2020 NAHL Draft Recap
July 22, 2020 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Philadelphia Rebels News Release
Jamestown, NY - Coming into Tuesday's NAHL Entry Draft, a lot of questions still surrounded the hockey world as Rebels Head Coach/GM Joe Coombs and his staff prepared to make their six selections in the yearly draft. But even with uncertainty, Coombs feels the team continued to take steps in the right direction following the draft.
"We really felt at the end of last year we needed to improve our skill set," said Coombs. "At the end of the day, you've got to score more than the other team to win, and we think we've improved on that."
Coombs and his staff know that those unanswered questions surrounding hockey could certainly impact the outlook of the roster next season, but still see tremendous upside in their draft selections, most notably their first round selection of center Joey Larson.
"There's a ton of unanswered questions in regards to what exactly is going on in the world," continued Coombs. "A lot of the kids we took have junior experience, so there are some dimensions to it that we're going to have to continue to work through to make sure we land these kids."
"Our first pick [Larson] is a big-time player," continued Coombs. "He's really good friends with a couple kids on our team. I had a great conversation with him yesterday and if he pays off, he could easily be a 75-80 point player for us."
Uncertainty aside, Coombs' off-season work, from tender signings to draft selections, has him feeling good about the current make-up of the team.
"We're excited about where we're at," said Coombs. "If these kids land and it all comes together with other free agents, tenders and our returning players, we feel confident that we can return this organization to being where it's always been, and that's the top of the heap."
Check out a detailed breakdown of each Rebels selection in the 2020 NAHL Entry Draft:
Joey Larson - Round 1, Pick #8
Position: Center
Former Team: Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL)
Age: 19
Hometown: Brighton, MI
Ht, Wt: 6'1, 185 lbs.
Shoots: Right
Player Stats/Info:
Committed to play Division 1 at Northern Michigan University beginning in the 2021-22 season.
Spent the better part of three years (2016-2019) with Hartland High of the USHS-MI, recording a combined total of 98 points (50 goals, 48 assists) in 77 regular season games.
2019 USHS-MI State Champion, recording 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists) in 5 post-season games.
Named the 2018-19 USHS Michigan Mr. Hockey, awarded to the best High School Hockey player in all of Michigan.
In his first junior season (2019-20), registered 33 points (14 goals, 19 assists) over the course of 52 regular season games with the Chilliwack Chiefs of the BCHL. Also added 2 goals and 2 assists in 7 playoff contests.
Scouting Report:
"A top-end scoring center that works very well at both ends of the ice. Can fill a significant role next year" - Mike Mondoux, Rebels Director of Scouting
Hunter Sansbury - Round 1, Pick #15
Position: Defenseman
Former Team: Salmon Arm Silverbacks (BCHL)
Age: 19
Hometown: Lomita, CA
Ht, Wt: 5'11, 185 lbs.
Shoots: Right
Player Stats/Info:
Spent the 2019-20 campaign with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the BCHL, putting up 24 points (3 goals, 21 assists) along with 75 PIMs in 54 regular season games. Also registered an assist in 4 playoff appearances.
Recorded 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists) in 95 games over the course of three seasons (2016-2019) as a member of The Gunnery in the USHS-Prep league.
Scouting Report:
"Good two-way defenseman who always makes the right decisions, produces offensively and provides needed experience." - Mike Mondoux
Reilly Herbst - Round 3, Pick #61
Position: Goaltender
Former Team: Vernon Vipers (BCHL)
Age: 20
Hometown: Niwot, CO
Ht, Wt: 6'1, 185 lbs.
Catches: Left
Player Stats/Info:
Appeared in 23 games with the Chicago Steel of the USHL in 2018-19, registering a 12-7-2 record with a .881 SV% along with a 3.01 GAA.
20-10-2 record in 34 regular season appearances with the Vernon Vipers of the BCHL in 2019-20. Also recorded .901 SV% to go with a 2.91 GAA. In 5 post-season appearances, put together a 4-1 record with a .919 SV% and a tremendous 2.22 GAA.
Scouting Report:
"A player that adds veteran experience who's played in some big games." - Mike Mondoux
Logan Tobias - Round 6, Pick #143
Position: Left Winger
Former Team: Buffalo Jr. Sabres (OJHL)
Age: 18
Hometown: Buffalo, NY
Ht, Wt: 6'1, 187 lbs.
Shoots: Left
Player Stats/Info:
Nearly a point-per-game player in 2019-20, registering 24 points (15 goals, 9 assists) in 25 regular season contests with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres of the OJHL. Also added 4 goals and 3 assists in 6 playoff games.
Over the course of three seasons in the T1EHL (15U, 16U, 18U) with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres AAA, recorded an overall combined total of 84 points (39 goals, 45 assists) in 148 games played.
2017 15U NY State Champion
Scouting Report:
"Goal-scorer. Always around the net, not afraid to play a little physical and adds scoring to the team." - Mike Mondoux
Jack Page - Round 7, Pick #170
Position: Defenseman
Former Team: Bayard Rustin High (USHS), Jamestown Rebels (NAHL)
Age: 18
Hometown: West Chester, PA
Ht, Wt: 6'4, 190 lbs.
Shoots: Right
Player Stats/Info:
Suited up in 4 games for the Rebels last season, along with 2 games in 2018-19.
Split time in 2019-20 between Bayard Rustin High of the USHS-PA and Virtua Hockey 18U AAA. Posted 15 points (4 goals, 11 assists) in 12 games played with Bayard Rustin.
Recorded a total of 26 points (7 goals, 19 assists) in 44 games over the course of two seasons with Virtua Hockey (2018-2020)
Scouting Report:
"Steady defenseman, had a great Main Camp with us. Great size, great skater, good decision-maker with the puck, mobile, and added experience playing in the NAHL last year." - Mike Mondoux
Jacob Cummings - Round 8, Pick #197
Position: Forward
Former Team: Sheridan Hawks (NA3HL)
Age: 19
Hometown: Anchorage, AK
Ht, Wt: 5'11, 201 lbs.
Catches: Left
Player Stats/Info:
Split time in 2019-20 between the Louisiana Drillers and Sheridan Hawks of the NA3HL, posting a combined total of 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) in 8 regular season games.
In two years with the Madison Capitals 18U AAA squad (2017-2019) of the NAPHL, totaled 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) in 34 regular season games. Also was a point-per-game player during the post-season, registering 4 goals and 5 assists in 9 playoff games over the course of both seasons.
Tore the stat sheet up with West Anchorage High of the USHS-AK during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 campaigns, producing a combined total of 84 points (43 goals, 41 assists) in just 49 games played across both seasons.
Scouting Report:
"Highly skilled player that can produce offensively, and we're excited to see more of." - Mike Mondoux
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