Wilderness Announce Draft Class

NSO-NEWS RELEASE

By: Marty Hill

The Minnesota Wilderness is pleased to welcome nine North American and two European players as its 2014 North American Hockey League (NAHL) draft class.

Overall, the Wilderness’ selections include seven forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender.

The Wilderness selected forward Patrick Hannan as its first pick in Tuesday’s draft. Hannan is the son of former NHLer Dave Hannan, who played 15 seasons in the NHL with six different teams. Hannan had the opportunity to lift the Stanley Cup twice in his professional career, as he helped the 1990 Edmonton Oilers and 1996 Colorado Avalanche win championships.

Patrick Hannan, a native of Venetia, PA, spent the 2013-14 season with the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League (USHL). The 95 birth year (BY), stands at 6’3”, 180 lbs. He was selected in the 2^nd round, as the 45^th overall pick.

Other forwards selected include one who has already secured a commitment to play hockey for an NCAA division one institution. Wade Novak is set to play collegiate hockey with the 2014 national champion Union Dutchmen. The 97 BY, who is a native of Oak Ridge, NJ, spent 2013-14 with the NJ Colonials 16U team. He stands 5’10” and weighs 150 lbs. Novak was selected in the 7^th round, 152^nd overall.

Below is a list of the rest of the forwards the Wilderness selected in Tuesday’s draft:

Ryan Smith: 97BY from Northwoods Prep School Junior Team

He is 5’11”, 155 lbs. from Hardy, VA.  He was selected in the 6^th round, 135^th overall.

Isak Bergland: 95BY from Thief River Falls HS (MN)

He is 6’0”, 175 lbs. from Thief River Falls, MN.  He is the son of Wilderness Coach Corey Millen’s former University of Minnesota teammate, Tim Bergland. He was selected in the 8^th round, 165^th overall.

Michael Orke: 96BY from the Breck School (MN)

He is 5’11”, 160 lbs. from Plymouth, MN. He was selected in the 9^th round, 177^th overall.

Nick Hedemyr: 94BY from IFK Tumba J20

He is 6’0, 180 lbs. from Sweden. Hedemyr was the draft’s 200^th overall pick, as he was selected in the 11^th round.

Zach Court: 97 Forward Winnipeg Wild AAA

He is 5’11”, 165 lbs. from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He was selected in the 15^th round, 217^th overall.

The three defensemen selected include one who knows where he will be going for his higher education. Bradley Johnson, a 95BY from Chesterfield, MO, has committed to play collegiate hockey with the Ohio State University. He spent 2013-14 playing midget major hockey with the St. Louis Blues 18U AAA squad. Johnson stands at 5’9”, 175lbs. His draft name was called in the 10^th round, 189^th overall.

Below is a list of the other two defensemen selections:

Patrick Holway: 96BY from Boston Advantage 18U AAA

He is 6’3” 185 lbs. from Boston, MA. He was selected in the 12^th round, 208^th overall.

Jake Cass: 96 from Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)

He is 5’11” 175 lbs. from Stillwater, MN. He was selected in the 13^th round, 213^th overall.

As its lone goaltender selection, the Wilderness went to a player from a league that produced its most valuable player during its inaugural season in the NAHL.

Julius Koskinen played last season with KalPa, a team from the same Finnish U20 league that Kasimir Kaskisuo played prior to coming to North America and protecting the net for the Wilderness. Kaskisuo went on to dominate most NAHL goaltender statistical categories during the 2013-14 season, earning himself a division one scholarship to play for the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Koskinen, a native of Tampere, Finland, stands at 6’4”, 190lbs. His selection was made in the 14^th round, 216^th overall.

These 11 players will be invited to join several other junior hockey hopefuls vying for Wilderness roster spots when the team holds its main tryout camp this summer. The team will be selecting the 30 players that will comprise its 2014-15 training camp roster July 25-28, in Andover, MN.

Wilderness Assistant Coach Josh Petrich has high praise for this year’s draft class:

“We look for this draft class to build off what last year’s team did and we feel like we were able to draft many talented players that will translate to production and success in the NAHL. We look forward to seeing what all of these great kids can do and hope to see many of them in a Minnesota Wilderness jersey next season.”

The Minnesota Wilderness open the 2014-15 NAHL regular season by participating in the NAHL Showcase in Blaine, MN, Sept. 17-20. Its home schedule begins Sept. 26, when it entertains the defending Robertson Cup champion Fairbanks Ice-Dogs at Northwoods Credit Union Arena, in Cloquet, MN. Season tickets for the 2014-2015 regular season are currently on sale at discounted price and can be bought on the MN Wilderness Ticket Page.  Adult season ticket packages are priced at $149 while K-12 and college student, military, and seniors are priced at $99.99 until August 1, 2014.