Black Hawks Takes Nine on Day One of USHL Draft
During Phase One of the 2015 United States Hockey League (USHL) Draft Monday, the Waterloo Black Hawks snagged nine top hockey prospects born in 1999, led by forward Ben Copeland with the final selection during the second round.
Copeland helped Edina High School in Minnesota to the Class AA state tournament, where the Hornets claimed third place. The sophomore finished the campaign with six goals and 16 assists in 30 high school games. Five of his assists came during postseason tournament play. Copeland spent 2014/15 on the same squad with 2014 Black Hawks Phase I selection Garrett Wait.
The Black Hawks other selections Monday evening were:
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Name | Rd/Pick | Position | 2014/15 Team |
Shane Bowers | 3/38 | F | Halifax McDonalds (NSMMHL) |
Kristian Vesalainen | 4/54 | F | HIFK U-18 (Finland) |
Dylan Mills | 4/55 | F | Hill-Murray (MN) High School |
Bryce DeFazio | 5/70 | D | Colorado Rampage U-16 |
Hunter Lellig | 6/86 | D | Chicago Mission U-16 |
Alec Capstick | 7/102 | D | Yale Hockey Academy (CSSHL) |
Ethan DeStefani | 9/134 | F | New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs U-18 |
Ty Shafer | 10/150 | D | New Jersey Rockets |
Waterloo had previously surrendered one Phase One draft selection by signing defenseman Mikey Anderson to a tender agreement.
The USHL Draft takes place in two stages. Phase One selections may not appear immediately in the USHL during the season after they are chosen and often continue to develop at other levels of hockey. Phase Two of the USHL Draft begins on Tuesday, May 5th at 8:00 a.m. Day Two is a multi-age group draft as teams can select players born anywhere between 1995 and 1999 and look to fill their protected lists with skaters who will compete for roster spots for the 2015/16 season.
Among players on the 2014/15 Black Hawks roster, Rem Pitlick and Ben Newhouse were former Phase I picks from the 2013 USHL Draft.
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