Last Tuesday was a busy day for local players and a number of others with connections to the region as a slew of familiar names were selected in the 2022 USHL Phase II draft.
Phase II is the portion of the USHL selection process where the 15 teams are allowed to pick players born between 2002 and 2006 who are not previously protected or affiliated by another league organization. Fourteen local players were selected the previous day in Phase I, the 10-round draft for players born in 2006.
On Tuesday, UMass Lowell commit Jak Vaarwerk was the first overall pick. The East Amherst, N.Y., native played this past season for the Jamestown Rebels in the NAHL. He’ll play the 2022-23 campaign for the Des Moines Buccaneers before matriculating to the River Hawks the following season.
The first local player picked was Belmont Hill and East Coast Wizards right wing James Fisher. The Wilmington, Mass., native was taken in the first round, ninth overall, by the Youngstown Phantoms. Fisher, committed to Northeastern, was listed as the 99th best North American skater in the 2022 NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings, released last week.
The only other local plucked off the board in the first round was Northeastern freshman Ryan St. Louis. Dubuque took the Riverside, Conn., native with the 12th overall pick, signifying a likelihood that the NTDP alum would be heading back to junior hockey in 2022-23.
Also taken in the first round was Boston College commit Jan Korec, a goaltender out of Northwood. Des Moines used the 15th overall pick on the late '04 who was thought to be one of the top goaltending prospects in the Phase II portion of the draft.
Below is a complete list of locals and those with ties to the region who were selected in the 2022 USHL Phase II draft:
New England Natives
James Fisher, RW, Wilmington, Mass./Belmont Hill (Northeastern) - Youngstown (1st Rd./9th overall)
Ryan St. Louis, LW, Riverside, Conn./Northeastern - Dubuque (1st Rd./12th overall)
Chris Romaine, D, Braintree, Mass./Milton (Providence) - Omaha (2nd Rd./22nd overall)
Nick Ring, C, Hingham, Mass./New Jersey Titans (New Hampshire) - Sioux Falls (3rd Rd./36th overall)
Sean Keohane, D, Milton, Mass./Dexter Southfield (Harvard) - Tri-City (3rd Rd./38th overall)
Cole Crusberg-Roseen, D, Stratham, N.H./Minnesota Wilderness (UMass) - Lincoln (3rd Rd./41st overall)
Jake Bongo, RW, Ridgefield, Conn./Surrey Eagles (Sacred Heart) - Madison (4th Rd./53rd overall)
Colin Winn, G, Westford, Mass./Junior Bruins - Youngstown (4th Rd./60th overall)
Pat Murphy, RW, North Kingston, R.I./Mount Saint Charles U16 - Omaha (6th Rd./90th overall)
Conor Sullivan, G, Westboro, Mass./Rivers - Sioux Falls (8th Rd./110th overall)
Nolan Joyce, D, Needham, Mass./St. Sebastian’s (Boston College) - Chicago (9th Rd./116th overall)
Brock James, RW, Falmouth, Maine/Northfield Mount Hermon (Maine) - Tri-City (8th Rd./117th overall)
Billy Norcross, C, Lynn, Mass./Cushing (Boston College) - Omaha (9th Rd./131st overall)
Jackson Kyrkostas, C, Windham, N.H./Kimball Union (RPI) - Muskegon (9th Rd./133rd overall)
Hank Cleaves, LW, Greenwich, Conn./Brunswick (Dartmouth) - Fargo (10th Rd./143rd overall)
Sam Scopa, G, Lexington, Mass./Belmont Hill - Cedar Rapids (10th Rd./144th overall)
Landan Resendes, RW, Hudson, Mass./Cushing - Cedar Rapids (11th Rd./159th overall)
Lukas Klemm, D, Ridgefield, Conn./Jamestown Rebels - Lincoln (11th Rd./164th overall)
Ryan Philbrick, D, Concord, N.H./Cushing (New Hampshire) - Cedar Rapids (12th Rd./174th overall)
