USHL Tri-City Storm

Storm Pick Nebraskan, Two Goalies in Draft

Published on May 7, 2013 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Tri-City Storm News Release


KEARNEY, Neb. - The Storm picked a Nebraska native and two goaltenders within their first five selections in Phase 2 of the 2013 USHL Draft on Tuesday afternoon.

"It went pretty smooth for us," Storm head coach and general manager Josh Hauge said. "We got two goaltenders that can come in and compete for the starting job."

With their second pick of the day in the third-round, the Storm selected goaltender Hayden Lavigne. A native of Brampton, Ont., Lavigne played 20 games for the Wellington Dukes last season and had a 2.48 goals against average and a .922 save percentage.

Their second goaltender chosen was Brock Kautz, of Rochester, Minn. Kautz was selected in the fifth-round with the 72nd overall pick.

Tri-City made history earlier in the day with their first-round pick, selecting forward Chris Wilkie, an Omaha native, who will be the first ever player from Nebraska on the club's roster.

"We were going to take the best player available and that's what we felt Chris was," Hauge said. But it's an added bonus to say that he's from our area. It makes our pick even more special. We were lucky enough to be in the number two spot to take him right away."

Wilkie played with the United States National Team Development Program last season, appearing in 56 games and scoring 31 points with 13 goals and 18 assists. He also played six games for Team USA in the U17 World Challenge and amassed nine points on three goals and six assists.

At 16-years-old, Wilkie stands at 5-feet 10-inches and weighs 172 pounds.

"He's going to be an extremely skilled hockey player," Hauge said. "He's got a dynamic skill set and what's even more impressive is how hard and physical he plays. He's going to be a leader for us and I'm really excited about him coming into our locker room."

The second overall pick is also committed to play collegiately at North Dakota.

"We think he'll be ready to play college hockey after one season and hopefully, if we do our job, he'll be a high-end NHL Draft pick," Hauge said. "He's ready to come in and be a marquee player for a franchise in our league and I think that's what he's going to do here."

The Storm grabbed a defenseman in the fourth round with Jalen Schulz, a player they couldn't pass up.

"We had didn't intend on taking a defenseman that early on," Hauge said. "With Jalen being available in the fourth round, it was just too important of a value to not get him there. We're thrilled to have him."

Another fifth-round selection was a high-scoring forward in Robbie Payne, a native of Gaylord, Mich. who played for the Kalamazoo Jr. Wings last season.

"Robbie is a guy we feel can come right in and score goals for us," Hauge said.

Tri-City Storm 2013 USHL Draft Phase 2 Selections

1st Round: Chris Wilkie - Forward - Omaha, NE - Team USA U-17

3rd Round: Hayden Lavigne - Goalie - Brampton, Ont. - Wellington Dukes

4th Round: Jalen Schulz - Defense - Cambridge, Minn. - Corpus Cristi Ice Rays

5th Round: Robbie Payne - Forward - Gaylord, Mich. - Kalamazoo Jr. Wings

5th Round: Brock Kautz - Goalie - Rochester, Minn. - Janesville Jets

7th Round: Mike Lee - Defense - Hamden, Conn. - The Gunnery

8th Round: Lane Bauer - Forward - Anchorage, Ak. - Alaska Jr. Aces

10th Round: Steven Haydon - Forward - Plymouth, Mich. - Odessa Jackalopes

11th Round: Chase McMurphy - Forward - Chestermere, Alb. - Calgary Mustangs

12th Round: Kurt Keats - Forward - Winnipeg, Man. - Winnipeg South Blues

13th Round: Trevor Yates - Forward - Beaconsfield, Que. - Deerfield Academy

14th Round: Dakota Boutin - Forward - Moosejaw, Sask. - Moosejaw Generals

15th Round: Max Prawdzik - Goalie - Andover, Mass. - Brooks School

16th Round: Jedd Soleway - Forward - West Vancouver, BC - Penticton Vees

17th Round: Victor Beaulac - Defense - St. Hyacinthe, Que. - Longueuil

18th Round: Tyler Bird - Forward - Andover, Mass. - St. John's Prep

19th Round: Andrew Cross - Defense - Saugus, Mass - Austin Prep

20th Round: Alec Mono - Defense - Las Vegas, NV - Las Vegas Storm

21st Round: Will Garin - Forward - Mound, Minn. - Holy Family

22nd Round: Charley Graaskamp - Forward - Eau Claire, Wis. - Eau Claire Memorial

23rd Round: Nicholas Cardelli - Forward - Itasca, Ill. - Chicago Hawks

24th Round: Mike Ilvonen - Defense - Helsinki, Finland - Espoo

25th Round: Derek Lodermeier - Forward - Brooklyn Center, Minn. - Totino-Grace H.S.

Check out the Tri-City Storm Statistics

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



United States Hockey League Stories from May 7, 2013


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