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Recent Region 9 News

Big Day for Alumni at Entry Draft

By Craig Peterson 07/21/2020, 8:00pm EDT

Banner Year for MI-HS Players Heading to the NAHL

In a year where 10 Michigan High School Hockey players signed North American Hockey League (NAHL) tender agreements to play the 2020-21 season in the United States’ top Tier-II junior league, 10 additional players with ties to MI-HS were also selected on Tuesday during the league’s entry draft. 2020 proved to be a banner year for MI-HS hockey, with a record number of NAHL tenders and draft picks in a single season.

To recap the 10 players already committed to NAHL teams prior to the entry draft…

Additionally, four more players active in MI-HS last season were selected on Tuesday, including Howell’s Stefan Frantti with the 68th pick (Minnesota Wilderness), Midland’s Matthew Babinski with the 70th pick (Chippewa Steel), Saginaw Heritage’s 2020 Mr. Hockey Recipient Brady Rappuhn with the 85th pick (New Mexico Wolves) and Country Day’s Logan Gotinsky with the 116th pick (Shreveport Mudbugs). 

After spending the 2019-20 season in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), both the 2019 Mr. Hockey recipient Joey Larson out of Hartland and Dawson McKay from Houghton were chosen with the eighth overall (Jamestown Rebels) and 81st overall (Lone Star Brahmas) picks respectively.

Kingsford’s Daunte Fortner and Lake Orion’s Gabe Potyk both forgoed their senior seasons to begin their respective junior hockey careers in the 2018-19 season. Two years later, both Fortner and Potyk were selected with the 135th pick (Lone Star Brahmas) and the 222nd pick (Corpus Christi Ice Rays).

Lastly, Luke Beerman from Marquette and Parker Rey of Flint Powers were several seasons removed from their sophomore years with their respective schools, yet both were called on draft day with the 35th pick (Lone Star Brahmas) and 177th pick (Kenai River Brown Bears). 

In total, 14 current MI-HS players from the 2019-20 season are slated to make the jump to the NAHL this fall for their first taste of junior hockey. Six more alumni in the midst of their junior careers will also have NAHL options for the 2020-21 season, bringing the total to 20 MI-HS players joining the league this fall.

Did I miss anyone? Let’s talk about it on Twitter to keep tabs on these alumni and all MI-HS players moving on to junior hockey this fall.

 

Craig Peterson’s comments and opinions are that of his own, and are in no way directly tied to that of the Michigan High School Hockey Coaches’ Association (MHSHCA), its member coaches, or board members. Any questions, comments or concerns regarding his work can be addressed directly to the author of the article.

 

 

 

 

 

Seven Selected In USHL Draft

By Craig Peterson 05/06/2020, 12:30pm EDT

Current and Former MI-HS players’ names called during the 16-team event

The 2020 USHL Draft took place earlier this week in two phases, beginning with Phase I on Monday for the 2004-birth year only and Phase II the next day for all remaining birth years. During this two-day event, two current players and five alumni from seven different MI-HS programs were selected and will be set to join their respective teams’ 45-man player list.

WHO, WHEN AND WHERE

 

Brayden Stannard, Round 2, Green Bay

The one-time Escanaba Eskymo, Stannard finished second on the team in scoring as a freshman in 2017-18, with 20 goals and 27 points during his rookie campaign. From there, he spent one season with the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies’ 16U team before playing last season in the NAHL with the Maryland Black Bears. Stannard is currently committed to NCAA Nebraska-Omaha for the 21-22 season.

 

Jake Beaune, Round 3, Lincoln

The right-handed defenseman scored 35 goals and 71 points during his three-year career with Livonia Stevenson. Beaune played the last two seasons in the NAHL with the Aberdeen Wings, and finished in the top 15 among defensemen with 29 points in 51 games. As a 2000-birth year, Beaune has one more year of junior hockey eligibility for the Stars this season.

 

Cooper Black, Round 6, Omaha

Just one year removed from his 22-win senior season with Alpena, Black continues his meteoric rise as one of the top Michigan-based goalie prospects. The 6-foot-7 goaltender went 9-6-3 with a .916 save percentage and 2.58 goals-against average in his first season of junior hockey with the NAHL’s Maryland Black Bears. 

