2024 USHL Draft Review: Lincoln Stars

Ryan Sikes

Jun 4, 2024, 11:31

Ryan Sikes

Jun 4, 2024, 11:31

Despite trading down in the first round of the USHL Phase I Draft, the Lincoln Stars came away with their top-rated prospect and landed several positional needs in Phase II.

Photo courtesy of Avon Old Farms School - 2024 USHL Draft Review: Lincoln Stars

Not many teams can trade down eight spots in the first round and still come away with who they believed to be the No. 1 prospect on their list, but that is precisely what the Lincoln Stars achieved in the 2024 USHL Phase I Draft.

In swapping picks with the Green Bay Gamblers, Lincoln acquired the rights to defenseman Caeden Harrington and a third-round pick in the Phase II draft.

At the time, it was a calculated risk. Lincoln had to find a balance between adding experience to the blueline while also landing the top prospect on their board. The move paid off as the Stars took forward Nate Pederson with the No. 12 overall pick in the first round.

The 16-year-old, listed at 5-foot-8 and 150 pounds, played this past season for Shakopee (Minnesota) High School and finished with the second-most goals (20) and assists (32), and the third-most points (52) on the team.

"Nate is an elite hockey player," Stars head coach Rocky Russo told The Hockey News. "He's got great hockey sense, sees the ice very well, competes at a very high level and has a skill set to match. But the best part about Nate is his unbelievable character. He's a great teammate and a great addition not to just our program, but the Lincoln community."

Just seven picks later, the Stars added another promising defenseman to their prospect pipeline, Kaiden Donia. The 16-year-old, standing at a towering 6-foot-5 and weighing 174 pounds, hails from Townsend, Massachusetts and spent last season with the Minuteman Flames 15U team. There, he led all defensemen on the roster with 26 points on ten goals and 16 assists.

Donia will be entering an organization with a strong track record of developing defensemen, with recent examples such as Adam Kleber, Tanner Henricks, Antonio Fernandez, Boston Buckburger, and Joaquim LeMay.

"Kaiden (Donia) is a special player," Russo said of the pick. "He's a very good skater for a big kid. He's got really a good skill set, sees the ice, and can shoot it. We felt like he was a guy that can continue to develop and grow and become an extremely impactful defenseman here in Lincoln and ultimately be an NHL draft pick one day."

Here is a look at the Lincoln Stars' entire 2024 USHL Phase I Draft class:

Round 1, 12th overall: Nate Pederson, F

Round 2, 19th overall: Kaiden Donia, D

Round 4, 47th overall: Casey Vandertop, F

Round 4, 49th overall: Griffin Sturm, D

Round 5, 64th overall: Spencer Thornborough, F

Round 6, 79th overall: Cameron Dillard, D

Round 7, 97th overall: Luke Puchner, F

Round 8, 109th overall: Gavin Clark, F

Round 9, 124th overall: Xavier Wendt, G

In the Phase II portion, the Lincoln Stars utilized a hybrid approach for drafting positional needs and the best talent on the board. As noted, Lincoln recouped its vacant third-round pick in Phase II by trading back in the first round of the Phase I Draft.

Much like with their first pick in Phase I, the Stars landed their No. 1-rated player on their Phase II list, Daniel Shlaine, a center, checking both needs off the list in one fell swoop.

The 18-year-old, listed at 6-foot, 185 pounds, spent this past season and much of his career to this point at Shattuck St. Mary's prep school. Shlaine registered 74 points, coming on 20 goals and 54 assists, with his point production being the fifth-most on the 18U team in 2023-24.

The forward checked in as the No. 153-ranked North American skater by Central Scouting for the 2024 NHL Draft. While he may not be drafted this year, a strong year with the Stars could make him an intriguing re-entry candidate for next season.

"He's so smart," Russo said of the selection. "He does everything right. He competes really hard. He supports pucks. He plays in all areas of the ice. He plays in all situations, and he's a mature player. So, if you're going to take a player that doesn't have junior hockey experience in the first round of Phase II, you want to be pretty certain that that player is going to be able to be impactful right away, and we believe that Daniel (Shlaine) will be."

Lincoln grabbed another highly-talented scoring forward with the 19th overall pick in the second round, Alex Pelletier. The 19-year-old, listed at 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, is a left-shot forward hailing from Granby, Connecticut.

Pelletier played for both the Yale Jr. Bulldogs 18U and Avon Old Farms School teams this past season, and he finished with 40 points for both squads. Additionally, he had a two-game stint with the Green Bay Gamblers. Pelletier's production all came while playing along the wing, which fulfilled another need for Lincoln.

"Alex (Pelletier) has a big-time compete level," Russo said. "He plays with physicality. He's got touch in small areas, he's able to make plays under pressure, and he can score off the rush in the offensive set on the power play. Again, we were able to fill a need in regards to getting a winger and also getting what we felt was the best available player at the time."

Here is a look at the Lincoln Stars' entire 2024 USHL Phase II Draft class:

Round 1, 4th overall: Daniel Shlaine, F

Round 2, 19th overall: Alex Pelletier, F

Round 3, 38th overall: Etienne Lessard, D

Round 4. 49th overall: Kade Kohanski, F

Round 5, 61st overall: John Hirschfeld, F

Round 5, 64th overall: Michael Sandruck, F

Round 6, 80th overall: Shea Busch, F

Round 6, 89th overall: Ben Vatis, G

Round 7, 96th overall: Luca DeCubellis, D

Round 8, 119th overall: Darian Anderson, F

Round 9, 126th overall: Haoxi Simon Wang, D