Jackals select four in amateur draft
March 23, 2004 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Elmira Jackals News Release
The Elmira Jackals, proud member of the United Hockey League, announced the follow selections from Tuesday's UHL North American Amateur Draft: Rob McFeeters, a forward from Clarkson University; Adam Tackaberry, a forward from Mercyhurst College; Chris Welch, a forward from Niagara University; and Joe Carebs, a defenseman from SUNY Oswego.
McFeeters, a 5'10 senior captain at Clarkson, has 23 points in 39 games this year as he helped the Golden Knights to a fantastic ECAC tournament run, upsetting Union, Cornell, and Colgate before narrowly losing to Harvard in the finals. 'Rob has good hockey sense,' said Jackals Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Todd Brost. 'He is smart with the puck, he is solid defensively and he does all the little things, which helped his team win in the playoffs.'
Tackaberry, a 6-foot, 200 lb. senior from Nepean, Ontario, ranks fourth on the team in scoring with 13 goals and 13 assists in 33 games for Mercyhurst. Brost said, 'Adam finishes checks well, he's good along boards, smart with puck, and very coachable.' Also proficient on special teams, eight of Tackaberry's thirteen goals this season have come on the power play.
Welch, a 5'11" senior from Tonawanda, New York, has 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) over 38 games, which ranks third on the Purple Eagles. 'Chris is known for his hard work and solid defense,' said Brost. 'He has lots of speed, and (from those who know both players) he has been compared to Carl Drakensjo.' Niagara's season is still alive; they play Boston College in the first round of the NCAA tournament this weekend in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Carebs, a senior defenseman at SUNY Oswego, has 25 points in 31 games, leading the blue-liners in scoring. According to Coach Brost, 'Joe is gritty, solid defensively, a good team player, and strong on the puck.' Carebs was recently named to the First Team All-SUNYAC for the second straight year.
All of the amateurs in consideration of the draft were playing for colleges, universities and junior leagues. Stipulations for eligibility were that the players have to be 19 or above, and have played no UHL regular season games in their career. A majority of players taken came from NCAA Division I schools and the Canadian Hockey League (WHL, OHL, QMJHL).
In the 6-round, 66-player draft, the Jackals did not have picks in the first two rounds, (used to acquire Bob Crummer from Quad City) nor their fifth round pick (used to acquire Anthony Cappelletti from Rockford). But they did have an extra third round pick (received as part of the three-way trade that brought Simon Poirier to Elmira). The two trades worked out better than expected, due largely in part to the outcome of the draft: 'Those deals were even more valuable for the team since I was able to draft my top four choices, despite not having picks in the first two rounds' said Brost.
NOTES: UHL teams are allowed to put four of their draftees on the playoff roster â in addition to the 20-man roster â without those players having to fulfill the 6-game minimum requirement. Out of the four, two players selected in the draft can be activated. Quad City took the most players (ten) in the draft, while Muskegon took nine and Flint had seven. Elmira and Adirondack had just four picks and Missouri three; the rest of the teams had the standard six selections. The draft order was based on the reverse order of the current UHL overall standings. Thus Missouri had the first pick, while Elmira picked fourth. Some rounds were switch around due to various trades.
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