Saints draft Janicke first overall in USHL Phase II draft

DUBUQUE, Iowa — (Courtesy Dubuque Fighting Saints) — Off of the heels of a blockbuster move to bring in the first overall selection in Phase II of the 2021 USHL Draft, the Dubuque Fighting Saints added 20 players on Thursday. Phase II brought in 13 forwards, four defensemen and three goaltenders.

“We let our list do the work once again,” said Fighting Saints GM Kalle Larsson. “We felt that we got some of the key players that we targeted, and we look forward to seeing all of our newly drafted players in the near future.”

With the first overall pick, the Fighting Saints picked up Team USA NTDP alum, and NHL Draft prospect, Justin Janicke. Larsson used his international connections to choose seven consecutive Swedes, and eight overall.

The Saints also made history on Thursday, as Andrew King was the first Dubuque native to ever be drafted by the organization. Brooks Bertsch, the first Dubuque native to play for the Fighting Saints, was never drafted by the organization.

The 20 picks are as follows, in order:

Round 1, 1^st overall: Justin Janicke — forward, Team USA NTDP U18s

Round 2, 20^th overall: Samuel Sjölund — defense, AIK J20

Round 3, 35^th overall: William Hallén — forward, Frölunda HC J20

Round 4, 50^th overall: Philip Svedebäck — goaltender, Växjö J20

Round 5, 62^nd overall: Lucas Ölvestad — defense, Djurgårdens J20

Round 5, 65^th overall: Gabriel Lundberg — forward, Frölunda HC J20

Round 6, 80^th overall: Axel Kumlin — defense, Frölunda HC J20

Round 6, 81^st overall: Christopher Lynch — defense, Färjestad BK J20

Round 7, 97^th overall: Peter Kramer — forward, Thayer Academy

Round 8, 116^th overall: Cade Lemmer — forward, Wichita Falls Wildcats

Round 9, 127^th overall: Michael Morelli — goaltender, Maryland Black Bears

Round 10, 142^nd overall: Marcus Brannman — goaltender, Örebro HK J20

Round 10, 149^th overall: Nikita Borodayenko — forward, MHK Spartak Moskva

Round 11, 157^th overall: Andrew King — forward, Lawrence Academy

Round 12, 172^nd overall: Tobias Iantorno — forward, Don Mills Flyers U18 AAA

Round 13, 187^th overall: Ryan St. Louis — forward, Team USA NTDP U18s

Round 14, 202^nd overall: Shawn O’Donnell — forward, Pittsburgh Penguins Elite

18URound 15, 217^th overall: William Renfrew — forward, Fairbanks Ice Dogs

Round 16, 232^nd overall: Gabe Dombrowski — forward, Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks

Round 17, 247^th overall: Connor Bedard — forward, Regina Pats

The Fighting Saints’ Main Camp gets underway in late June. More information will be released in the coming weeks.