56 Minnesotans Selected in Phase 1 of the USHL Draft

Minnesota hockey took center stage during Monday’s Phase 1 of the USHL Draft, with 56 Minnesotans selected. The strong showing once again reinforced the state’s deep pool of 2009-born talent and solidified its standing as the State of Hockey.

Leading the charge was Nash Roed of White Bear Lake, who became the first Minnesota player off the board. Roed was selected 9th overall by the Waterloo Black Hawks, earning first-round honors after posting 25 points in 27 games as a freshman. Known for his offensive instincts and compete level, Roed continues to rise as a top prospect.

Two standout Minnesota players—Gunnar Conboy (Green Bay) and Ryland Rooney (Des Moines)—were claimed through USHL tender agreements, removing them from the draft pool. Both prospects were highly regarded and prompted their teams to forfeit first-round picks to lock them in early.

A new wrinkle in this year’s draft was the growing presence of the WHL, with USHL clubs facing increasing competition from Canada’s major junior ranks. That impact was felt when top Minnesota prospects Luke Christopherson and Finn Spehar, chose to sign WHL deals, both players were drafted by Fargo on Monday. Still, the USHL remains a premier path for NCAA-bound talent, and Minnesota continues to be a cornerstone of that pipeline.

1	9	Waterloo	Nash Roed
2	18	Des Moines	Becker Wenkus
2	20	Cedar Rapids	Jonathan Bloedow
2	21	Tri-City	Max Dessner
2	22	Fargo	Caden Zasada
2	24	Waterloo	Cole Swanson
3	31	Omaha	Boone Chartier
3	34	Waterloo	Rian Marquardt
3	37	Youngstown	Spencer Anderson
3	44	Cedar Rapids	Tyler Potter
3	45	Lincoln	Anthony Timmerman
4	47	Chicago	Elliott Schultz
4	59	Youngstown	Evan Wanner
4	60	Lincoln	Holton Davison
5	65	Cedar Rapids	Jackson Hendricks
5	69	Omaha	Griffin Storey
5	75	Lincoln	Gabe Swenson
6	80	Cedar Rapids	Tate Batchelor
6	82	Youngstown	Dylan Sampair
6	83	Omaha	Bo Schmidt
7	93	Des Moines	Charlie Hunst
7	96	Tri-City	Luke Palecek
7	99	Waterloo	Jack Lonke
7	100	Green Bay	Lance Kohnen
7	101	Madison	Braeden Waller
7	105	Lincoln	Reed Smith
8	108	Des Moines	Nash Paine
8	110	Cedar Rapids	Beckett Shillings
8	113	Sioux City	Cash Hardie
8	114	Sioux Falls	Rylan Hanson
9	126	Tri-City	Quinn Beumer
9	129	Waterloo	Channing Goodwin
9	132	Madison	Gavin Sattler
10	136	Omaha	Gavin Andersen
10	141	Tri-City	John Whisler
10	142	Fargo	Marcus Matyas
11	154	Green Bay	Aaron Lenarz
11	159	Waterloo	Landon Medin
11	161	Madison	Jackson Bartovich
11	165	Lincoln	Brooks DeMars
12	168	Des Moines	Miller Wenkus
12	172	Fargo	Finn Spehar
13	186	Tri-City	Brody Lockman
13	187	Fargo	Gunnar Schock
14	197	Des Moines	Beau Christy
14	201	Fargo	Luke Christopherson
14	203	Waterloo	Gavin Veneruzzo
15	211	Green Bay	Will Mikan
15	212	Tri-City	Bennett Bergloff
15	214	Sioux City	Samuel Bennett
15	216	Muskegon	Connor DeBoer
15	217	Madison	Jack Rykkeli
15	220	Lincoln	Christian Lee
15	223	Tri-City	Luca Sciara
15	231	Fargo	Caden Clark
15	235	Fargo	Owen Konrad