UNH Recruits Selected in USHL Draft

UNH Recruit Liam Darcy Drafted by
Green Bay Gamblers (Photo: Berwick Academy)

Earlier this month, the United States Hockey League conducted their annual draft. The 15 USHL teams selected young players born in 1993 through 1997 not currently playing in the USHL. Each team identified players who will compete for vacant roster spots next season and in years to come. Once a player is drafted by a particular USHL team, he can not play for any other USHL team. However, he is free to play in any other junior hockey league.

Five UNH recruits were drafted by USHL teams on May 6th and 7th:

Liam Darcy drafted by Green Bay Gamblers
Charlie Kelleher - Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Danny Tirone - Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Brendan van Riemsdyk - Sioux City Musketeers
Dylan Chanter - Dubuque Fighting Saints

2013 USHL Draft - Phase I

In Phase I of the draft (formerly called the "Futures Draft"), the USHL teams selected players born in 1997 in a series of eight rounds. Team USA, the 16th member of the USHL, has its on method of selecting players for their Under-17 and Under-18 National Team Development Programs. The 16 and 17-year-old players chosen in Phase I currently play for high school, prep school, and/or midget teams. According to the USHL, these youngsters:

"Are traditionally not ready to play in the USHL the following season, but will continue to develop at lower levels of hockey in preparation for USHL play in future seasons. While not yet USHL full-timers, a number of those players will see game action in the coming season."

Two of UNH's youngest recruits - Liam Darcy and Charlie Kelleher - were selected in Phase I.

Liam Darcy - Defenseman

Liam Darcy (DOB: 2-26-1997) recently completed his sophomore season at Berwick Academy, just up the road from UNH. The 5'11", 170 lbs., left-shot defenseman scored 7 goals and 15 assists in 27 games. In his freshman year, Darcy scored 5 goals and 17 assists and was named the MVP on the Berwick squad. Liam was drafted by the Green Bay Gamblers in the 6th round of the Phase I Draft. He was the 85th overall pick.

I had an opportunity to interview Liam, via email, on his selection by the Gamblers:

Mike Lowry ("C-H-C"): What is your reaction to being selected in the USHL draft earlier this month?
Liam Darcy: I was both really excited and surprised about it. It will be a great option for me in the future.

Mike Lowry: Do you plan on participating in the team's tryout camp in June?
Liam Darcy: I do plan on participating in the tryout camp. It will be a good experience to see where I stand, and to learn more about the program they have there.

Charlie Kelleher - Forward

Charlie Kelleher Drafted by
Cedar Rapids (Photo: masslive.com)

Charlie Kelleher (DOB: 2/4/97), a right-shot forward, was the 35th overall pick in the USHL Phase I Draft. He was selected by the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in the second round.

In March, Kelleher and the Boston Junior Bruins U18 team won the Championship of the United States Elite Hockey League. Kelleher finished the USEHL Tournament with a goal and 2 assists in 5 games. He tied for 5th in scoring. During the regular season, Charlie scored 11 goals and 14 asists in 54 games.

Charlie Kelleher was one the top 52 players, born in 1997, invited to the USA Hockey's National Team Development Program Evaluation Camp. To date, Charlie has not been on the list of forwards selected for the Under-17 team. Charlie's older brother Tyler, was the leading scorer for both the Under-17 and Under-18 NTDP teams. Tyler will suit up for UNH next Fall.

Here are Charlie's thoughts on being selected by the RoughRiders:

Mike Lowry ("C-H-C"): What is your reaction to being selected in the USHL draft earlier this month?
Charlie Kelleher: Well, it is obviously an honor to be selected in the draft because the USHL is such a great league.

Mike Lowry: Do you plan on participating in the team's tryout camp in June?
Charlie Kelleher: At this time (mid-May), I am unsure if I will be attending the camp.

