TEAM MARYLAND SCORES BIG AT THE 2010 USHL DRAFT

Team Maryland’s Casey Thrush, who is a University of New Hampshire Wildcats (UNH) recruit, was the sixth player chosen overall in the First Round by the Muskegon Lumberjacks.  Thrush, a native of Easton Maryland, has been with Team Maryland for three years and has developed into a high end Power Forward.  Thrush finished the season with 50 goals, 67 assists, 117 points, and 102 penalty minutes in 72 games.  Thrush is committed to play for the UNH, and although he has developed into a solid player, he is viewed as a player with a great upside. The highly touted forward has possibly more success coming as the NHL Draft approaches; he is currently ranked 89 by NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings for North American Skaters.

In Round 2, the Sioux City Musketeers, with the 19^th overall pick, selected forward Maxim Gaudreault, another UNH bound player. Gaudreault finished the season as the scoring leader for Team Maryland, finishing with 44 goals, 74 assists, 118 points, and 50 penalty minutes in 74 games.  Gaudreault has been with Team Maryland for two years.  Although having opportunities to leave last season and play Jr. A, Gaudreault decided to play another year with Team Maryland to further his development.  Gaudreault’s selection gave Team Maryland an impressive two selections of the top 19 players in the draft.

Josh Bretner, Team Maryland’s leading scorer on defense, was selected in the Round 3, with the 32nd overall pick, by the Lincoln Stars. Bretner, had a standout season for Team Maryland, accumulating 13 goals, 61 assists, 74 points, and 62 penalty minutes in 64 games.  The 5’9” 179 pound defenseman has been with Team Maryland for three seasons and has developed into an outstanding offensive defenseman, even though he was the second youngest player on this year’s team. The coaching staff has seen drastic improvements over the past two years as Bretner has doubled his production from last season, when he finished with 39 points during the 2008-2009 campaign.

The Lincoln Stars drafted 6’3” 175 pound forward Jake Lynes 76^th overall, in Round 6.  Lynes finished the season leading Team Maryland in goals with 66. Lynes has proven himself a natural goal scorer over the past three years that he has been with Team Maryland.

Team Maryland Forward Mike Williams was selected by Sioux City in the 19th Round. Williams came to Team Maryland two years ago from Plano, Texas. Williams, has shown drastic improvement over the past two years with Team Maryland, and has made his mark as a gifted goal scorer, possessing a heavy and deadly shot.

Team Maryland’s success in the 2010 USHL Draft included the selection of Defenseman Eric Sade with the 66^th overall pick by the Des Moines Buccaneers in the USHL Futures Draft on Tuesday.  Sade, Team Maryland’s youngest player, has developed into a very solid defenseman who will only continue to get better during his tenure with Team Maryland. 

Jason Kersner, Team Maryland’s Head Coach and General Manager, stated that “having six players from one team selected in the 2010 USHL Draft is a great accomplishment.  The USHL is the premier Junior A league in the country and it is our goal as coaches to help develop the players to the point where playing in this league is a realistic opportunity.  This is a banner day for our program and hockey in the Southeast District”.   Kersner further noted that he was “excited and proud of all these players, as this accomplishment is a direct result of their hard work and belief in our program, and he looks forward to following all of their careers in the USHL and beyond”.