New Blood Rates High With Scouts: Four soon-to-be Gophers were selected in the 2013 NHL Draft.
Vanelli is the 11th Gophers player drafted by the St. Louis Blues.
Tommy Vannelli (D, Minnetonka) was the highest pick. Vannelli was chosen in the second round, 47th overall, by the St. Louis Blues. Vannelli’s selection was almost spot-on as far as pre-draft rankings are concerned. NHL Central Scouting had him at 44th overall.
Minnesota Head Coach Don Lucia said, “He’s an outstanding skater who has a very low panic point with the puck on his stick. He has good size too and will be able to continue to grow into his frame while he’s here.”
Vannelli becomes the 11th Gopher drafted by the Blues. He was the Skippers’ top-scoring defenseman last season (8/23/31) and also scored 2/1/3 to help the U.S. Under 18 Team claim second place at the World Championships in Sochi, Russia.
Also drafted:
Tyler Cammarata (F, Plymouth) – Third round (76th overall), New York Islanders.A scoring machine, Cammarata notched 93 points, including 38 goals, in 59 regular-season games for Waterloo on his way to USHL MVP honors. That’s the second-highest point total in league history.
Lucia on Cammarata: “Taylor has things you can’t teach. He’s got a terrific set of hands, can pass, can create offense. He’s pretty strong right now, but it will be interesting to see how far he can come with added work off ice. He’s a guy who will certainly benefit from playing college hockey.”
Hudson Fasching (F, Burnsville) – Fourth round (114th overall), Los Angeles Kings.A power forward who has spent the last two seasons with the U.S. National Development Team Program, based in Ann Arbor, MI. The Gophers think Fasching, despite his youth, could play a prominent role right away.
Fasching was rated 70th overall by NHL Scouting prior to the draft.
Michael Brodzinski (D, Ham Lake) – Possessed of a huge shot, Brodzinski is already penciled in on the Gophers’ power play package. He was the top goal-scoring defenseman in the USHL last season, playing for the Muskegon Lumberjacks. His 16 red-lighters were the most by a USHL blueliner in three years and helped him earn a slot on the league’s All-Rookie Team last season.
These four players will have the opportunity to step in a play, with the Gophers losing much of their vaunted junior class to the pro ranks.
Gophers NHL Draft Notes: The Gophers have now contributed 190 NHL draft picks.
• The first Gopher drafted by the NHL was Warroad’s Wally Olds, who was nabbed in the fifth round by the Detroit Red Wings in 1969. Olds never played in the NHL, however, opting instead for the WHA Calgary Cowboys.
• The Gophers carried 15 drafted players last season, one of their most prolific rosters.
• Likewise, 15 former Gophers played in the NHL last year, including 2012-13 standout Nick Bjugstad who jumped to the Florida Panthers at the end of his season in Minnesota and began scoring almost immediately.
• In case you’re wondering, all three of Minnesota’s top coaches were NHL draftees.Head Coach Don Lucia was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the tenth round in 1978. Associate Head Coach Mike Guentzel was a seventh-round selection of the New York Rangers in 1981 while Assistant Coach Grant Potulny was drafted in the fifth round by the Ottawa Senators in 2000.
• The highest draft pick in Gopher hockey history? Erik Johnson – chosen first overall in 2006.
The newcomers are all expected to suit up when the Gophers host the Ice Breaker Tournament October 11-12 at Mariucci Arena.
