Dame where he will join fellow Edina alum Anders Lee. You can see his KARE 11 interview here.
3rd Rd – 83rd Overall (Anaheim) – Andy Welinski / D ~ Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)
The smooth skating blueliner from Duluth passed on his senior year at Duluth East to ply his trade with the Green Bay Gamblers. Welinski was one of the USHL’s more shifty blueliners and will look to play that same game at the University of Minnesota-Duluth where his skills will be needed after the departure of power play quarterback Justin Faulk.
3rd Rd – 90th Overall (Florida) – Kyle Rau / C ~ Eden Prairie Eagles (USHS-MN)
For the 2nd straight year, the Panthers added ‘Mr. Hockey’ to its pool of prospects after selecting Blaine’s Nick Bjugstad a season ago. Rau is small (just 5’8″), but very shifty with outstanding hockey sense and he was easily one of the state’s most proficient scorers. He hopes to add his scoring to the University of Minnesota next season who could desperately use Rau’s ability to finish. You can see Rau’s KARE 11 interview here.
4th Rd – 101st Overall (Vancouver) – Joe Lebate / C ~ Holy Angels Stars (USHS-MN)
Any NHL team covets a 6’4″ forward who combines decent mobility, creativity and a scorer’s touch. Lebate wasn’t quite enough to lift Holy Angels to the state tournament, but he is a very gifted player who will be playing for one of the top college hockey programs in the nation at Wisconsin. The newest Canucks draftee’s KARE 11 interview can be seen and heard here.
5th Rd – 128th Overall (Columbus) – Seth Ambroz / RW ~ Omaha Lancers (USHL)
Ambroz was a player who many felt had a chance to become a top 3 pick when he made the USHL as a 16 year old, but after two more season where his statistics were remarkably the same scouts began to see holes in his game regarding his skating and his draft stock plummeted. The New Prague-native is a power forward with good physical traits to his game, and likes to move to the net to bang home goals from close range. He hopes to join the University of Minnesota next season. The wait made him a bit nervous but he was profiled in this nhl.com article here. The Blue Jacket newest prospects’ KARE 11 video is right on this link.
5th Rd – 130th Overall (Toronto) – Tony Cameranesi / C ~ Wayzata Trojans (USHS-MN)
The Maple Leafs’ draft had a strong Minnesota High School flavor to it, as their General Manager (Edina, MN-native) Brian Burke selected to State of Hockey Prep stars. The swift skating playmaker was the linemate of Wild draftee Mario Lucia but the two will likely be separating at the next level where Cameranesi will take his game to defending NCAA champion UMD. You can see Cameranesi’s KARE 11 interview here.
5th Rd – 131st Overall (Minnesota) – Nick Seeler / D ~ Eden Prairie Eagles (USHS-MN)
Seeler grew 7 inches in the last two years and is your prototypical smooth skating offensive defenseman which is probably a big reason why he seemed to fly under most scouting services’ radar. He has plenty of razzle dazzle to his game as he can dangle the puck and quarterback the power play. Seeler will take his game to Muskegon (USHL) first before going to the University of Nebraska-Omaha. You can see Seeler’s KARE 11 interview here.
6th Rd – 154th Overall (Florida) – Edward Wittchow / D ~ Burnsville Blaze (USHS-MN)
The Calgary-born defenseman is big (6’3″), mobile and loves to dish out the bodychecks. So far he is uncommitted for next season although he has shown some interest towards Colorado College but considering his Canadian roots its a possibility he may attempt to go the major junior route instead.
6th Rd – 174th Overall (Pittsburgh) – Josh Archibald / W ~ Brainerd Warriors (USHS-MN)
Archibald was one of the state’s top goal scorers who put up numbers that nearly eclipsed fellow Penguins’ prospect (Little Falls’ native) Ben Hanowski. The skilled forward will be taking his game to Nebraska-Omaha to play for Dean Blais. He’ll need to add strength to his frame but he has tremendous skills and hockey sense.
6th Rd – 177th Overall (Washington) – Travis Boyd / C ~ U.S. National Development Team (USHL)
The Hopkins-native is a high energy forward who is a tenacious forechecker. He is a great skater who has excellent top end speed but his hands could be better. Boyd will be taking his game to the University of Minnesota where they could use his speed and grit.
6th Rd – 178th Overall (Tampa Bay) – Adam Wilcox / G ~ Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)
Wilcox continues a line of NHL drafted goaltenders that started with former SSP star Alex Stalock. The former South St. Paul Packer had a reasonable season with the Green Bay Gamblers where he has an above average frame and excellent athleticism. Wilcox has committed to play for the University of Minnesota.
7th Rd – 189th Overall (New Jersey) – Patrick Daly / D ~ Benilde-St. Margaret’s Red Knights (USHS-MN)
The Victoria-native is a strong two-way defenseman who combines mobility with solid play at both ends of the ice. With just average height (6’0″) he plays bigger than his size but New Jersey will have plenty of patience as he continues to develop his game at the University of Wisconsin. You can see Daly’s KARE 11 interview here.
7th Rd – 203rd Overall (Toronto) – Max Everson / D ~ Edina Hornets (USHS-MN)
Blessed with a silky smooth skating stride and outstanding on-ice vision Everson brings sublime skills to the blueline. Everson will be taking his game to Harvard, which is a testament to his skill, leadership and intelligence. A great late round pick by the Leafs. You can see Everson’s KARE 11 interview here.
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