Jaiden Moriello, RW, Saugus, Mass./Kimball Union (UMass Lowell) - Sioux City (12th Rd./181st overall)
Owen Benoit, D, St. Albans, Vt./Maine Nordiques - Sioux Falls (13th Rd./185th overall)
Dylan Hunt, D, Marlboro, Mass./Milton - Cedar Rapids (13th Rd./189th overall)
Tyler Kelly, LW, Quincy, Mass./Thayer - Madison (13th Rd./190th overall)
Cully Wilson, LW, Hingham, Mass./Dexter Southfield - Dubuque (13th Rd./195th overall)
Nick Roukounakis, LW, Pembroke, Mass./West Kelowna Warriors (Boston University) - Tri-City (13th Rd./198th overall)
James Chase, LW, Williston, Vt./Bishop Kearney 15O - Tri-City (14th Rd./213th overall)
Kolin Sisson, RW, Lincoln, R.I./South Kent 15O - Chicago (19th Rd./287th overall)
New England Connections
Jak Vaarwerk, C, Jamestown Rebels (UMass Lowell) - Des Moines (1st Rd./1st overall)
Jan Korec, G, Northwood (Boston College) - Des Moines (1st Rd./15th overall)
Kaden Muir, D, US NTDP U18 (Northeastern) - Tri-City (2nd Rd./16th overall)
Justin Solovey, C, Lawrenceville (Boston College) - Muskegon (2nd Rd./20th overall)
Paul Minnehan, LW, Northeast Generals (Arizona State) - Sioux Falls (2nd Rd./23rd overall)
Jack Pridham, RW, St. Andrew’s College (Boston University) - Tri-City (2nd Rd./26th overall)
Ryan Gordon, C, Northeast Generals - Sioux Falls (3rd Rd./32nd overall)
Daniil Dolzhenko, D, Minnesota Magicians (UMass Lowell) - Youngstown (3rd Rd./39th overall)
Francesco Dell’Elce, D, St. Andrew’s College (UMass) - Waterloo (3rd Rd./46th overall)
Ryan Walsh, LW, Salisbury - Cedar Rapids (4th Rd./52nd overall)
Zion Green, RW, Maine Nordiques - Cedar Rapids (4th Rd./58th overall)
Dylan Shane, D, Mount Saint Charles U18 (Niagara) - Waterloo (5th Rd./65th overall)
Jacob Kraft, C, Kent - Cedar Rapids (5th Rd./67th overall)
Connor Callaghan, G, Avon Old Farms - Muskegon (5th Rd./69th overall)
Geno McEnery, LW, Kent (Providence) - Waterloo (6th Rd./80th overall)
Seamus Powell, D, US NTDP U18 (Boston College) - Dubuque (6th Rd./81st overall)
Anthony Calafiore, RW, New Jersey Titans (Maine) - Muskegon (6th Rd./86th overall)
Tyler Kopff, RW, Coquitlam Express (Brown) - Lincoln (6th Rd./87th overall)
Mike Murtagh, RW, Frederick Gunn (UConn) - Sioux City (6th Rd./89th overall)
Dylan Compton, D, Shawnigan Lake (Northeastern) - Green Bay (7th Rd./96th overall)
Jack Spicer, G, Mount Saint Charles U18 - Waterloo (7th Rd./97th overall)
Ryan Conmy, RW, Bishop Kearney U18 (New Hampshire) - Sioux City (7th Rd./106th overall)
Kevin Fitzgerald, D, New Jersey Rockets (UConn) - Omaha (8th Rd./122nd overall)
Jack Pechar, RW, South Kent U16 - Lincoln (8th Rd./123rd overall)
Ryan O’Connell, C, Mount Saint Charles U18 - Cedar Rapids (9th Rd./129th overall)
Will Troutwine, D, Janesville Jets (Holy Cross) - Des Moines (10th Rd./139th overall)
Bodie Nobes, D, Ottawa Jr. Senators (Maine) - Green Bay (10th Rd./141st overall)
Colin Purcell, G, Penticton Vees (UMass) - Tri-City (10th Rd./153rd overall)
Eli Sebastian, C, St. Andrew’s College (Northeastern) - Green Bay (11th Rd./156th overall)
Jack Henry, D, Bishop Kearney U18 (Yale) - Fargo (11th Rd./158th overall)
Luke Posthumus, C, Nepean Raiders (Northeastern) - Muskegon (11th Rd./163rd overall)
Evan Orloff, D, Maine Nordiques - Muskegon (12th Rd./178th overall)
Brady Arneson, C, Sioux Falls Stampede U16 (Maine) - Chicago (12th Rd./182nd overall)
Daniel Heroux, G, Kimball Union (Vermont) - Tri-City (15th Rd./228th overall)
Will Lawrence, RW, Mount Saint Charles U18 - Green Bay (19th Rd./276th overall)
Jesse Venturo, C, Mount Saint Charles 15O - Chicago (20th Rd./302nd overall)
