Minot, ND – The Minotauros offseason may have just started but there is no time to waste for Shane Wagner and the rest of the hockey operations staff as they take the first steps towards building next season’s Tauros with today’s NAHL Supplemental Draft. Every team in the NAHL had three selections in the Supplemental Draft with the draft order determined by the regular season standings; expansion teams and teams that sat out the season due to covid jumped to the head of the line pushing the Tauros back to 15th overall. In season trades also altered the draft order dropping the Tauros second and third picks to numbers 65 and 67 overall.
With the 15th pick in the draft the Tauros targeted Apple Valley, MN native Josh Eernisse. Eernisse enters his final junior season uncommitted after posting one goal and six assists for the USHL’s Tri-City Storm last season. The season prior he posted 34 points in 24 games for Eastview High School in Minnesota and then suited up in three games for the Austin Bruins after the high school season ended. Tauros Head Coach/G.M. Shane Wagner wanted Eernisse in the first round because he can be a “big power forward that will play a 200 foot game.”
With the 65th selection the Tauros went back to the USHL and took Adam Flammang from the Sioux Falls Stampede. Flammang may sound familiar to Tauro fans as he played 10 games for the St. Cloud Blizzard during the 2019-20 season and even scored a goal in Minot for the Blizzard. This season he posted a goal and an assist in six games for the Stampede. Wagner believes the Bemidji State commit “plays a physical and tough game plus brings a lot of scoring potential.” Like Eernisse Flammang is heading into his final season of junior hockey.
With the 67th pick the Tauros brought a local product back home by drafting Brasen Boser who has spent the last two seasons playing for the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes. Born 2-29-04 Boser is the third youngest player selected in the Supplemental Draft. The young defenseman, who has already skated a game as an affiliate player with the Tauros, brings “great skating and vision” to the team and “has the ability to create a lot of scoring opportunities.” Most of all Wagner said Boser is a “young kid with a high ceiling.”
Next up for the Tauros a will be predraft camps followed the NAHL Entry Draft on July 14th. For all the Tauros news and notes stay tuned to gotauros.com through the summer.