Nine players with ties to the Northland were selected over the past 24 hours in the 2015 USHL Draft with three being selected on Monday night in the Phase One futures draft and another six being selected Tuesday morning in Phase Two.
The Northland number would have been 10 had the Waterloo Blackhawks not given up their second-round pick prior to the futures draft to tender Minnesota Duluth verbal commitment Mikey Anderson out of Hill Murray High School. Another Bulldogs verbal commitment, Matt Anderson of Holy Family High School, was the second overall pick in Monday, going to the Green Bay Gamblers.
Ryan Sandelin, son of Bulldogs coach Scott Sandelin, of Hermantown was taken in the fourth round Monday by the Sioux City Musketeers and Luke LaMaster of Duluth East went in the eighth round of the futures draft to the Chicago Steel.
Two more Hermantown players were selected Tuesday with Nate Pionk going to the Sioux Falls Stampede in the 10th round and Tyler Watkins going to Waterloo in the 17th round. Grand Rapids’ Micah Miller went to the Madison Capitols one pick prior to Watkins.
Three Minnesota Wilderness players were also selected Tuesday. Superior native Aaron Miller went in the seventh round to Sioux Falls while Bradley Johnson was taken in the third round by the Fargo Force and Tyler Cline was taken in the 14th round by Green Bay.
Players selected in Phase One traditionally are not expected to be on a USHL roster in 2015-16, though players who are tendered players are required to appear in at least 55 percent of the team’s regular season games.
Players selected in Phase Two will compete for spots on team’s 2015-16 roster.
The full list of local 2015 USHL picks and tenders are below.
2015 USHL Draft
Phase One (1999 birth year)
Matt Anderson, Rd. 1, #2, Green Bay Gamblers (UMD)
* Mikey Anderson, Rd. 2, #6, Waterloo Blackhawks (UMD)
Ryan Sandelin, Rd. 4, #15, Sioux City Musketeers (Hermantown)
Luke LaMaster, Rd. 8, #6, Chicago Steel (Duluth East)
Phase Two (1995-99 birth years)
Bradley Johnson, Rd. 3, #36, Fargo Force (Wilderness)
Aaron Miller, Rd. 7, #108, Sioux Falls Stampede (Superior/Wilderness)
Nate Pionk, Rd 10, #148, Lincoln Stars (Hermantown)
Tyler Cline, Rd. 14, #213, Green Bay Gamblers (Wilderness)
Micah Miller, Rd. 17, #264, Madison Capitols (Grand Rapids)
Tyler Watkins, Rd. 17, #265, Waterloo Blackhawks (Hermantown)
Note:
* – Gave up pick prior to draft to tender player
