College Hockey Inc.
Commits Highlight USHL Draft
Future UMD star Riley Tufte taken first overall; Phase 2 set for Tuesday.

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The top selections in Phase 1 of the 2014 USHL Draft.

Phase 1 of the 2014 USHL Draft saw dozens of 1998-born future college stars selected by USHL clubs, led by Minnesota Duluth recruit Riley Tufte, who was taken No. 1 overall by the Fargo Force.

About the Draft | Phase I Results | Follow Phase II Tuesday

In all, 22 of the 124 selections made Monday have already committed to schools, which is well more than half of all 1998-born commitments nationwide. Sixteen schools had recruits selected in Phase 1 of the draft, led by Maine and Michigan State with three each.

USHL teams also had the ability to sign up to two 1998s to tenders, with those who did so forfeiting picks in Phase 1 of the draft.

Phase 2 of the draft takes place Tuesday. In this phase, USHL teams will select players from multiple birth years as they look to fill their protected lists with players who will compete for roster spots for the 2014-15 season. Phase 2 continues until all USHL teams have secured 45 players on their Initial Protected List. That list includes affiliate players from the 2013-14 season, players selected in Phase 1, and players signed to a tender.

Commits Selected in Phase 1

Rd. No. Name USHL Team College
1 1 Riley Tufte Fargo Minnesota Duluth
1 4 Mitchell Lewandowski Des Moines Michigan State
1 5 Dominick Mersch Lincoln Wisconsin
1 6 Matthew Kiersted Chicago North Dakota
1 8 Simon Butala Madison Maine
1 9 Mitchell Mattson Bloomington North Dakota
1 14 Jake Ryczek Sioux City New Hampshire
1 15 Dante Palecco Muskegon Yale
2 19 Sam Sternschein Tri-City Cornell
2 20 Nicholas McKeeby Des Moines Western Michigan
3 36 Noah Lalonde Des Moines Michigan State
3 37 Ryan Bederka Fargo Michigan State
3 45 Ryan Edquist Madison Minnesota
4 54 John Leonard Green Bay Massachusetts
4 56 Konstantin Chernyuk Bloomington Maine
4 59 John Deroche Cedar Rapids Quinnipiac
4 60 A.J. Drobot Sioux Falls Maine
4 63 Liam Murphy Waterloo Connecticut
5 64 David Melaragni Fargo Northeastern
5 75 Shaune Bily Cedar Rapids Northeastern
6 81 Michael Fahie Brown Youngstown
8 114 Tyler Nother Sioux Falls Miami