2013 USHL Draft - Phase II

The USHL held Phase II of the draft (formerly called the "Entry Draft") on May 7th . Players with birth years from 1993 to 1996 were eligible. The 15 USHL teams used over 26 rounds to select players who could compete for spots on the 2013-14 roster. The players came from a wide variety of teams including high school, prep, and junior teams from both the United States and Canada. Three UNH recruits - Danny Tirone, Brendan van Riemsdyk, and Dylan Chanter - were selected in Phase II.

Danny Tirone - Goalie

Danny Tirone Drafted by
Cedar Rapids (Photo: loomischaffee.org)

Danny Tirone (DOB: 6/3/1994), the 2013 Prep School Player of the Year was the 34th overall pick in the USHL Draft. The Cedar Rapid RoughRiders selected Tirone in the 3rd Round. The 5'11", 180 lbs. netminder and co-captain for the Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Connecticut, recently completed an award-winning season. Tirone (Pronounced Ti-row-knee) was in goal for 24 of Loomis' 25 games and played nearly every minute for the Pelicans (1253 out of 1340 total minutes). He posted an impressive .933 save percentage which was 3rd-best among all New England Prep School goalies. He allowed only 1 goal in 9 games and 2 or fewer goals in 12.

In addition to being named Prep School Player of the Year Award by U.S. Hockey Report, Tirone was selected to the First Team of the All-New England team by the NE Prep School Ice Hockey Coaches.

Here's my interview with Danny:

Mike Lowry ("C-H-C"): What is your reaction to being selected in the USHL draft earlier this month?
Danny Tirone: After being drafted by the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, I feel very thankful, excited, and relieved. I’m thankful that the Cedar Rapids coaching staff believed in me enough to select me. I know that they have high expectations for me and I’m excited to keep working over the summer to develop my game before the season starts.
I really like the coaches and feel that Cedar Rapids will be a great place for me to mature as an individual and develop as a hockey player. Lastly, I’m just relieved to know where I’ll be. I'm happy to know that I have a definite home for next year.

Mike Lowry: Do you plan on participating in the team's tryout camp in June?
Danny Tirone: Yes, I plan on attending the Cedar Rapids RoughRider’s main camp that takes place from May 30th to June 2nd. I’m looking forward to meeting the coaches in person and starting to develop relationships with my future teammates. Also, I’m just excited to get on the ice with everyone and start pushing each other to improve right from the first practice. The hard part is going to be leaving the camp knowing that we’ll all have to wait a couple of months before the season starts!

Brendan van Riemsdyk - Forward

Brendan van Riemsdyk Drafted by Sioux City (Photo: nj.com)

Brendan van Riemsdyk (DOB: 1/28/1996), the youngest of the three van Riemsdyk brothers, was the 51st overall selection in the USHL draft. The 6'3", 189 lbs, left-shot forward was selected in Round 4 by the Sioux City Musketeers.

van Riemsdyk recently completed his junior season at the Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft, NJ. CBA finished the regular season ranked #2 in New Jersey High School hockey. BvR scored 16 goals and 30 assists in 23 games. He was the third leading scorer on the CBA team and had the second most assists.

The highlight of BvR's season came in the Gordon Conference Tournament. He scored the game-winning goal as CBA defeated Don Bosco Prep 3-2 in the Gordon Cup semifinals. In the championship game against archrival Delbarton, van Riemsdyk scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal. In the New Jersey Non-Public School Tournament, CBA advanced to the semifinals but lost to Don Bosco. In the three playoff games, BvR scored 5 goals and added an assist.

In early April, Brendan announced, via twitter, his intention to play for the Jersey Hitmen U18 team next season.

Dylan Chanter - Defenseman

Dylan Chanter Drafted by
Dubuque (Photo: Merritt Cents)

Dylan Chanter (DOB: 9-17-1995) recently completed his second season with the Merritt Centennials of the British Columbia Hockey League. The 6'3", 203 lbs., right-shot defenseman scored 9 goals - including 3 power play goals - and 11 assists in 56 games. Chanter was drafted by the Dubuque Fight Saints in the 5th round of the USHL Draft. He was the 75th overall pick.