 

Connor McGrath, Round 12, Youngstown

Another member of the Class of 2019, McGrath concluded his career at Cranbrook with 71 points in 56 games. After graduation, he split time this season between Little Caesars’ 18U team and the Chippewa Steel. The 01-birth year forward scored 13 goals in 26 NAHL games.

 

Andrew Garby, Round 18, Cedar Rapids

In one season with Plymouth, Garby scored 10 goals and 29 points from the blue line for the No. 6 ranked Wildcats. Since then, he’s spent the last two seasons in the NAHL with the Fairbanks Ice Dogs, accumulating three goals and 29 points during his 95-game junior career. 

 

Jacob Thomas, Round 21, Sioux Falls

A four-year senior for Country Day, Thomas could go down as one of the winningest players in high school history, having been a part of two state championships and a third final four this season. He’s one of the top prospects among MI-HS defensemen this season and for good reason. Thomas has great size at 6-foot-4, he’s a strong skater and efficient puck mover who should excel at the next level.

 

Kyle Gaffney, Round 23, Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls doubled down on seniors by taking Gaffney out of Detroit Catholic Central. The 6-foot forward was arguably the top forward prospect in all of MI-HS this season, accumulating 12 goals and 46 points in 27 games for the No. 1 ranked Shamrocks. Gaffney has also signed a tender agreement with the Aberdeen Wings in the NAHL for next season.

 

Last season, five former MI-HS players suited up for USHL teams. With seven players selected in the draft this week, the United States’ top junior league continues to feel a significant presence from the top prospects that Michigan High School hockey has to offer. 

Craig Peterson’s comments and opinions are that of his own, and are in no way directly tied to that of the Michigan High School Hockey Coaches’ Association (MHSHCA), its member coaches, or board members. Any questions, comments or concerns regarding his work can be addressed directly to the author of the article.

 

 

 

 

 

Lakers Get Commitment From Venegoni

By Craig Peterson 05/01/2020, 10:30am EDT

Churchill Alum Heading To Sault Ste Marie In The Fall

On Thursday, three-year letterman Jordan Venegoni (Livonia Churchill, 2018) announced on Twitter his verbal commitment to join Lake Superior State for the upcoming 2020-21 season. The 19-year-old is slated to join fellow MI-HS alum Spencer DenBeste (Marquette, 2017) in the Lakers’ incoming freshman class.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I am extremely honored to announce my commitment to play Division 1 hockey at Lake Superior State University. I would like to thank my family, coaches, and teammates who have helped me get to this point! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lakers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#lakers</a> <a href="https://t.co/OC1ajalsM2">pic.twitter.com/OC1ajalsM2</a></p>&mdash; Jordan (@Jordanvenegoni1) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jordanvenegoni1/status/1255920382076506118?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Venegoni played 62 games in three seasons for the Chargers, scoring 50 goals and 109 points during his high school career. The 2017-18 season was a busy one for the 6-foot forward — a senior at the time — as he began the fall in the NAHL with Amarillo. After playing eight games with the Bulls, he returned to Churchill for his senior season, playing through Christmas break before spending the second half with Honeybaked.

The Livonia native returned to Amarillo and the NAHL the following season, where he has remained for the last two years, playing in more than 100 regular-season and playoff games. Venegoni finished in the Top 20 in scoring, with 51 points in 54 games in ‘19-20, as the Bulls abruptly ended the season second in the league with 83 points. 

Bound for Sault Ste Marie, Venegoni is the fourth former MI-HS player to make a Division-I commitment in 2020, joining fellow Amarillo teammate and Trenton alum Nick Trela (St. Lawrence) as well as Brighton alum Tim Erkkila (Northern Michigan) and Hartland product Jed Pietila (Michigan Tech).

Got more alumni news? Let’s talk about it on Twitter! With more than 40 MI-HS alumni on NCAA D-I rosters and upwards of 100 more playing high-level junior hockey, there’s plenty to discuss. 

 

Craig Peterson’s comments and opinions are that of his own, and are in no way directly tied to that of the Michigan High School Hockey Coaches’ Association (MHSHCA), its member coaches, or board members. Any questions, comments or concerns regarding his work can be addressed directly to the author of the article.