4 Stars are Born
While the 2021-2022 NA3HL season is still months away, the season has officially begun for those in the front office with the NA3HL draft on Wednesday. The Jr. Stars spread their four picks on all three levels of the ice by selecting two forwards, one defenseman, and a goalie.
In the first round, the Jr. Stars selected right-handed defenseman Jack Thomas as the fourth overall pick to bolster up the blueline. The six-foot native from St. Louis, Missouri, played a total of 21 games split between St. Louis AAA Blues 18U of the T1EHL 18U and NAPHL 18U. Thomas also played ten games at Lafayette High. His overall stats in 2020-2021 were 4 goals, 13 assists, for a total of 17 points.
The second round found the Jr. Stars picking local and selected Caden Martin 38th overall. Born in Arlington, Texas, this 17-year-old, left-handed forward will find himself in familiar colors with the Jr. Stars. Martin only played 15 games during the 2020-2021 season for the Dallas Stars 18U and found the back of the net once.
Owen Yancy will find himself playing hockey in North Texas after being picked 72nd overall in the third round. A 5-foot-9 goalie from Philadelphia played in 4 regular-season games during the 2020-2021 season and recorded a 3.18 GAA and an SV% of .913. In the post-season, Yancy stepped it up with a GAA of 3.00 and an SV% of .923 in his two games played.
The Jr. Stars dipped back into the forward pool and selected another local prospect in Michael Kennedy from the Mckinney North Stars 18U in the fourth round 106th overall.
The breakdown of positions drafted:
Forwards: 88 (65%)
Defense: 40 (29%)
Goalies: 8 (6%)
With these four players selected, the beginning of the 2021-2022 Jr. Stars roster has begun to take form. Jr. Stars General Manager Tristian Allen and Head Coach Tom Train have a lot to look forward to when the puck drops in October.