There was quite a bit of New England representation in the 2025 USHL Phase 1 Draft. Twenty-one prospects were picked over the 15 rounds, along with a slew of players who aren't from the region but play here.
The Omaha Lancers had the first overall pick and took Chicago Mission forward Thaddeus McMahon. The next five picks were all forfeited due to Chicago, Des Moines, Green Bay, Cedar Rapids and Tri-City all tendering players before the draft pick. The next pick was the Waterloo BlackHawks selecting Chicago Reapers defenseman Caleb Deanovich.
Only seven of the 16 USHL teams made first-round picks due to tenders. No New Englanders were picked in Round 1.
Brunswick and Mid Fairfield defenseman Cam Minella was the first local off the board. The Sioux Falls Stampede selected the Darien, Conn., native in the second round (27th overall). The 5-foot-11 defender is an expert puck-mover who put up 37 points in 34 games for Brunswick and 68 points in 56 games for Mid Fairfield's 15O team.
Two picks later, the Youngstown Phantoms took Mount St. Charles defenseman Brody Berard (Cumberland, R.I.). The 6-foot, 181-pound defenseman had 38 points in 58 games at the 15O level. His best attribute is his shutdown ability.
Isaac Davis was the first forward from the region picked when Sioux Falls nabbed him in the third round (41st overall). From Rockland, Mass., Davis played on the Boston Advantage's 14U team last season before playing up and starring with Northstar Christian Academy's 16U team this winter. The 6-foot, 161-pound forward notched 21 goals and 57 points in 46 games.
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Justin Lee (Wellesley, Mass.) was the first local goalie selected when the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders took him in the fourth round. He was a standout with Nobles this winter, boasting a 2.55 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage.
More locals were picked this season compared to last year's 14 because there were more rounds. It was previously a 10-round event that switched to 15 this year.
Let's dive into the full group of players picked.
New Englanders chosen in USHL Phase 1 Draft
- Cam Minella, D, Brunswick — Sioux Falls (2nd round, 27th overall)
- Brody Berard, D, Mount St. Charles — Youngstown (2nd round, 29th overall)
- Isaac Davis, F, NorthStar Christian Academy — Sioux Falls (3rd round, 41st overall)
- Justin Lee, G, Nobles — Cedar Rapids (4th round, 50th overall)
- Joseph Covelluzzi, F, Cushing — Dubuque (4th round, 51st overall)
- Paulo Gualberto Jr., F, Mount St. Charles — Sioux City (5th round, 68th overall)
- Jacoby Palmer, D, Long Island Gulls — Des Moines (6th round, 78th overall)
- Easton Anello, D, Williston Northampton — Cedar Rapids (7th round, 95th overall)
- Caiden Pellegrino, F, St. Mark's — Sioux Falls (7th round, 102nd overall)
- Chase Warsofsky, F, Cushing — Omaha (8th round, 117th overall)
- Kurt Beck, D, Arlington — Youngstown (8th round, 119th overall)
- Colin Yandle, D, Catholic Memorial — Madison (9th round, 131st overall)
- Declan Wotton, F, Seacoast Performance Academy — Fargo (9th round, 134th overall)
- Ethan Gingeleskie, F, Avon Old Farms — Cedar Rapids (10th round, 150th overall)
- JP Montgomery, D, Rivers — Sioux City (11th round, 158th overall)
- Landon Nicklaus, D, Cape Cod Whalers — Muskegon (11th round, 160th overall)
- Danny Patch, F, Pingree — Omaha (12th round, 166th overall)
- Alex Wang, G, Boston Hockey Academy — Chicago (12th round, 167th overall)
- Troy Hamelin, F, Pope Francis — Sioux City (13th round, 188th overall)
- Colton Simas, F, Deerfield — Madison (13th round, 191st overall)
- Lawson Kearns, D, Mid Fairfield — Muskegon (15th round, 232nd overall)
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New England connections chosen in USHL Phase 1 Draft
- Maksim Yakub, D, Mount St. Charles — Sioux City (2nd round, 23rd overall)
- Braydon Sisco, F, Mid Fairfield — Tri-City (3rd round, 36th overall)
- Colton Sommer, F, Mount St. Charles — Green Bay (7th round, 94th overall)
- Matthew Koch, D, Avon Old Farms — Tri-City (8th round, 111th overall)
- Kyle Delaney, D, South Kent — Waterloo (8th round, 115th overall)
- Quinn Beumer, G, Mount St. Charles — Tri-City (9th round, 126th overall)
- Matys St-Gelais, F, Seacoast Performance Academy — Muskegon (12th round, 175th overall)
- Spartak Chukreyev, D, Boston Hockey Academy — Dubuque (12th round, 178th overall)
- Sawyer Thompson, F, Seacoast Performance Academy — Green Bay (14th round, 198th overall)
