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USHL Muskegon Lumberjacks

Lumberjacks Complete USHL Draft Following 23 Phase Two Picks

May 3, 2016 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release


MUSKEGON, MI - Today marked the conclusion of the USHL Draft, as the Muskegon Lumberjacks drafted the rights to 23 players during the Phase Two Draft. The Phase Two Draft consisted of players born between the years 1996 and 2000.

The Muskegon Lumberjacks kicked the day off snagging forward Jordan Timmons with the 15th overall pick. Other highlights from the Lumberjacks draft includes drafting three players ranked by NHL Central Scouting for the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. Muskegon drafted 13 forwards, eight defenseman and two goalies, as well as six players already committed to play division one college hockey, and adding five Michigan born players, including Rune Kirby, a native of Ludington, Michigan.

The Lumberjacks started the day with a trade for the Green Bay Gamblers 1st round pick and 6th round pick in exchange for forwards Dante Palecco and Lucas Michaud. With the 1st round pick, the Lumberjacks selected Jordan Timmons from the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite U18 program. Timmons, a 1998 birth year is a forward that helped the Penguins Elite U18 program to a National Championship this season. In 32 games, Timmons scored 26 goals and collected 19 assists for a total of 45 points. With the Gamblers sixth round pick, the Lumberjacks selected Robbie Roche, a defenseman from Wachusett, MA who spent the last season playing for three different teams, most notably the Tri-City Storm. Roche did spend the most time with the South Shore Kings in the USPHL Premier League.

The Lumberjacks drafted three players highlighted by the NHL Central Scouting Service for the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. Goaltenders Adam Brizgala and Tyler Johnson have received a lot of attention as the NHL draft approaches. Brizgala, a native of Czech Republic, has spent the last three years representing HC Sparta Praha, as well as his country in international tournaments. With his club, Brizgala has registered a 0.98 goals against average, and .973 save percentage. Brizgala is ranked as the 7th goaltender from Europe eligible for the 2016 NHL Draft, and was the 37th overall pick in the Phase Two Draft.

Johnson, a goaltender who is rated as the 18th goaltender in North America, spent last season in the North American Hockey League, playing for the Topeka Roadrunners. In 33 games, the 6'3", 185 lbs. goaltender registered a 2.56 goals against average and .906 save percentage. Muskegon drafted Johnson in the 20th round, with the 315th overall pick.

The third player receiving NHL Central Scouting attention is defenseman

Dean Stewart. Stewart is the 131st ranked North American Skater, and is committed to play college hockey for University of Nebraska-Omaha. Last season, Stewart played in the MJHL for the Portage Terriers, scoring eight goals, and collecting 14 assists. Stewart was the 347th overall pick in the draft.

Five Michigan born players were taken by the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL Phase Two Draft. Andrew Jackson, Cade Robinson, Rune Kirby, Travis Mitchell, and Andrew Bellant are all natives of the state of Michigan. Kirby is the player with the closest ties to Muskegon, growing up in Ludington Michigan. The defenseman was taken in the 18th round, with the 283rd overall pick. The 1997 birth year spent the last two seasons playing for the Culver Academy, racking up 21 points in 53 games.

Below is a complete list of all the Muskegon Lumberjacks Phase Two Selections:

2016

USHL Phase 2 Draft

Round Pick Player Pos. From

1 15 Jordan Timmons F Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 18U

2 17 Collin Murphy D Austin Prep High School

2 21 Koby Bender F Minnesota Wilderness

3 37 Adam Brizgala G Czech National Jr. Team

5 76 Lucas Sowder F Tampa Bay Scorpions 18U

6 87 Andrew Jackson F Wilkes/Barre Scranton Knights 18U

6 97 Robbie Roche D South Shore Kings

9 139 Chase Ellingson F Breck High School

11 169 John Mulera F Skipjacks Hockey Club

11 171 Aleksi Halme F Assat Port Jr.

12 187 Joshua Boyer F St.Louis Blues Selects 16U

13 203 Mark Cheremeta F Palm Beach Hawks

14 219 Cade Robinson F Honeybaked U16

15 235 Teddy Wooding F The Rivers School

16 251 Sean Comrie D Delta Midget Prep

17 267 Charlie Mackie D Toronto Marlboros

18 283 Rune Kirby D Culver Academy

19 299 Angus Scott F Camrose Kodiaks

20 315 Tyler Johnson G Topeka Roadrunners

21 331 Travis Mitchell D Honeybaked U16

22 347 Dean Stewart D Portage Terries

23 363 Matthew Slick D Proctor Academy

24 379 Andrew Bellant F Aston Rebels

The Muskegon Lumberjacks are looking forward to celebrating their seventh season in the United States Hockey League. Our early bird season ticket specials and flex ticket packages are now available for the 2016-2017 Regular Season. Call the Lumberjacks sales office at (231) 724-5225 to take advantage of our early bird savings!

The Muskegon Lumberjacks are proud members of the United States Hockey League, the nation's only Tier I junior hockey league and the leading producer of NCAA players and National Hockey League draft picks in the United States. The Lumberjacks' organization prides itself on developing not just premier hockey talent, but also exceptional young men outside the arena of sports. For more information, visit www.muskegonlumberjacks.com .

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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