Junior Blue Jackets select 12 players in USHL Futures Draft
October 4, 2006 - United States Hockey League (USHL) News Release
COLUMBUS, OHIO - The Ohio Junior Blue Jackets selected 12 players in the United States Hockey League Futures Draft Wednesday. The club selected Jimmy Hayes from Dorchester, Mass., with the first overall pick in the draft, General Manager Don Harkins announced today.
Hayes, 6-5, 210 pounds, is regarded as one of the top players in his age group and has already chosen to play his college hockey at Boston College, beginning in 2008. Some hockey analysts project Hayes will be selected in the top 10 of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.
"Jimmy is a big time NHL Prospect," GM Don Harkins said. "We are very excited to have won the Draft Lottery and to have been able to select him. Jimmy is the kind of player who is going to make an impact for our franchise."
With its second pick, 13th overall, Ohio tabbed defenseman Steve Spinell. The 6-0, 190 pounder from Vernon Hills, Ill., played last season with Team Illinois (midget).
The next two rounds, the Junior Blue Jackets selected forwards, Mark Goggin from Glen Ellyn, Ill., with the 25th overall pick and Broderick Brown from Coppell, Texas, with the 37th overall selection. Goggin played last season at Choate Prep. and Brown, a 6-4 winger, played for the AAA Texas Attack.
In the fifth round, with the 49th overall pick, Ohio chose Tommy Cross, a 6-3, 195 pound defenseman from Simsbury, Conn., who is on the United States-Under 18 Team with Hayes. The team's sixth round choice was Zach Dalpe, a center from Paris, Ontario, who is committed to play for Ohio State University in 2008.
The next four selections were all forwards, rounds 7-10, picks 73, 85, 97 and 109 overall. In order Ohio slected: Belle Tire's Chad Rutkowski from Harrison Township, Mich.; Brett Perlini, from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario; C.J. Severyn from Beaver, Pa., who plays for the National Team Development Program; and Andrew Glass from Wrentham, Mass.
The Junior Blue Jackets final two picks were Luke Witkowski, 121st overall, a defenseman from Hudsonville, Mich., and George Michalke, 133rd overall, a forward from Parma, Ohio, who played for the Cleveland Barons Midget Major last season.
"We are very excited about the players that we drafted today, who will be a big part of our future and what we are trying to build (in Columbus)," Harkins said.
"Jimmy Hayes and Tommy Cross, along with current Junior Blue Jacket Adam Comrie are as impressive of a group of players on one team that there is in Junior Hockey," Harkins added in reference to the 2008 NHL Draft potential of the three players.
JUNIOR BLUE JACKETS 2006 FUTURES DRAFT PICKS/Round (Overall): 1 (1) - F Jimmy Hayes, NTDP; 2 (13) - D Steve Spinell, Team Illinois; 3 (25) - F Mark Goggin, Choate Prep.; 4 (37) - F Broderick Brown, Texas Attack; 5 (49) - D Tommy Cross, Westminster Prep.; 6 (61) - Zach Dalpe, Stratford Jr. B; 7 (73) - F Chad Rutkowski, Belle Tire Midget; 8 (85) - F Brett Perlini, Soo Thunderbirds; 9 (97) - F C.J. Severyn, NTDP; 10 (109) - F Andrew Glass, Mass. Nobles Prep.; 11 (121) - D Luke Witkowski, Team NXI; 12 (133) - F George Michalke, Cleveland Barons Midget Major.
The Ohio Junior Blue Jackets open their inaugural season 7 p.m. Saturday at Nationwide Arena against the Waterloo Black Hawks.
Ohio Junior Blue Jackets individual game tickets for 2006-07 regular season home games are on sale now at Nationwide Arena, The Chiller Ice Rinks, all Ticketmaster Ticket Centers and www.BlueJackets.com. For information on season tickets, mini-plans and group tickets, call (614) 246-PUCK or (800) NHL-COLS.
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