Minot, ND – The Minot Minotauros added ten new players to the roster today during the 2019 NAHL Draft. Four of the Tauros 2019 draft class are already committed to NCAA DI schools. By adding 10 players the Minotauros are now at 31 protected players, one over the limit due to an exception allowed for NA3HL players.
In the first round the Tauros stayed in state by selecting Fargo native Jay Buchholz from the Portage Terriers 21st overall. Buchholz posted 17 goals and 30 assists while playing 59 games in his first junior season. Prior to that Buchholz posted 67 points over two seasons playing for high school hockey for Fargo Davies.
The Tauros second round selection, Daniel Russell, also has ties to Fargo having played for the USHL’s Fargo Force last season. Both of Russell’s older brothers played in the NAHL, Jon Russell finished third in goals in the league in 2017-18 season with 31. Daniel Russell is committed to Michigan State University for the 2020-21 season.
The Tauros next pick came 98th overall when they took Toronto native Max Bronstine. The 17 year-old defenseman played 31 games with the Dallas Stars U16 team before finishing the year with the Central Illinois Flying Aces in the USHL. Bronstine is committed to Arizona State.
Not content to take a player with just either ties to Fargo or Arizona State the Tauros used the first of two fifth round picks on a Fargo native whom is committed to Arizona State in Cade Stibbe. Stibbe was Fargo Davies captain this season where he posted 56 points on 25 goals and 31 assists in 27 games. Stibbe and Tauros first round pick Buchholz were teammates two seasons ago for Davies.
The Tauros’ second fifth rounder was brought Cody Sherman to Minot. Sherman has played one game already for the Tauros when he dressed as an Affiliate Player on December 8th against Bismarck last season. Two seasons ago Sherman was teammates with current Tauro Joseph Harguindeguy with the Anaheim Jr. Ducks U16s. While Harguindeguy came to Minot Sherman, the younger brother of former Tauro Steven Sherman, stayed in Anaheim for the U18 team posting 31 points in 30 games.
The Tauros then had two sixth round picks as well, the first was defenseman Joseph Borthwick out of Detroit Catholic Central, the school which produced former Tauros Zach Sprys-Tellner and Spencer Kimball. Borthwick posted 27 points from the blue line this season.
With their second sixth rounder the Tauros took another younger brother of a former NAHLer, Giovanni Procopio. The elder Procopio, Dominick, was the captain of the Shreveport Mudbugs when they defeated the Tauros in the 2018 Robertson Cup Championship Game. Giovanni joins the Tauros after recording 14 goals and 34 assists for the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies U18 team this season.
Casey McDonald was taken in the seventh round after posting 56 points in 44 games for the SMHL’s Moose Jaw Generals. He also saw time with the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers and posted a goal and an assist in seven games played.
The Tauros added another NCAA DI commit in the eighth round with Andranik Armstrong who is committed to join former Tauros Nolan Sawchuk and Reid Stefanson at UMass-Lowell after his junior career. Armstrong already has a full season of junior under his belt playing for the Brooks Bandits of the AJHL last season where he posted nine goals and 23 assists in 50 games.
The Tauros final draft pick came from the NA3HL’s Granite City Lumberjacks where the Tauros took former Bemidji High School captain Ryan Pogue. Pogue had 29 points in 35 games last season including 18 goals for Granite. Before that he posted 21 points in 23 games in his senior season at Bemidji.
Next up for the newest Tauros will be Main Camp in Andover, Minnesota at the end of the month. From there the Tauros will bring 30-35 players to Minot August 23rd to start training camp for the 2019-20 season. For Tauros news and updates all summer long stay tuned to GoTauros.com!