NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TX – Two players with ties to the Lone Star Brahmas were drafted in the 2015 United States Hockey League Plase II Draft. Defensemen Johan Steen and Brandon Estes both saw their names on the draft board in the top 100 picks.
Johan Steen was drafted in 43rd overall in the third round to the Omaha Lancers.
Steen is finishing up his second season in the Metroplex and he still has two years remaining of junior hockey eligibility. The Colleyville, Texas native played in 58 games during the regular season and scored 20 points with a plus-15 rating.
“It feels great to be drafted by Omaha. I knew they were in need of defense for next year and from everything I’ve heard it’s without a doubt one of the best organizations in the USHL and I couldn’t be happier,” Steen said.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound defenseman can contribute immediately in the USHL. Seven of Omaha’s nine active defensemen are moving on to play college hockey so they will be looking for experience on the back end.
Steen was the first Texas native drafted on Tuesday morning and the Lancers showed in the their draft they are looking to rebuild their defensive core in 2015-16. Omaha used their first three picks on defensemen, Steen being the oldest most experienced.
Omaha hold the league record with seven Clark Cup Championships awarded to the USHL playoff champs. They have also won the regular season title five times and have two USA Hockey National Championships.
Brandon Estes was drafted in the sixth round, 98th overall to the Anderson Cup winning Youngstown Phantoms.
“I was really excited when I saw they had drafted me,” Estes said. “It’s a good opportunity and hopefully I can make the most of it.”
Estes tendered with the Brahmas a few months ago so the Brahmas own his rights if he plays in the NAHL. The Phantoms do have a handful of defensemen returning next year so there is still a chance that Estes plays with the Brahmas in 2015. If he does compete in Brahmaland, Youngstown will still own his rights in the USHL.
The 5-foot-11, 160-pound blue liner scored seven goals and 13 assists in 24 seasonal games this season with the Dallas Stars Elite U18 team.
Estes can play in all situations on the ice and he finished second amongst TIEHL defensemen with 13 power play points.
Also, Brahmas forward AJ Vanderbeck is currently on the affiliated list for the Des Moines Buccaneers in the USHL. The Bucs drafted Odessa Jackalopes forward Kenny Hausinger with the third overall pick in this year’s draft, forward Derek Brown with the 85th overall selection, and Jacks defenseman Andrew McLean in the 16th round.
The North American Hockey League Draft will take place June 9th at 1 p.m. CST. You can view the live draft tracker at www.nahldraft.com and the live broadcast on www.fasthockey.com.
Click here to read more about the upcoming NAHL Draft.
Click here to see the results from the USHL Draft.