Fourteen players from New England saw their names appear on the board of the 2022 USHL Phase I Draft on Monday afternoon.
It was a 10-round event in which the league's 15 teams selected players born in 2006. On Tuesday, league teams will have a chance to draft players born between 2002 and 2006 in the Phase II portion of the annual selection.
Thayer Academy freshman and Little Bruins U16 right wing Gavin Cornforth was the first player from the region selected. Cornforth was chosen by the Dubuque Fighting Saints. From Milton, Mass., Cornforth is a skilled, slick-skating winger who put up 12 goals and 18 assists in 22 games for Thayer Academy this winter.
The next two New Englanders off the board were defensemen from Boston Advantage 15 Only. Kiernan Poulin (Norwell, Mass.) and Andrew O’Sullivan (Boston, Mass.) were taken in the second and third rounds by the Waterloo Black Hawks and Green Bay Gamblers, respectively.
Arlington High School forward Jack Sadowski was the lone MIAA player selected, taken by Muskegon in the sixth round.
The two programs from within the region whose players enjoyed the most success on Monday were South Kent Selects Academy and Mount Saint Charles. Six players from Mount Saint Charles 15 Only were selected while South Kent Selects Academy started the draft off with a bang. South Kent U16 center Matthew Frost was the first overall pick, going to the Waterloo Black Hawks. Their 15 Only defenseman Tory Pitner was selected eight picks later by the Youngstown Phantoms.
USHL teams are allowed to tender two players, in exchange for giving up their first and second round picks. A few teams elected to do so, with Muskegon and Madison opting for players from the region. Muskegon tendered Malden Catholic and Junior Eagles U16 defenseman Owen Keefe (Saugus, Mass.) and Mount Saint Charles 15 Only center Sacha Boisvert. The Madison Capitols tendered Mount 15 Only defenseman Will Felicio. The two tenders from Mount gave the Woonsocket, R.I., program a total of eight players born in 2006 who will play in the USHL during the 2022-23 season.
New Englanders chosen in USHL draft
Gavin Cornforth, RW, Thayer/Little Bruins U16 - Dubuque (1st Rd./12 overall)
Kiernan Poulin, D, Boston Advantage 15s - Waterloo (2nd Rd./19th overall)
Andrew O’Sullivan, D, Boston Advantage 15s - Green Bay (3rd Rd./33rd overall)
Elliott Groenewold, D, Bishop's College Prep - Omaha (4th Rd./49th overall)
Jack Galanek, LW, Shattuck-St. Mary’s 15s - Muskegon (4th Rd./55th overall)
JJ Monteiro, LW, Mount Saint Charles 15s - Waterloo (5th Rd./64th overall)
Ronnie Hill, C, Seacoast 15s - Cedar Rapids (5th Rd./66th overall)
Thatcher Bernstein, G, Nobles/Jr. Eagles U16 - Dubuque (5th Rd./72nd overall)
Ryder Shea, G, St. George’s/Little Bruins - Cedar Rapids (6th Rd./81st overall)
Jack Sadowski, LW, Arlington/Jr. Eagles U16 - Muskegon (6th Rd./85th overall)
Nate Porter, RW, Dexter Southfield/Jr. Eagles U16 - Omaha (7th Rd./99th overall)
Niko Tournas, RW, Jr. Bulldogs 15s - Omaha (8th Rd./113th overall)
Deke Davidson, D, Seacoast 15s - Cedar Rapids (10th Rd./141st overall)
Michael Minchello, RW, Dexter Southfield/Jr. Eagles U16 - Muskegon (10th Rd./145th overall)
New England connections chosen in USHL draft
Matthew Frost, C, South Kent U16 - Waterloo (1st Rd./1st overall)
Tory Pitner, D, South Kent U15 - Youngstown (1st Rd./9th overall)
Theo Kiss, C, Mount Saint Charles 15s - Des Moines (2nd Rd./16th overall)
Callum Hughes, LW, Mount Saint Charles 15s - Waterloo (2nd Rd./21st overall)
Drew DellaSalla, C, Brunswick/Mid Fairfield 15s - Youngstown (3rd Rd./36th overall)
Alex Bales, D, Kent/Jr. Bulldogs 15s - Tri-City (4th Rd./56th overall)
Tyler Wood, C, South Kent 15s - Lincoln (5th Rd./71st overall)
Jack Montaldo, D, Mount Saint Charles 15s - Cedar Rapids (7th Rd.//96th overall)
Chase Stefanek, LW, Mount Saint Charles 15s - Sioux City (7th Rd./103rd overall)
Luke Gallo, C, Mount Saint Charles 15s - Omaha 9th Rd./122nd overall)
