USHL Sioux Falls Stampede

Stampede Grab Sioux Falls Native Knutson, 13 Others During USHL Draft

Published on May 22, 2012 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Sioux Falls Stampede News Release


The Sioux Falls Stampede added some scoring punch to their lineup during the 2012 USHL Draft Tuesday night. The Herd took star forward Tony Calderone with the first overall pick in the draft and then selected Sioux Falls native Zeb Knutson. He becomes the first Sioux Falls native to ever be selected in the USHL Draft.

In all, the Stampede selected seven forwards, four defensemen and three goaltenders. Prior to the start of the draft, the Herd made some noise by acquiring forwards Dennis Kravchenko and Thomas Forgione from the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in exchange for the Herd's second round selection. They also traded their eighth round pick to Dubuque for forward Ryan Siiro. All three players played last season in the USHL.

"It was a great day," said Stampede head coach Cary Eades. "We were able to address some areas we needed to improve on. We were able to acquire some goal scorers, built some depth at defense and stockpiled goaltenders of different ages and experience."

Kravachenko posted 21 points (8g, 13a) in 34 games while Forgione tallied 16 points (10g, 6a) in 40 games with the RoughRiders this past season. Siiro recorded 12 points (6g, 6a) in 52 games last year with Dubuque.

As for the draft, the Stampede added some scoring punch to their lineup by selecting forward Tony Calderone (Cal-der-own) with the first overall selection in the draft. Calderone was the top scorer in all of Tier I Midget Major with Victory Honda (Detroit) where he posted 65 points (38g, 27a) in just 40 games. His 38 goals also were tops amongst all Tier I players.

The Trenton, Michigan native averaged 1.63 points per-game last season and tallied five game winners while only recording 18 penalty minutes. Victory Honda finished first in the Great Lakes division last year with an impressive 29-6-5 record. They fell in the state championship game, 5-4 in overtime to Little Caesars. He posted 12 points (7g, 5a) in seven playoff games.

"Tony is a very talented player," said Stampede Director of Player Personnel Craig Sarner. "He is a natural goal scorer who finds the back of the net when given the opportunity. He is a leader and someone who we feel can come in and contribute right away."

In the third round, the Stampede selected Sioux Falls native Zeb Knutson. He is the first ever Sioux Falls born player to be drafted by any USHL team. Knutson has spent the last two seasons playing Midget Major Tier I hockey for Russell Stover in Kansas City. Prior to that, he played youth hockey with the Sioux Falls Flyers program.

"It feels great to be drafted by the team I grew up watching," said Knutson. "I am honored they think so highly of me that I was selected."

This past season, he finished second in all of Tier I (Under-18) scoring with 63 points (29g, 34a) in 39 games, just behind first round pick Tony Calderone. He averaged 1.62 points per-game and tallied five powerplay goals during the season as well as four game winning goals during the season. He recorded 24 points on 16 goals and eight assists during the 2010-11 season while playing for their Under-16 squad.

The Herd did not have a selection in the fourth round due to a trade during the 2011-12 season with Muskegon. In the fifth round, the Stampede took forward C.J. Franklin of Forest Lake High School in Minnesota. The 5-foot-10, 187-pound forward just completed his senior year at Forest Lake where he tallied 42 points (15g, 27a) in 27 games. He averaged 1.56 points per-game and recorded four powerplay goals on the season as well as two shorthanded goals.

In round six, the Stampede grabbed scoring forward Reid Sturos of Brighton, Michigan. He played last season with the Alexandria Blizzard (now the Brookings Blizzard) where he led the team in scoring with 49 points (20g, 29a) in 54 games and was a +17. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound forward has already committed to Michigan Tech University.

In the seventh round, Sioux Falls took right winger Russell Trudeau from the Melville Millionaires of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. The Landmark, Manitoba native finished third on the team in scoring with 54 points (29g, 25a) in 42 games. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound forward recorded eight points (3g, 5a) in 10 playoff games this past season as well.

