Congratulations to the 11 Illinois players drafted in Phase 2 of the 2016 USHL Draft. Phase Two of the USHL Draft begins on Tuesday, May 5th at 8:00 AM (CDT). All picks in Phase Two will be announced in real-time via a draft board on www.USHL.com. This phase is a multi-age group draft as teams can select players to fill their protected lists, who will compete for roster spots for the 2016-17 season. The number of rounds in Phase Two is not pre-determined. It continues until all drafting USHL teams have secured 45 players on their Initial Protected List. That list includes affiliate players from the 2015-156 season, players selected in Phase One, and players signed to a tender.
The selection order for the USHL Draft is based on the reverse order of the 2015-16 regular season final standings.
Trades made by teams prior to the USHL Draft will affect selections in specific rounds, but the draft order will be maintained throughout each round of Phase One and continue through Phase Two.
Sixteen of the USHL’s 17 Member Clubs participate in the USHL Draft. Team USA does not participate as they hold a separate player-selection process that is completed in cooperation with the other USHL Member Clubs. Team USA has already secured 20 player commitments who will be part of the Under-17 team that will compete in the USHL during the 2016-17 season.
While the USHL Draft is key step in the player procurement process, it is not the only avenue for players to earn spots on team rosters and protected lists. USHL teams conduct tryouts in the offseason before hosting training camp in the weeks prior to the 2016-17 regular season. A list of team tryouts can be found at www.USHL.com.
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the USHL celebrates its 13th season as the nation’s only Tier I junior hockey league in 2015-16. A record 35 players were chosen in the 2014 NHL Draft and more than 300 players on team rosters this season are committed to NCAA Division I schools, further establishing the USHL as the world’s foremost producer of junior hockey talent.
Categories: Hockey Headlines, Junior Hockey