The United States Hockey League completed their busiest days of the season this week by executing their annual future player draft. The Jr. Coyotes fared very well again this year with a total of 4 current players, and 1 former player having heard their name called.

This Tier 1  junior hockey league divides their annual draft into two days, with Phase 1 being for the younger 2002 birth-year players in the country. The 2nd day (Phase 2) teams are able to draft any players available up to 1998 born skaters. The first day saw 3 young, talented Jr. Coyotes being selected early in the process. The program was led by Matthew Knies (3rd Rd/Tri-City Storm), followed by Riley Stuart (5th Rd/Omaha Lancers) and then Josh Doan (6th Rd/Chicago Steele). All three of these players played together on the same Jr. Coyotes team this season and earned their way to the 15 Only USA Hockey Nationals.

The second day of the draft saw the Coyote's 2001 - Trevor Griebel (6th Rd/Central Illinois Aces) selected off the 16U Tier 1 team. Earlier that day, former Jr. Coyotes 1998- Nathan Burke (2nd Rd/Des Moines) was taken from the Aberdeen Wings of the NAHL Tier 2 Junior Hockey League. The 19 year old Burke has already made his NCAA College Hockey commitment to St. Cloud State University for the 2019-2020 season.

The Jr. Coyotes program is proud of the accomplishments of these players, and will continue to focus on helping our players reach upward to achieve their hockey goals.