19 Players Selected by Steel in 2018 USHL Phase II Draft
Published on May 8, 2018 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Chicago Steel News Release
GENEVA, ILLINOIS - The Chicago Steel closed out the 2018 USHL Draft by selecting 19 players in Tuesday's Phase II Draft, including 11 forwards, seven defensemen and one goaltender. Phase II is open to players eligible to play junior hockey next season (1998-2002 birth years) who are not currently protected by another USHL team.
"I thought we had a very successful day in drafting high-level talent that will create a very competitive tryout camp and battle for roster spots this fall," said Steel Head Coach Ryan Cruthers. "We feel great about the type of players we have selected and the role that we'll get to play in their development on and off the ice."
With the seventh-overall selection, the Steel took 6-foot-5 Toronto Maple Leafs defensive prospect J.D. Greenway. The Potsdam, N.Y., native played 46 games for the University of Wisconsin (Big Ten) over the last two seasons, recording 10 points (3-7-10). Greenway was selected in the 3rd Round (72nd overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft by Toronto. His older brother, Jordan, plays for the NHL's Minnesota Wild.
The Steel then made three selections in round two, beginning with left wing Jonathan Bendorf. The 6-0, 202-pound forward out of Yardville, N.J. is committed to RPI (ECAC). Chicago then closed out the second round with the 31st and 32nd overall picks, selecting Lawrence Academy teammates Neil Shea and Sam Colangelo. Shea, a 6-1, 193-pound left wing is currently ranked 193rd among North American Skaters by NHL Central Scouting for the 2018 NHL Draft. Colangelo, a 6-1, 185-pound right wing played in seven games for the Boston Little Bruins last season recording six points (3-3-6). Both Shea and Colangelo are committed to Northeastern University (Hockey East).
The Steel selected Matthew Barnaby with the 39th pick of the draft, the team's first of two third-round selections. The center posted 125 points (48-77-125) in 120 games for the Pembroke Lumber Kings (CCHL) over the last two seasons. Barnaby's father, Matthew Barnaby, played 834 games in the NHL, including the entire 2005-2006 season with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Chicago then picked up its second defenseman of the day in Jordon Halverson with the 48th overall pick. Halverson, a Hudson, Wis., native, played for Hudson High for the past three seasons.
With their first pick of the fourth round, the Steel selected defenseman Cameron Boudreau with the 55th overall pick. A Quinnipiac University (ECAC) commit, Boudreau played for the Boston Jr. Bruins last season posting 12 points (3-9-12) in 42 games. He is currently ranked 189th among North American Skaters for the 2018 NHL Draft.
Chicago selected three centers in a row - Jake Schmaltz, Ethan Manderville, and James McIsaac - with the 65th, 72nd, and 75th overall picks, respectively.
Schmaltz, a University of North Dakota (NCHC) commit, played for the Madison Edgewood Prep last season and has represented Team Wisconsin as well as playing two seasons with Team Illinois. Schmaltz is the cousin of NHL players Nick Schmaltz (Chicago Blackhawks) and Jordan Schmaltz (St. Louis Blues).
Manderville, ranked 165th among North American skaters eligible for the 2018 NHL Draft, played for the Ottawa Jr. Senators last season. He also played parts of two seasons with the Kanata Lasers, also of the CCHL. Manderville finished with 55 points (19-36-55) in 114 games in the CCHL.
McIsaac played for the Portage Terriers of the MJHL last season, recording 53 points (25-28-53) in 58 games. Over the last two seasons, playing for the Terriers and Winnipeg Blues, McIsaac has posted 138 points (67-71-138) in 166 total games.
Chicago then selected its lone goaltender of the Draft, taking Reilly Herbst 90th overall. Herbst served as an emergency backup for the Steel last season towards the end of the regular season. The Niwot, Colo., native played for the Colorado Thunderbirds last season, appearing in 25 games and posted a 2.61 goals-against average and .905 save percentage.
The Steel's second pick of the sixth round was defenseman Levi Kleiboer, a University of Maine (Hockey East) commit. Kleiboer played for the Battlefords North Stars (SJHL) last season and posted 42 points (10-32-42) in 46 games. He played four total seasons in the SJHL, recording 95 points (14-81-95) in 143 games.
