Two NAHL players selected in NHL Entry Draft
FRISCO, TEXAS - Two North American Hockey League players were selected in the
2007 NHL Entry Draft held on June 22-23 in Columbus, Ohio.
The Philadelphia Flyers picked St. Louis Bandits forward Pat Maroon in the
sixth round (161st overall), while fellow Bandits forward Trent Vogelhuber went
to the Columbus Blue Jackets with the last pick in the draft (seventh round,
211th overall).
"Being selected in the NHL draft is a dream for any player and the entire
North American Hockey League couldn't be happier for these two young men," said
NAHL commissioner Mark Frankenfeld. "The NAHL prides itself on not only being
a top developer of college players, but top professional prospects as well.
"Credit also has to go to our ownership groups, which provide our players with
first-class resources for training and development, and our coaching staffs,
whose expertise and hard work can't be understated."
Maroon, from St. Louis, won the North American Hockey League's scoring title
with 95 points (40 goals) in 57 games en route to MVP honors and a spot on the
All-NAHL First Team while leading the Bandits to a Robertson Cup national
championship.
"Pat has everything you can't teach in a player," said Bandits coach Jon
Cooper. "He has size, hands and the innate ability to see things happen on the
ice before everybody else. He's a special player."
Maroon, who played two seasons in the NAHL, will play for Ferris State
University this coming fall.
"The NAHL developed me a lot," said Maroon. "Last year (2005-06), especially,
because I played with a lot of older guys; I was the young kid (as a junior in
high school). It was a good experience for me. It's a really good league."
A Dublin, Ohio, native, Vogelhuber, who has committed to the University of
Miami-Ohio for the 2008-09 season, scored 10 goals for 26 points in 31
regular-season games with St. Louis in 2006-07.
Former Wichita Falls Wildcats forward Andrew Conboy was selected in the fifth
round (142nd overall) by the Montreal Canadiens, while ex-North Iowa Outlaws goaltender Scott Darling was picked by the Phoenix Coyotes in the sixth round (153rd overall).
Drafted USA Hockey National Team Development Program players with NAHL experience include: James vanRiemsdyk (1st round, 2nd overall, Philadelphia); Kevin Shattenkirk (1st round, 14th overall, Colorado); Ian Cole (1st round, 18th overall, St. Louis); Ted Ruth (2nd round, 46th overall, Washington); Mike Hoeffel (2nd round, 57th overall, New Jersey); Josh Unice (3rd round, 86th overall, Chicago); Justin Vaive (4th round, 92nd overall, Anaheim); Cade Fairchild (4th round, 96th overall, St. Louis); Matt Rust (4th round, 101th overall, Florida); Joe Lavin (5th round, 126th overall, Chicago); John Albert (6th round, 175th overall, Atlanta); Brad Phillips (7th round, 182nd overall, Philadelphia); C.J. Severyn (7th round, 186th overall, Calgary).
