Phase I and II Draft primer, courtesy Tri-City Storm
Kearney, Neb. – (Courtesy Tri-City Storm) — The 2017 United States Hockey League Draft begins Monday, May 1 at 6 p.m. and the Tri-City Storm has the second overall pick in Phase I and Phase II of the draft. After making three trades geared at building for the future in February, the Storm looks to reload its roster for the 2017-18 season. Last season, nine picks from the 2016 Draft played for Tri-City.
On May 4 at 7 p.m., the Storm will hold a 2017 Draft Party at the Viaero Center open to season ticket holders. Tri-City will raffle off three big prizes: a vacation (hotel and plane tickets) to Las Vegas, a trip (hotel and game tickets) to the College World Series and tickets to a Kansas City Royals game. Tri-City will also raffle Storm prize packs and have free food and drinks served.
Why two “Phases”?
Each draft “Phase” allows the Storm to fill its roster to 45 players. The Storm selects U-17 Talent (2001 birth years) in the Phase I segment. Phase II starts Tuesday, May 2 at 8:00 a.m. and is open to all junior-eligible players (1997-2001 birth years) not protected by other teams.
How does the draft help the Storm?
Besides filling the roster, the Storm has a chance to select high-end talent that can make an impact next season. Last season’s leading scorer Linus Weissbach was Tri-City’s second-round pick in the 2016 Phase II selection. Charlie Kelleher (2016’s first round, Phase II pick) topped the squad in points before being traded to Sioux City.
In 2015, notable picks that helped the Storm win the 2016 Clark Cup include Alex Limoges (1st round, Phase II), Nico Sturm (5th round, Phase II) and Joey Matthews (11th round, Phase II).
What levels of hockey do these players come from?
The Storm can draft players from high school hockey, youth hockey and junior hockey. International players are also eligible.
For example, in last year’s Phase II selection, the Storm picked 11 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies. Among these were high school picks, youth hockey selections, international talent and players from other levels of junior hockey.
Can the Storm pick players that have already played in the USHL?
As long as a player isn’t protected by a USHL team, they are eligible to be picked.
What’s next after the draft is over?
The Storm prepares for its Main Camp on June 11-16 at the Las Vegas Ice Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Comprised of Storm draft picks and others looking to make the roster, the Main Camp helps the Storm parse its roster down to a 30-man protected and 18-man affiliate list. Both of those lists must be submitted to the league by July 10.
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About Author
jimmerdenhollander@gmail.com
Born and raised in Ontario, Canada and moved to the state of Wisconsin in my late 30's. I worked at various newspapers and magazines in various sports positions for 25 years before changing careers five years ago. Now I am streamlining my focus on hockey only and in particular, all levels of hockey in the American Midwest.