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USHL Des Moines Buccaneers

Phase II of USHL Concludes as Buccaneers Make 22 Selections

May 3, 2016 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Des Moines Buccaneers News Release


The Des Moines Buccaneers completed Phase II of the 2016 USHL Draft by making 22 selections, including the 2nd overall pick Tommy Parrottino on Tuesday, May 3rd.

In total the Buccaneers ended the day after picking twelve forwards, including Parrottino, nine defensemen and one goaltender.

Director of Player Personnel Rick Beckfeld felt that the Buccaneers did a good job of filling their needs. "We got the players we wanted to get in the first three rounds where we had five picks," declared Beckfeld. "We got all the players we identified in that period of time, the we filled in some holes over the next five rounds."

Des Moines selected nine defensemen in the draft including four of their first six picks, and Beckfeld acknowledged that defense was an area of focus for the draft room. "We knew we had a need at D, we wanted to fill in with some solid D and we did that," reasoned Beckfeld. "We also wanted to get a top forward. In Julian Napravnik I think we got a tremendous forward coming out of Germany this year, I think he's going to be one of the better players in the league and we're very excited about him."

Phase I of the USHL Draft, which concluded Monday evening with the Buccaneers selecting nine players, had more of an emphasis on the future, while Phase II on Tuesday focused more on immediate needs. "Unlike Phase I where you typically go after the best players that are available, in Phase II you look more at who you have returning and you try to fill in with your needs and our needs were at D," Beckfeld explained.

Below is a list of the Des Moines Buccaneers' 2016 Phase II USHL Draft, complete with the player's position, previous team and in parenthesis their college commitment if they have one:

Round 1 Pick #2 Tommy Parrottino F Oakland Jr. Grizzlies (Michigan Tech)

Round 2 Pick #18 Nickolas Leitner D Bemidji High School

Round 2 Pick #22 Michael Rounds D Wichita Falls (Ohio State)

Round 2 Pick #26 Julian Napravnik F Jungadler Mannheim

Round 3 Pick #34 Erik Holmstrom D Farmington High School

Round 4 Pick #53 Ryan O'Connell D St. Andrew's College

Round 5 Pick #66 Jensen Zerban F Elk River High School

Round 6 Pick #99 Nick Henry F Portage

Round 7 Pick #107 Jakub Sirota D HC Zlin

Round 10 Pick #152 Colin Baird D Mounds View High School

Round 11 Pick #168 Eric Otto F Burnsville High School

Round 12 Pick #184 Reed Lebster F Fox Motors

Round 13 Pick #200 Brett Pickler F Phoenix Jr. Coyotes

Round 14 Pick #216 Douglas Connor G P.A.L. Jr. Islanders (Princeton)

Round 15 Pick #232 Mark Leach D New Hampton School

Round 16 Pick #248 Brian Halonen F Delano High School

Round 17 Pick #264 Noah Lugli D St. Andrew's College

Round 18 Pick #280 Ryan Sullivan F Honeybaked

Round 19 Pick #296 Cole Lawrence F Eden Prairie High School

Round 20 Pick #312 Logan Stork F Pittsburgh Penguins Elite

Round 21 Pick #328 Zach Metsa D Milwaukee Jr. Admirals (Quinnipiac)

Round 22 Pick #344 Benoit-Olivier Groulx F Gatineau L'Intrepide

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United States Hockey League Stories from May 3, 2016


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