USHL DRAFT ANALYSIS - PHASE 1
Draft Picks by Team
Shattuck-St. Mary’s Sabres 15U - 8
Detroit HonkeyBaked 15’s - 6
Oakland Jr Grizzlies 15’s - 4
South Kent Selects Academy 15’s - 4
Fox Motors HC 15’s - 4
Note - There were 9 tendered picks, these statistics do not include tendered picks.
Selects Academy 15’s had a total of 4 players selected on Day 1. Most notably was Arthur Smith, the 6’3” goaltender who posted a 1.18 GAA and .936 Save % for the 15’s and also represented the United States in the 2020 Youth Olympic Games.
Day 2 was similar, as 3 more players were drafted from Selects Academy (15’s - 1 , 18s - 1 , 16s -1).
Quick Notes
National powerhouse Shattuck-St. Mary’s led all programs with 8 total draftees, with all going in the first 10 rounds.
Quinn Finley went 1st overall to the Madison Capitals. This dynamic forward led the Bantam Elite League with 35 points in just 15 games (16G 19A) with Team Wisconsin 15s.
Thayer Academy’s Michael Stenberg was the highest prep school player drafted at 4th overall (Des Moines), with Shattuck-St. Mary’s Jack Larrigan close behind at 6th overall (Youngstown).
The Colorado Thunderbirds had 6 players total drafted from the organization, with 3 players being selected from both the 16’s and 15’s teams.
4 players from the QMAAA were selected in the later rounds, including QMJHL first overall draft pick Tristan Luneau.
Top Round Picks
Andon Cerbone 04’ Forward (Michigan University) (Chicago Steel)- A great two-way player who loves to distribute the puck. A very a smart player that can play process at high levels of speed. His hockey IQ and play making ability will translate well to the USHL.
Christian Kocsis 04’ Forward (Providence) (Lincoln)- The crafty scorer has natural goal scoring ability as the puck just finds him. Has enough speed to beat defenders to the edge and is elite at changing his speed off the rush to create space. Will find his way to Lincoln in no time.
Mid Round Steal
Nicholas VanTassell 04’ Forward (Rockets Hockey Club) (Uncommitted)- Has the frame and skating ability to develop into a big-time college player. Struggled to find consistency scoring through the year. He plays the game the right way and is not afraid to throw his body around.
Video Credit - Jersey Sports Zone
Late Round Sleeper
Patrick Geary 04’ Defensemen- (Buffalo Jr Sabres)(Uncommitted)- Has the skating ability to contain the fastest of players. Game already has a lot of fine details that you would typically see a junior veteran having. Nice frame and compete level. He is currently not as high profile as some of the defensemen taken earlier but his ceiling is just as high.
Game Clip - 11/16/19 vs Selects Academy. #8 White. Video Credit - Dan Collins
The defenseman had 11 goals and 38 assists in 67 games last year, leading all Sabres defenseman.