USHL Sioux Falls Stampede

Former Stampede Defenseman Oleksiak Expected to Go in 1st Round of NHL Draft

Published on June 21, 2011 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Sioux Falls Stampede News Release


Sioux Falls, SD-Former Stampede defenseman Jamie Oleksiak (Oh-lex-see-ack) is a projected first round draft pick in the 2011 NHL Draft which begins Friday in St. Paul, MN. The first round will take place starting at 6 PM Friday while the rest of the draft (rounds 2 to 7) will take place Saturday.

If selected, he would become the fourth Stampede player to be drafted in the first round of the NHL Draft. Thomas Vanek was taken 5th overall (Buffalo) in 2003 while T.J. Oshie (St. Louis) was taken 24th overall and Joe Finley (Washington) 27th overall in 2005.

VP of Broadcasting, Jim Olander will be covering the draft live from St. Paul and providing updates from the Xcel Energy Center. Fans can stay up to date through the Stampede website (www.sfstampede.com), Facebook and ushl.com.

Oleksiak was ranked 13th amongst North American skaters in the final Central Scouting rankings. He recently completed his freshman season at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. The 6-foot-7, 240-pound defenseman posted 13 points (4g, 9a) and was a plus-13 in 38 games this season for the Huskies. He is projected to be the first collegiate skater selected in the draft.

The Toronto, Ontario native skated in 24 games with the Stampede during the 2009-10 season, posting four points (2g, 2a) and a plus-2 rating. He played a large role in helping the Herd secure third place in the West and a trip to the Clark Cup Playoffs.

In addition, Stampede goaltender Stephon Williams and forward Kyle Rau could also potentially be drafted.

Williams ranked 27th amongst North American goaltenders in the final scouting report. The Fairbanks, AK native went 20-7-1 with a 2.59 GAA and a .909 save percentage. He went 4-1-0 in the playoffs with a 2.21 GAA and a .924 save percentage. He has already committed to Minnesota State-Mankato.

Rau is ranked 177th overall. He was named Minnesota's "Mr. Hockey" after posting 69 points (33g, 36a) in 25 regular season games with Eden Prairie High School. He led the Stampede in playoff scoring with 12 points (7g, 5a) in 10 games after recording 10 points (4g, 6a) in 10 regular season games. He will attend the University of Minnesota in the fall.

Fans can catch the draft on Versus and the NHL Network all weekend.

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United States Hockey League Stories from June 21, 2011


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