USHL Cedar Rapids RoughRiders

Grun Heads RoughRider Draft Class

May 4, 2006 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders News Release


Cedar Rapids, Iowa- The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders selected Minnesota high school forward David Grun with their first choice in today's United States Hockey League entry draft. The Riders, who did not have a first round pick, grabbed Grun with the eleventh pick of the second round- the twenty-third overall selection.

Grun was the first of eight forwards chosen by the Riders. The Riders also took six defensemen and two goaltenders.

Grun, 18, capped off a sterling career at White Bear Lake High School by scoring 22 goals and totaling 45 points in 25 games last season. He was a finalist for Minnesota's 2005-06 Mr. Hockey award and was selected to the St. Paul Pioneer Press All-State Team each of the last two seasons. The Minnesota-Duluth recruit was also ranked one hundred forty-sixth among North American skaters in the National Hockey League Central Scouting Service's final 2006 pre-draft rankings.

The Riders selected Chicago Chill midget forward Mike Seidel in the third round. Seidel finished third in point scoring in the Mid America Hockey League last season, producing 55 goals and 62 assists for a whopping 117 points in 76 games with the Chill.

With their fourth round choice the Riders took Cushing Academy forward Aaron Bogosian. Aaron's younger brother Zach, a 15-year old Cushing was the Riders' ninth pick. The Bogosians hale from Massena, New York.

Matt Tomassoni became the first defenseman selected by the RoughRiders when he was picked in the sixth round (the Riders did not have a fifth round choice). Tomassoni, 16, played midget hockey for Chicago Mission last season. The Carol Stream, Illinois, native is a Miami (Ohio) recruit.

The Riders took another defenseman, Stillwater (Minnesota) High School's Tyler Kieffer, in round seven. Last season Kieffer scored three goals and totaled 17 points for the Ponies as a junior.

The Riders resumed replenishing their forward corps by selecting another Minnesota high school product, Duluth Marshall's Rob Bordson, in the eighth round. Bordson, 17, earned Associated Press Second Team All-State honors after scoring 29 goals and piling up 36 assists for 65 points last season.

The Riders turned to the junior A North American Hockey League for their ninth round selection, Wichita Falls Wildcats forward Dan Sexton. Sexton, an 18-year old native of Apple Valley, Minnesota, was the Wildcats' second leading scorer (22-37-59) last season.

The Riders scooped up U.S. National Team Development Program defenseman Steve Sperry in round ten . Sperry, a product of Southlake, Texas, collected four goals and seven points in 22 games with the USNTDP Under-17 team last season.

After taking Sperry, the Riders did not choose again until selecting Zach Bogosian in with their ninth pick. The Riders' first eight selections brought the number of players on the Cedar Rapids protected list to 23. Per USHL draft rules, teams that fill the first 23 spots on their protected lists are required to wait until all other clubs have reached 23 players, at which point all teams resume drafting until they have filled out their protected lists with 30 players.

The Riders followed the selection of Zach Bogosian by taking Los Angeles Jr. Kings midget goaltender Mike Mosher with their tenth pick. Mosher, a native of Newport Beach, California, turned 17 last month.

The Riders used their eleventh choice on Cranbrook-Kingswood (Michigan) High School forward Casey Wellman. Wellman is fresh off a banner senior season, a campaign that saw him score 18 goals and total 51 points while earning Division 3 First Team All-State honors and leading the Cranes to the Division 3 state title. Defenseman Jeff Ceccacci, 17, was the Riders' twelfth selection. Ceccacci, who played midget hockey in Michigan for Victory Honda last season, is originally from Placentia, California.

The Riders went for forward Scott Halpern with their thirteenth pick. Halpern, a product of Boca Raton, Florida, rang up 20 goals and 35 points in 44 games with the Bay State Breakers of the Eastern Junior (B) Hockey League last season.

The Riders selected a second goaltender with their fourteenth choice, netminder Pat Nagle of Michigan's Belle Tire midget program. Nagle, 18, backstopped Belle Tire to the 2005-06 Michigan midget state title.

The Riders again dipped into the midget ranks to take 17-year old Team Illinois defenseman Scott Mathis with their fifteenth selection.

With the addition of Mathis the Riders reached the protected list limit of 30 players. However, after choosing Mathis, the Riders opened up another spot on the protected list by dropping defenseman Colin Trachsel, who had been one of the team's affiliated players. The Riders filled that slot by selecting New England Jr. Falcons forward Pat Cannone, 19, with their sixteenth and final pick. Cannone, a native of Bayport, New York, finished last season tied for ninth in the Eastern Junior League in point scoring (22-31-53).

The RoughRiders' draft picks will take to the ice for the first time in Cedar Rapids at the team's try-out camp June 1-4 at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena.

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United States Hockey League Stories from May 4, 2006


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