Simon Boyko, a University of Vermont (Hockey East) commit, was selected 107th overall. The right wing tallied 48 points (18-30-48) in 56 games for the Brooks Bandits (AJHL) last season.
Later in the seventh round, with the 115th overall pick, Chicago selected Nicholas Carabin. The North Jersey Avalanche defenseman posted 19 points (1-18-19) in 27 games with the U18 program last season. He has played five seasons in the North Jersey Avalanche program.
With the 123rd pick of the Phase II Draft, Chicago selected its first and only player outside of North America for both drafts when Uula Ruikka was selected. A 5-10, 163-pound defenseman from Oulu, Finland, recorded one point (0-1-1) in six games for the Karput U20 squad as a 17-year-old last season. He has played as part of the U16, U17, U18 and U20 Karput rosters over the last four seasons.
Mark Gallant was the Steel's lone selection of round nine at 139th overall. The center is committed to Colgate University (ECAC) and posted 36 points (14-22-36) with the Islanders Hockey Club in the NCDC. He also played three seasons for Gronton School and scored 56 points (23-33-56) in 63 games.
Chicago then selected Ryan O'Rourke, a defenseman from the Vaughan Kings who scored 44 points (12-32-44) in 55 games last season. The 6-1, 164-pound Pickering, Ont., native also played six games in the OJHL with the Whitbury Fury.
With the 171st pick in the Draft, the Steel selected Gunnarwolfe Fontaine, a center from East Greenwich, R.I. The 5-10, 175-pound forward played for Lawrence Academy last season with Shea and Colangelo, and joined Colangelo with the Boston Little Bruins during the 2017-18 season. With the Boston Little Bruins, Fontaine registered 10 points (7-3-10) in seven games. Fontaine, like Bendorf, is committed to RPI (ECAC).
Chicago closed out its selections of the Phase II Draft by selecting Tyler Weiss. The left wing recently completed his U18 season with Team USA in the USHL, notching 11 points (3-8-11) in 22 USHL games as part of 31 points (12-19-31) in 58 total games with USA. The Boston University (Hockey East) commit is currently the 90th-ranked North American Skater for the 2018 NHL Draft according to NHL Central Scouting. Weiss recently represented the United States at the 2018 IIHF U18 World Championship, winning a silver medal April 29 in Chelyabinsk, Russia.
Of the 19 players drafted by Chicago, 13 are from the United States, five are from Canada, and one is from Finland.
Chicago Steel 2018 USHL Phase II Draft Selections
Round 1
-7th: J.D. Greenway, D, University of Wisconsin
Round 2
-23rd: Jonathan Bendorf, LW, Aberdeen Wings
-30th: Neil Shea, LW, Lawrence Academy
-31st: Sam Colangelo, RW, Lawrence Academy
Round 3
-39th: Matthew Barnaby, C, Pembroke Lumber Kings
-48th: Jordon Halverson, D, Hudson HS
Round 4
-55th: Cameron Boudreau, D, Boston Jr. Bruins
-65th: Jake Schmaltz, C, Madison Edgewood HS
Round 5
-72nd: Ethan Manderville, C, Ottawa Jr. Senators
-75th: James McIsaac, C, Portage Terriers
Round 6
-90th: Reilly Herbst, G, Colorado Thunderbirds
-94th: Levi Kleiboer, D, Battlefords North Stars
Round 7
-107th: Simon Boyko, RW, Brooks Bandits
-115th: Nicholas Carabin, D, North Jersey Avalanche
Round 8
-123rd: Uula Ruikka, D, Karput
Round 9
-139th: Mark Gallant, C, Islanders HC
Round 10
-155th: Ryan O'Rourke, D, Vaughan Kings
Round 11
-171st: Gunnarwolfe Fontaine, C, Lawrence Academy
-175th: Tyler Weiss, LW, Team USA (U18)
The Steel will hold their annual Tryout Camp June 8-11 at Fox Valley Ice Arena, which will be open to the public to view with a featured all-star game on Monday, June 11.
Chicago Steel 2018-19 season ticket plans are now on sale and the 2018-19 schedule is expected to be released by July. For Steel tickets or more information, call 855-51-STEEL, stop by the Box Office at Fox Valley Ice Arena or visit ChicagoSteelHockeyTeam.com.
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