KEARNEY, Neb. – The Tri-City Storm started to shape the future of its roster Monday night in Phase One of the 2015 USHL Draft, selecting nine players who were born in 1999.

The picks were headlined by first round selection Reilly Walsh, a defenseman from Proctor Academy in New Hampshire. Walsh, who is already committed to attend Harvard University, is an offensive defenseman who scored 45 points in 35 games last season on 13 goals and 32 assists.

Next, Tri-City took forward Joey Cipollone from the Connecticut Wolf Pack U16 team in the third round. Cipollone is committed to the University of Vermont.

In the fourth round and fifth rounds, Tri-City chose two products of the Belle Tire U16 team in forward Brenden Stanko and defenseman Blake Kryska.

The sixth round brought Sean Keohan, a defenseman from Milton, Mass who is committed to play at Dartmouth College.

Tri-City chose skaters from north of the border in rounds 7 and 8 in forward Kyle Olson and defenseman Nicholas Doyle. Olson hails from Calgary, Alb., while Doyle is from Winnipeg, Man.

Goaltender David Tomeo from the Shattuck St. Mary’s U16 team was selected by the Storm in the ninth round, while defenseman Ronnie Attard of White Lake, Mich. was Tri-City’s final selection in the 10th round.

A full list of the team’s selections can be seen below.
This portion of the draft allows teams to choose players who are traditionally not ready to play in the USHL the following season, but will continue to develop at lower levels of hockey in preparation for USHL play in future seasons.

The draft continues with Phase Two on Tuesday morning, beginning at 8 a.m. In this phase, USHL teams will select players from multiple birth years who will compete for roster spots for the 2015-16 season.

Phase Two continues until all USHL teams have 45 players on their Initial Protected List, which is made up of affiliate players from the 2014-15 season and players selected on Monday and Tuesday in Phase One and Two.
Stay tuned to stormhockey.com for updated information during the USHL Draft, as well as the Storm social media networks on Facebook and Twitter.

Tri-City Storm 2015 USHL Phase One Draft Selections

1st Round: Reilly Walsh – Defense – Andover, NH – Proctor Academy
3rd Round: Joey Cipollone – Forward – Connecticut Wolf Pack U16
4th Round: Brenden Stanko – Forward – Howell, MI – Belle Tire U16
5th Round: Blake Kryska – Defense – Grand Blanc, MI – Belle Tire U16
6th Round: Sean Keohan – Defense – Milton, MA – Cape Cod U16
7th Round: Kyle Olson – Forward – Calgary, AB – Calgary Buff. AAA
8th Round: Nicholas Doyle – Defense – Winnipeg, MB – Winnipeg Warriors
9th Round: David Tomeo – Goalie – West Caldwell, NJ – Shattuck U16
10th Round: Ronnie Attard – Defense – White Lake, MI – Victory Honda U16