In round eight, the Stampede took goaltender David Jacobson from the L.A. Jr. Kings of the Tier I Midget Major league. Jacobson went 9-8-4 with a 2.52 GAA and a .911 save percentage in 24 games. He stands at 6-foot-1 and 195-pounds and backstopped the Jr. Kings in the national tournament where they finished runners-up.

In the ninth round, the Herd selected their first defenseman, John Rey. His stats certainly make him look like a forward though. The de man spent last season with Amarillo in the NAHL and finished fourth on the team in scoring with 51 points (8g, 43a) in 60 games. The 6-foot, 190-pounder finished the season with 142 penalty minutes and an amazing +64 plus/minus rating. Three of his eight goals were game winners.

The Stampede had to wait until all teams reached 23 roster players (including players that were put on the protected list prior to draft) before the second half of the draft began. Cedar Rapids swapped positions with the Herd in the trade earlier in the day. That put the Stampede in the 16th round when they selected right defenseman Jake Zeleznikar from Hermantown High School. Zeleznikar stands at 6-foot-2, 185-pounds and posted 21 points (7g, 14a) in 25 games.

In the 17th round, the Herd stayed defensive and picked up defenseman Gage Ausmus from East Grand Forks, North Dakota. He spent this past season playing for the Under-17 U.S. Development Team and recorded five points (2g, 3a) in 36 USHL games this past season. He stands at 6-foot-1, 185-pounds and is already committed to the University of Denver.

In the 18th round, Sioux Falls selected forward Sean Murphy from Cary, North Carolina. He spent this past season playing with the Traverse City North Stars of the NAHL where he recorded 43 points (22g, 21a) and was a +5 in 45 games. The 5-foot-8, 175 pound winger tallied three powerplay goals and three game-winning goals.

In round 19, the Herd stayed up front and selected forward Steven Hladin from the Vaughan Vipers of the OJHL. The 5-foot-11, 165-pound center recorded 39 points (14g, 25a) in 42 games this past season with the Vipers. Four of his 14 goals were on the powerplay and three were game winners. He went on to post four points (1g, 3a) in seven playoff games.

In the 20th round, Sioux Falls selected defenseman Jack Stander from Grosse Point, Michigan. He played this past season at Grosse Pointe North where he earned Second Team All-State status.

In the 21st round, the Herd took goaltender Chase Perry from Andover, Minnesota. In 28 games, he went 18-7-2 with a 2.80 GAA and a .920 save percentage. He has a 1996 birth year and has good size in the crease at 6-foot-2, 164-pounds.

With their final pick in the 2012 USHL Draft, the Herd took goaltender Jan Obernesser from Calgary, Alberta. He played this past season in the Alberta Junior Hockey League where he posted an impressive 36-6-6 record with the Brooks Bandits. He finished the season with a 2.07 GAA and a .908 save percentage. He led the Bandits to their first AJHL championship and was named playoff MVP after going 12-2.

All the players selected along with players that were protected prior to the draft will attend Stampede tryout camp, June 1-4 at Ridder Arena on the campus of the University of Minnesota. The rest of the camp will be made up of invite only players. From there, the Stampede will select their roster for training camp which begins in September.

STAMPEDE DRAFT SELECTIONS

Round Name Position Previous Team

1 Tony Calderone Forward Victory Honda Midget Major

3 Zeb Knutson Forward Russell Stover Midget Major

5 C.J. Franklin Forward Forest Lake High School

6 Reid Sturos Forward Alexandria Blizzard (NAHL)

7 Russell Trudeau Forward Melville Millionaires (SJHL)

8 David Jacobson Goaltender L.A. Jr. Kings

9 John Rey Defenseman Amarillo Bulls (NAHL)

16 Jake Zeleznikar Defenseman Hermantown High School

17 Gage Asmus Defenseman U.S. Under-17

18 Sean Murphy Forward Traverse City North Stars (NAHL)

19 Steven Hladin Forward Vaughan Vipers

20 Jack Stander Defenseman Grosse Pointe North

21 Chase Perry Goaltender Andover High School

22 Jan Obernesser Goaltender Brooks Bandits (AJHL)

Check out the Sioux Falls Stampede Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



United States Hockey League Stories from May 22, 2012


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.

OurSports Central