Hundreds of future NCAA players will hear their names called as the USHL holds its annual draft Monday and Tuesday, May 4 and 5.
The USHL Draft takes place in two stages, beginning with Phase One on Monday at 7 p.m. ET and broadcast live on ushl.com. Phase One will consist of 10 rounds as USHL teams select players from the 1999 birth year.
Phase One selections traditionally are not ready to play in the USHL immediately, though they may see game action in the coming season. Most will continue to develop in other levels of hockey in the meantime. Last season, 22 players who were already committed to colleges were selected in Phase One, while many more have committed since the draft.
Tender process
Now in its fourth year, the USHL tender process allows teams to sign up to two 1999 birth year players prior to the 2015 USHL Draft. The first "tender" for a team would take the place of a first-round pick in Phase One. If a team tenders a second player, that takes the place of a second-round Phase One selection. Each tendered player will be on their respective team's roster for the 2015-16 season and play at least 55% of the team's regular-season games.
Seven teams have elected to use tenders to this point this season, with Dubuque using both on Baron Thompson (Maine commit) and Joey Keane (North Dakota). Cedar Rapids (Liam Walsh), Muskegon (Graham Lillibridge-Yale), Omaha (Brannon McManus-Minnesota), Sioux City (Eeli Tolvanen), Waterloo (Mikey Anderson-Minnesota Duluth) and Youngstown (Jacob Tortora-Boston College) have each tendered one player.
Phase Two
Phase Two of the 2015 USHL Draft begins on Tuesday, May 5, at 9 a.m. ET, with picks posted live on USHL.com. This phase is a multi-age group draft as teams can select players anywhere between the 1995 and '99 birth years and look to fill their protected lists with players who will compete for roster spots in 2015-16.
The number of rounds in Phase Two is not pre-determined; the draft continues until all teams have secured 45 players on their initial protected list. That list includes affiliate players from the 2014-15 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 2014-15 regular season final standings, meaning the Lincoln Stars will pick first in each round, followed by the Green Bay Gamblers and Des Moines Buccaneers. The Anderson Cup champion Youngstown Phantoms will select last in each round.
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 from the 1999 birth year who will be part of the Under-17 team that will compete in the USHL during the 2015-16 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 2015-16 regular season. A list of team tryouts can be found at USHL.com.