The Corpus Christi IceRays selected six players yesterday in the 2011 NAHL Entry Draft held online via Twitter (@NAHLHockey) and through an audio webcast via www.FASTHockey.com.
The draft class is comprised of six players from four states and includes three players who were either drafted by or have played in the Tier-I United States Hockey League (USHL). It was an aggressive draft for the team as they identified high-level prospects that could have a big impact in a Corpus Christi uniform.
“I really like our draft class and the direction that our organization is headed in,” said general manager Pat Dunn. “Ryan (Bennett), Justin (Quenneville), and Brent (Hughes) did a great job preparing, scouting, and researching players. This was a day that the hard work and hours spent scouting around the country year round really paid off.”
At the moment, the six draft picks have been added to the roster of 24 protected players comprised of 15 veterans and 9 signed tenders. It does not give the team a final roster though as they will hold four camps this summer in Pennsylvania, New York, Arizona, and Texas to decide on which 25 players will make the roster that will head to the NAHL Showcase in Blaine, MN on September 14-18.
One of the players with a USHL connection is Steven Hensley who played the last two seasons with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. The other two, Danny Fetzer and Trevor Cope, were selected in the 2011 USHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Steel and Lincoln Stars respectively.
“We definitely addressed our needs with this draft class,” said assistant coach Justin Quenneville. “It was truly a team effort from the entire organization to identify the players that would add size, speed, and skill to our roster. Our scouting director Ryan Bennett really prepared a solid draft game plan and we were able to execute that pretty well.”
2011 CORPUS CHRISTI DRAFT CLASS
(7 Overall) –Steven Hensley (D), Livornia, MI (Cedar Rapids Roughriders), 6’0, 195
(35 Overall)-William Clark (F), Dallas, TX (Dallas Stars 18U), 6’6, 222
(62 Overall)-Zachary Holstrom (F), Yorba Linda, CA (LA Kings 18U), 5’7, 145
(86 Overall)-Danny Fetzer (F), Chicago, IL (Chicago Young Americans), 6’1, 175
(110 Overall)-Trevor Cope, F, Commerce Township, MI (Victory Honda 18U), 5’10 165
(130 Overall)-Brandon Adams (F), Prospect Heights, IL (Alberni Valley), 5’11, 180
ICERAYS DRAFT BY THE NUMBERS
3- Players with USHL ties led by Steven Hensley who played two years for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. Danny Fetzer (Chicago Steel) and Trevor Cope (Lincoln Stars) were both drafted in this year’s USHL Entry draft.
4- Number of states (Michigan, Illinois, California, Texas) represented by the six draft picks.
17.8 – The average age of the six draft picks, represented in years/months. The youngest is Trevor Cope at 16 years old while the rest of the draft picks are all 18 years of age.
5- Number of forwards drafted.
78- Inches in the height of the tallest draft pick, William Clark, who stands 6’6” tall.
1- Draft pick, Brandon Adams, played in Canada last year in the BCHL for Alberni Valley.
24- Points tallied by Zachary Holstrom in 40 games played last season with the LA Kings 18U team.
