Tomahawks Select Five in
2013 NAHL Entry Draft
Johnstown, Pa. – The Johnstown Tomahawks today announced the selection of five players in the 2013 NAHL Entry Draft. The team added two defensemen, two forwards, and one goaltender, all of whom will attempt to earn a roster spot at the Tomahawks’ Main Tryout Camp at Planet Ice in Richland Township, July 25-27.
“We are very happy with our second draft in team history,” said General Manager and Director of Hockey Operations Rick Boyd. “When we select players in a draft or camp situation, we are always thinking about Johnstown and if the player will fit in here. We feel that every one of these young men will not only fit in, but also that the fans will love what each player brings to the rink and the community.”
The five players who are now part of the Tomahawks organization include:
- Casey Linkenheld (5-11, 160), the team’s Round One pick who completed last season with 14 goals and 31 points for Team Illinois. Linkenheld, a forward, was also drafted by the Lincoln Stars of the USHL last month.
- Brett Young, a goaltender from the Little Caesar’s club in Detroit, was selected in Round Two. Young was in attendance at the team’s Michigan tryout camp last month. He went 20-14-4 last season with six shutouts.
- Forward (5-11, 183), a product of the Belle Tire program in Detroit, was selected in Round Six after also impressing the Tomahawks’ staff at the Michigan tryout camp.
- Tristan Ramage (6-2, 190), a defenseman from the Pittsburgh Viper Stars, was selected in Round Seven. He joins his Viper Stars teammates Trevor Reckenwald, who is tendered by the Tomahawks and Joe Bender, who was drafted last season and appeared in six games last season. Ramage, Reckenwald, and Bender were all named to the North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) Top Prospects Tournament, held May 11 – 13, 2013, in Frisco, TX.
- Brady Bender (5-10, 170), a defenseman who played last season with the Colorado Rampage, was the team’s final selection in Round Eight. He had three goals and six assists for nine points in 40 games with Colorado in 2012-2013.
A total of 215 players were selected in this year’s draft. According to League rules, any amateur players less than 21 years of age on December 31, 2013 who are not currently on any NAHL team roster or who are listed on an NAHL team roster but played less than 10 regular season and/or playoff games during the 2012–13 season and did not accept a tender from an NAHL team prior to the Draft, are eligible for selection. Eligible
teams made selections in each round in reverse order of their finish in the 2012–13 NAHL regular–season standings. Unless agreed upon in writing by the two NAHL teams, tendered or drafted players are not eligible to try out for other NAHL teams.